Ashland tidings. [volume] (Ashland, Or.) 1876-1919, 1917-02-01
Business Talks to Young Girls
How TO Conduct Yourself in Busi-
ness Office
BY ALOE GRADY

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How TO Conduct Yourself in Busi-
ness Office
Even before you start out for your
first days duties in your new posi-
tion, | would have you understand
that the pleasantness of it, that is
TO say whether your work is to be
a pleasure of mere drudgery, will
depend upon your personal relation
ships. You may be naturally of a
reserved disposition, or you may be
accustomed to making acquaintances
easily, but in any case take this bit
of caution to heart. Be courteous,
but not suaye; he kindly, but not
facetious; be conservative, but neith-
er naughty nor supercilious, nor yet
appear over anxious to please. Es-
tablish at once this fact, which you
can do by your bearing that you are
in the place for work and that your
work requires all your attention,
Avoid gossip, and treat each one of
your co-workers as you do your en-
ployer, with as easy dignity. If this
happens to be your first position you
may he inclined to be self-conscious.
This will wear away as you become
familiar with your duties and absorb
ed by them.
Be receptive, and show by your
manner, as you will naturally, if you
keep to the suggestions above that
You are not only willing but glad
to receive fair criticism of your eff
forts, or to be shown Every office,
every place of business, every profess
sion, has its routine. and until you
are in position to offer suggestions
or to follow your own ideas as to
how you shall perform the duties as
signed to you be content to follow
directions; there Is nothing more ir-
ritating to an employer, | suppose,
than an officious employe. Now don't
thrust that hint aside on the assump-
tion that there are not instances
enough to which 1t would apply to
warrant wasting space on it. You
would be surprised at the number of
young girls the younger the more
apt they are to be of the class who,
assuming a position, assume with 1t
a dictatorial attitude.
Don't try to do the work a. your
employer either, but make your work
supplement his, or that of the force
above you. Women are naturally
more resourceful than mon, and they
are more acute about details than the
masculine persuasion in general, but
this may or may not make theA more
valuable as assistants. eome men re-
sent go-ahcadative attitude on the
part of anyone under them. But even
that need not deter you from taking
a thorough interest in your work
It only means that you have a more
complicated game to play than some
working girls--you have to watch
your moves little more closely. At
ter all business Of any kind is mere
~ a good game, and whether it's a
housemaid's S position or a stenograph-
er's, newspaper woman's. millin-
ers, or a school teachers, or that
OF any other vocation, 1t is still a
game and very interesting one II
you play II right Anyhow, you have
to play 1t, so make up your mind
that II Is going to be an interesting
one and that you are going to win.
Give your imagination some play
lOn ltl IL run away Will yOu, vi
course, but bring it to bear upon that
that otherwise would be dark, and
don't day dream" DO you know
the difference between imagination
and day-dreaming? Imagination has
TO do with the conscious side of your
mind-it connects your mind with
the world and so helps you In your
relations to people and incidents that
you necessarily have to deal with
while day-dreaming dulls the brains
activities It keeps you looking ahead
TO the future instead of making you
alive and keen and in direct touch
with the present and its possibilities
Cultivate, il you do not possess II
already, a reposeful manner, yet be
alert and seem alert, SO many per.
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