OCR Text |
Show Your Letter of Recommendation ' By Sophie Irene Loeb K iwtrirM. wir. hr ae rn ivtiiitj o Msny communications have come concerning, the letter of recommendation. recommenda-tion. One mn will complain of the employer em-ployer who Inaists on several approbations. approba-tions. Another who haa worked In a city department finds It difficult to secure employment because no letter of approval ap-proval has been given him. hsvlng worked for different administrations. Another writer deplores the fact that he has remained In one groove so long that he hesitates to ssk for a recommendation recom-mendation from his employer In oriler ts seek a better position. Agsin there are those who. having failed In vtirlnus kinds of work, are handicapped in getting a hearing because be-cause they have no one to recommend them. , Another tells me thst the only recommendation he wants Is one In which he Is sssured that the worker is "honest and energetic." I am told by atlll another that hr Judges the employe by the length of lime he has been able to "hold down" his former Job. And finally there Is one kind of employer who beltevs In giving a man a chance, not hecauee -of aire, not becauae he la unmarried, but how he measures up to the Job. This employer of many people says: "I take a man on how he Impresses me In relation tn his fitness for my I work. It makes no big difference to me who had employed him formerly or why he lost his Job. If I have a fair aaauranre that he la not a thief or a scoundrel: if he shows a frankness frank-ness of. manner, and does not try to fool me about hla capabilities. I figure him aa the pasible man for the Job. "f have tieen rarely mistaken. If a man looks squsrrly at me and talks the truth he creates confidence In me, and he gets the chance " There is the big thing, OREATIN'CJ CONFIDKNCK. In looking for a position don't overlook over-look the fact that a position Is likely looking for you. If one employer demands a recommendation recom-mendation there is another who has a After talking with various employers employ-ers in different kinds of business. I find thst one belief prevails among them. The letter of recommendaton Is not the one big criterion by which a worker is Judged. One employer says. "I pay no attention at-tention to recommendations. I Just sise up the individual and if he seems I tu be what he represents. I give him s trial " dtff pro-it ban is for htrlng pop. Thm o4 ropy book trinttn of "try. try again" haa not yet sViilrd. Oourajrw! Now an tu the employer. There ia nn menner prrson In the world than the elf tan one who refuse to give the letter of recommcmlation to the worker who wanU to leave, hlw employ. It la tl4 moat narrow nttlt-.ide to unurne. -tint hecaitne the employe h found unmcthlnit better la no renaon why yam ahniild not be willina; t tell what irmw, qualltlea you have found In htm. It la our debt to Immunity ut luree to tell what you know an to hla qualification. .lut thJnk of the little old golden rule a bit. Think of tfi number of young men who Junt need yvrtir word of approval to help them on their way. It mean: ao little to the employer and ao much to the other.. And then there la the other extreme, he who goea beyond the truth and "lava It on thick." There fa another reMponaihility each haa to humanity at large to avoid eotaitReratlne In relation re-lation to the employment aeeker. You think you are doing him a favor, but In reHlity you are Injuring him. You are making him live up to aome-I aome-I thing of whii-h he ia incapucle. And he givea disappointment rather than sot-1 sot-1 lafactfon. j The fine, purposeful way fa to give the word of approval wherever it la needed, with ronacfence aa a guide. |