| Show Lack Training in Three Rs R's T Today's oday's Secretaries Just Cant Can't span By Dorothy Roe Associated Press Tress Women's omens Editor Half of oC today's secretaries cant can't spelL These young women all of whom are high school graduates many of oC whom hold college degrees degrees de de- de- de grees grecs lack basic training in and and tic say executives whose business business business busi busi- ness is the hiring and training of secretarial help One great corporation with headquarters in New York which employs thousands of stenographers stenographers stenographers and secretaries maintains a training course for secretarial personnel The man in charge of this course says When girls in the organization apply for training we first test their typing skill requiring that they be able to type 40 words a minute with not more than five errors in words If they I II qualify on this score they are I then given a seventh grade spellIng spelling spell spell- ing test of words in every-day every usage We Ve require a grade of cit 85 on this tills test Not more than 50 of oC the girls make the grade Must lust Pass Test Girls who are accepted for the training class also must pass a i written test in grammar and I punctuation after which they theoretically are trained in the specific phraseology of this busi bus ness But says the executive in charge A IIA great deal of the time is spent drilling the girls in seventh seventh- grade rade spelling and grade eighth grammar ar Rose Brophy who has found jobs for some secretaries in n her 20 years as employment specialist in New York bears out these icse findings Says she I Im constantly amazed at how I many college graduates cant can't I spell pell Miss 1 Brophy and her late sis- sis law in Loire Brophy won success suc- suc cess ess and a measure of fame in ina inman's inmans a mans man's world by establishing a reputation of being ably to supply supply sup- sup ply ly efficient secretarial help to big ig businessmen Loire Brophy's book ook If ulf V Women omen Must 1 Work Vork is isa I I Ia a best seller with girls who seek seck careers in business Lists Few Pointers Rose Brophy carrying on the business since her sister laws death eath has a few pointers for young oung women who seek seck business success through the secretarial door The first requirements are I basic to asic to be a good secretary a airl i girl irl must have a sound knowledge I of oC f the three Rs R's be able to write and nd spell a grammatical sentence and nd must develop skill at typing and nd shorthand The liThe other requirements are less ess cut and In order to get et a job a girl must make a good first impression impression appear appear appear- ance nee and personality are of primary primary primary mary importance here But if she he hasn't the education or skill necessary she wont won't keep the job long ong Dwell on Wage rage Miss Brophy says today's job applicants are too much inclined to o dwell on how much they can get from an employer rather than on how much they can give A girl jirl whose first question is How Howlong Howong long ong are the hours and when can canI I get a raise isn't likely to be bea a success And says this specialist if you want vant to succeed in business for goodness goodness' sake learn to spell |
