The Montgomery advertiser., 1901-06-08
How London Firms Select Clerks
 Likely to Prove Efficient.

lSouuOH 1ll-bitS.
 A few weks ago an advertisement appeared iI one of the morning papers stating that a well-known financier had a vacancy for smart and reliable clerk. In the one day over POO appli- cants called at the address given and out of these six were taken on trial. Each one was given a letter which was to be delivered in person at an ad- dress in a town in the north of Eng land as quickly as possible. Neither of the men knew anything about the other five. but they were each told to traye by 8 certain train. At one part of the journey a change had to be made and the travellers had to walk over to another station. Between the time that the one train arrived and the other left there were only three minutes, and there was not another train for three hours. On reaching the station three of the clerks went to consult a time table. and by the time they had looked up the trains they found they had missed the connection, while two had strolled over to the station and ar- rived just in time to see the train starting out. Only one had the fore sight to look at the timetable before starting. He had to run, but he caught the train and when he got back to the office he was engaged at once as private secretary at a salary of ( 500 ($2.500) a year. His employer explain ed that he wanted a man who knew the value of time and that the journey was only a test.
 A big firm of stock brokers always try their new clerks by giving them some accounts to make up. In these accounts some of the figures are in- n ll,r al. some are badly formed and some have been altered two or three times. Now, new men naturally are anxious to an- pear smart, so nine out of ten puzzle over the figures and end by simply guessing at them. The tenth man admits frankly that he cannot read them. He Is the man who gets the job. The others are liabla to make mistakes
 A firm that does most of it's business by travellers always tries new men by sending them to canvass certain street. In this street there are some very high buildings of ten and twelve stories which are not fitted with lifts. In three of these buildings there are top floor offices owned by the company, but run under different names. If the new traveller calls at each of these he is engaged; if not. he is plainly told that he is not wanted.
 Professional shoppers are employed by large firms of drapers to cest the abilities of shop assistant. This firm own over thirty large shops and em- ploys nearly 1000 assistants. To find out whether every cust omar is polite ly served number of lady customers are employed to call at the various shops. They are told to give as much trouble as possible and sometimes to leave without mi lxinO aFt looking at nearly everything in the shop. Should the unfortunate assist ants temper not be equal to the strain or should a single word be said that might offend, report will infallibly reach headquarters end lead to the dismissal of the sorely-triai handler of silks and ribbons.
 There Is a cotton merchant in Man. chester who has the unenviabIe repu- tatlon of being the worse tempered man in the trade, When hs engages new travellers he lets them go on with their business for few darS, and then, for some reason or other he calls them ln- to his office and finds fault with something. He storms about the room. kicks over unoffending chairs in his rage. and declares that the business is going to ruin. If the bewildered tray eler takes offense at the outburst and tells his employer to find another man to take his place he Is paid off and al- lowed to so. but if ne takes the whcle affair quietly. and takes all the abuse as a joke. the merchant calms down, apologizes for his temper and gives the man a raise. He explains that, above all things. treveler must be abe to keep his temper if he expects to be successful. and he says that every man who has stood the test has dCne well for the firm.