JOB ADVERTISING

Waikato Independent, Volume XLIV, Issue 6074, 9 July 1947, Page 6

JOB ADVERTISING

CONDITIONS ARE DIFFERENT TO-DAY Herbert Hodge, the London taxi driver whose book, "It's Draughty in Front", became a best seller, is a man with plenty of good common sense. Talking in the 8.8.C.'s Overseas Service-on "A-Worker Looks at His World" he said that conditions for young folks nowadays are vastly different from those in force when he was a boy. The jobs were fairly hard to find; now it's workers who are in short supply. "When I first went looking for a job the advertisement said: 'Strong boy wanted—not afraid of hard work'. Or 'Girl wanted—one just leaving school not objected to, but must be strong, intelligent and willing'. . • . Now most employers concentrate on trying to make the job sound attractive. They mention the high wages or the good prospects of promotion, or the up-to-date factory and the excellent canteen—or something like that . . . Some firms don't even mention the word 'work' at all. They mention everything else—the high wages, the excellent conditions, the canteen, the rest rooms, the free medical attention, the sports ground." All this is, in Mr Hodge's opinion, a mistake, especially when young workers are concerned, for he ers they'll be apt to think that all they need to do> is to clock in at' the factory, spend the rest of their time on its playing fields, or in its rest room or canteen, and then draw a pay packet at the end of the week, whereas the reality, especially in a modern mass-production factory, may be very different.

"The kind of advertisement I like to see is one that makes the work itself sound good. Not one that says it's easy work, but one that- says it's good work—worthwhile work—work you can take a pride in and feel yod're doing something important in the world. That's the kind of advertisement that'd appeal to me if I were just leaving school; and I think it'd appeal to most youngsters."