JOBS AND JOBBERS

That the various Harvard employment bureaus are doing what they can to be of service under present organization is generally recognized; the decentralization, however, does not make for efficiency. And the fact that employment service as a whole is not recognized as a function of the University is a handicap. The present situation is a two-edged disadvantage; students are not helped sufficiently, nor are employers able to find the kind of men they want.

To put employment service on the proper basis, it must be made a part of the administrative system of the University. The logical step is to create a comprehensive bureau in charge of a capable executive. Assisted by an adequate staff, he could use effective methods of judging applicants; from the medical examiner's office would come the health record; from the Committee on Admission pre-college statistics; from the Dean's Office the scholastic attainment. And to these, the result of intelligence tests--they have been proved 60 per cent accurate; a picture, and what is perhaps most important, a non scholastic personal rating based on qualities such as initiative, reliability, and judgment. The people from who the information is requested would answer by writing "Unsatisfactory", "Weak", "Average", "Good", or "Exceptional" after each quality listed on a standardized filing card. A bureau so organized would be infinitely more effective in placing Harvard men.

The idea is not new; similar systems are in force at other institutions. It is time for Harvard to take action.