The Washington herald. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1906-1939, 1915-03-05
~ WHAT SHALL I DO? ~

upon whom so much depends. or who
is selected by her employer with so
great care, as the social secretary. \
society womans guests can forgive a
badly prepared dinner. even if the cook
has to lose his place for it, and no one
can take personal offense at the mis-
takes of the butler or the housemaid or
the governess but the sort of plumbers
that an Incompetent social secretary can
make-such. for instance. as an omitted
invitation or forgotten acknowledge
ment-may come very near marrnE a So
ciety woman's career. In more than one
instance. the social success OF an ambi-
tious woman of wealth has been due to
the tact and cleverness of her social
secretary
No wonder then. that society women
are very particular ABOUT their social
secretaries and that only the eXcep-
tionally qualified young woman can hold
such a position satisfactorily. But
though she must he exceptional, the 80
cial secretary need not be genius. She
need not even be what people call bril-
liant or talented or shrewd or highly
intellectual to reach the top notch of her
profession. But she must have an album
dance of tact and diplomacy. She must
be accurate and absolutely reliable both
to small details and large things. The
young woman who is inclined to forget
or to be absent-minded or moody would
be a total failure as a social secretary.
Also usually the society woman who
limits her correspondence and writing to
purely social matters does not require a
knowledge of typewritng of her secre-
tary but the young woman who does un-
derstand both typewriting and stem
Ography stands a better chance of getting
social secretary work than the one who
does not. For the rest. the better her
general education, her familiarity with
matters that interest society fOlk-the
opera. theater. art. foreign travel. etc!
the better able she will be to make
progress in her vocation. to make herself
indispensable to her employer.
We all know young women who, no
doubt. would make ideal social secre-
taries but the question that often con-
fronts the society woman when she finds J
that her social duties make the services |
of secretary necessary is how to get !
in touch with just such a Young woman !
who wants to take the position. Prob |
ably the first thing the society woman !
would do under the circumstances would |
be to ask the social secretary of an !
acquaintance of hers TO recommend a |
suitable young woman for the place; but
frequently she would send to d business |
employment agency of high character in |
the hope that it would have among its |
applicants for secretarial work a young |
woman qualified to % society work. Or |
perhaps the society woman would send |
to a nearby wOman's college. IL she |
were in search of college-bred secre-
tary. or she might consult the advertise
ment columns of daily or weekly pub
LEGATION, or insert n help wanted" ad-
vertisement in a paper herself.
Before long. in one way or another.
this ina ginary society woman will have
got in touch with one or more young
women willing to consider such a posi-
ton and at a given time. probably in the
she will make an appointment
for an interview. Picture to yourself
now, one of the applicants. after she has
given her name to the butler al the door.
and has been shown upstairs to be inter-
viewed by the society woman who may
be her future employer. From the mo-
ment the society woman sees her she
will be making mental notes. She will
notice the applicants dress, her walk.
her manner with the maid who shows
her into the room, her mode of accept
ing the chair offered her. If there is \
cringing or subservient in theN
Of the applicant. 1t will count
very much against her. The society
woman will ask about the applicants
previous experience, her education.
she takes shorthand notes.
she is used to managing SER
wants. and then she will, without doubt,
ask for a specimen of her handwriting.
This question Of handwriting. trivial as
it may seem, goes for a great deal in the
work of a social secretary. No matter
how legible it may be, il 1t is cramped
or childish. or suggests the quick busi-
ness-like hand Of the mail order house.
the employer will doubtless object II
you want to know what style of writing
Is most acceptable to society women
study the writing on the wedding invita-
tons addressed at one Of the large So
ciety engravers where, IL anywhere, the
latest style of correct writing is to bel
found.
OF course. the personal equation goes
a long way in the employment of a So
cial secretary. and the fact that a So
ciety woman liked a certain applicant
for the position OF social secretary
might count for a great deal more than
AnothaY SArvani. ProhlAm S0lvad.