Radio Digest (Nov 1930-Apr 1931)

77 jDeauty and the Job The Handmaid of Success in a Woman s Career Is Attractiveness — and Beauty Treatments Provide Important Steps to Loveliness THE other day a girl of about twenty-two came into my office with a letter of recommendation from a friend in Pittsburgh. "Please help Dorothy to get a position in New York," I read. "She was graduated from college with high honors last June and I am sure that with your help she will have no difficulty in making a place for herself in the business world." Now, I had always considered this friend of mine rather a pessimist, but after reading her letter, I was thoroughly convinced that she had become one of the world's most outstanding optimists. Certainly no one but an optimist could think getting a job a simple matter in these days of depression and unemployment, and the fact that anyone would consider Dorothy an outstanding prospect nonplused me. Our mutual friend had claimed in her letter that this girl was intelligent. But there was nothing intelligent about the way in which she was going after a position. In the first place, she was inappropriately dressed. She wore a raccoon coat over what appeared to be a pretty elaborate dinner dress; her beige gloves were soiled; her heels were badly run over; she needed a manicure; and I was hypnotized by the absolute griminess of her complexion. She told me that she had been looking for a position for three weeks and she seemed honestly surprised that no one yet had attempted to employ her in any way. After three weeks of job hunting, she was a little bit discouraged, but I think I was the more discouraged of the two of us. However, I was anxious to do what I could for the girl. While she waited, I telephoned to Miss Wilson, a friend of mine who runs an employment agency. I told her that I would like to send this girl over to see her. "All right," she said, "but for heaven's sake tell her the story of Elizabeth Adams before she comes, will you? It's hard enough these days to place an experienced girl, and if this girl is just out of college, it's going to be harder still to get her any kind of a job. And by the way, I could use you over here. Most of the girls need a beauty expert more than they need I$y Frances Ingram Consultant on Care of the Skin Heard on NBC every Tuesday monilnj an employment agent. I get positions for them, although, to tell you the truth. I don't know why the people hire them. Some of these girls have been out of jobs so long that they have forgotten all they knew about the importance of appearance. So I'm never very much surprised when they're back in a week or ten days — tired again. You haven't told me what this girl looks like, but before you send her over here, don't forget to tell her about Elizabeth." Elizabeth's is a success story. Six years ago she came to New York with the remains of a debutante's first season's wardrobe, a degree from Vassar. and nothing else. Her first job paid her twenty dollars a week. She didn't do much in this position and after three months she was discharged. Her employer told her that a more attractive girl was going to take her place. He was very fair with Elizabeth and he explained to her that an attractive appearance had a real business value. He told her that he preferred to hire good looking girls because they made his office look successful. He said he thought Elizabeth would profit by this experience and he advised her. as a business investment, to learn to be as attractive as possible before she even began to look for another position. Naturally Elizabeth was somewhat crushed. But not for long. I'll never forget the rainy Saturday morning she telephoned me and asked me to have lunch with her. I met her for lunch and she told me the whole story. "And he was right." she said, speaking of her ex-employer. "And so this afternoon I want you to help me buy a dress which is appropriate for an office and I want you to tell me everything you can think of that will improve my appearance." I was rather dubious about the dress because knowing Elizabeth's salary. I was sure she could not have saved much toward the type of dress which I thought she should have. I was right on this. too. Her capital consisted of six dollars — five dollars for (Continued on page 98) i A n ate r active appearance is i great .isset in i responsible position.