#oldnewspaperclipping

My letter has nothing to do with whether you hire a cleancut boy or a long-haired hippie. It deals with your attitude. I hope you will not be offended; but to me attitude is a matter of mind and heart, not the length of one’s hair.

I realize that many people, both young and old, are in need of jobs today. I also realize that as a businessman you are concerned about your business. And that you should be. When you said that jobs do not grow on trees, you were right; because the only thing I know that grows on trees are leaves. I have been told by my society that you do not get anything for free, not even a smile or a kind word. But I will keep on hoping that this is not true.

Well, Mr. Businessman, I do not know whether you will understand the paragraphs I have written or not. I can only hope that you can and that these words will be of some benefit.

Respectfully yours,

Kay Spence

Student Nurse

Good Samaritan School of Nursing

You see, Kid, people who hire people aren’t “with” a lot of things. We know more about Bing than about Ringo, and we have some Stone Age ideas about who owes whom a living. Maybe that makes us prehistoric, but there’s nothing wrong with the checks we sign, and if you want one you’d better tune to our wave length.

Ever hear of “empathy?” It’s the trick of seeing the other fellow’s side of things. I couldn’t have cared less that you’re behind in your car payments. That’s your problem, and President Johnson’s. What I needed was someone who’d go out in the plant, keep his eyes open, and work for me like he’d work for himself. If you have even the vaguest idea of what I’m trying to say, let it show the next time you ask for a job. You’ll be head and shoulders over the rest.

Look Kid: The only time jobs grew on trees was while most of the manpower was wearing G.I.’s and pulling K.P. For all the rest of history you’ve had to get a job like you get a girl: “Case” the situation, wear a clean shirt, and try to appear reasonably willing.

Maybe jobs aren’t as plentiful right now, but a lot of us can remember when master craftsmen walked the streets. By comparison you don’t know the meaning of “scarce.”

You may not believe it, but all around you employers are looking for young men smart enough to go after a job in the old-fashioned way. When they find one, they can’t wait to unload some of their worries on him.

For both our sakes, get eager, will you?