FIRST ANNUAL CONFERENCE ON EMPLOYMENT AND EDUCATION SPONSORED BY THE AMERICAN ASSOCIATION OF ENGINEERS

CONGRESS HOTEL, CHICAGO, FRIDAY, NOVEMBER 12, 1920

This conference of educators, employment managers, engineers, experts on vocational and industrial education, character analysis and others interested in education and employment formed a group of earnest seekers after the solution of the great problem of educating the man and then placing him in the right job. The spirit of the conference was largely one of cooperation although it was evident that a greater unanimity of mind upon employment phases of the subject of the conference exists than on the primary question of education.

The conference was not intended to concern itself entirely with engineering education, nor did it; but the presence of some engineers on the program gave an engineering flavor to the subject matter of the address.

Among the many interesting addresses delivered at this conference was a paper presented by Mr. Frank D. Chase, president of Frank D. Chase, Incorporated, which follows in ab

stract.

WHAT AN EMPLOYER REQUIRES WHEN ENGAGING AN ENGINEER

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HE employer divides his resources into material and labor. Material in any form whatever is represented by capital or represents capital. The inventory or list of assets of any firm take cognizance only of material as representing capital investment. The banker looks at the inventory before making his loan, corporations are financed on the inventory and all the plans of a going concern are based on inventory. or some form of material investment.

I have to speak briefly of the other of these two subdivisions of industry; that is, labor, and specifically of the engineer and of his being employed. In other words, I am to discuss what an employer requires when engaging an engineer.

It is quite true that material forms the basis of inventory or a value measure of a going concern, but an important although intangible thing is the element of labor. By labor I do not mean merely manual or physical effort-labor is defined as mental or physical activity.

It is quite true that the banker looks at the physical inventory when making a loan, but it is also true that without the consideration of labor, or personnel, the inventory does not go very far with the banker, nor does it go very far with the average business man. In other words, the labor or personnel of an establishment or institution is quite as important as the material element and frequently far exceeds it in importance.

The United States Steel Corporation with its hundreds of millions of invested capital would be a failure as a going concern without the guiding master mind of Judge Gary and his able subordinates who execute the policy of the corporation. Without the personnel who comprise the management of this corporation it would consist of merely an aggregation of large manufacturing plants, which might or might not produce profitably and which could not exist were it not for the intellectual labor which controls and executes.

The men, then, who execute and form the big part of the personnel of the organization must be considered as of the utmost importance and their selection carefully studied in order to secure a proper personnel. The apprentice of today is the executive of tomorrow, and the necessity of care in the selection of men is recognized by the modern employer, regardless of the character of the position or its relative importance in the organization. The large corporations frequently make the same complete investigation and analysis in the employment of an office boy that is made in the selection of a ten-thousand dollar man.

What I have said may be considered in the light of a generality, but it is not I have merely stated a few fundamentals and they apply with equal force to the employment of the engineer. This is particularly true in the light of present day practice of using engineers or men of engineering training and some engineering experience in responsible positions in almost every line of industrial activity.

Realizing the importance of the proper personnel of an organization, the employer who does not formulate a very definite plan for the employment of his assistants is making a very serious mistake and I shall outline briefly, from my own experience, what appears to me as being the important consideration.

It seems rather unscientific to speak of "hunches," but when I interview a man for employment it takes me considerably less time than it has taken me to say it to size up a man and place him. Subsequent conversation and data serve to corroborate or verify my first impression. The first "size-up" naturally separates itself into two divisions; first, the physical qualifications of the man; second, the mental qualifications. Physical qualifications should include good health, which is reflected by an upright alert bearing, and personal appearance as indicated by clothing and the way it is worn. There is no excuse for a man who calls himself an engineer, unless he is wearing field clothes, to wear other than neatly pressed clothing, together with clean linen and shined shoes. Slovenly mental traits are reflected by slovenly attire and I have little respect for such a man. It is true that the genius sometimes forgets to shave and wash, and that the old adage says that a man must not be judged by his clothes, but we are not looking for geniuses, and if I put one in the discard because of this elimination test I shall not regret it. In 99 times

out of a 100 a man's physical appearance does indicate to a great measure his mental characteristics and qualifications and thereby reflect his personality, of which I shall speak later.

A man's mental attitude is reflected by the style of his greeting and one can determine a man's ability of presentation by the way he presents himself. Characterizations which one notes are aggressiveness, tempered by good taste or breeding, straight forwardness, or clear or logical thinking, which is exhibited by his ability to state his case briefly and without undue loquaciousness. A man's mental qualifications and mental capacity are indicated at the outset by these manifestations, all of which may be determined within a minute's time. The facts may then be brought out which are essential in any engineer, and these include loyalty, personality, experience, education.

I have outlined these four principal items in the order in which they appear to me as being essential and in this order can the facts be determined when employing a man. I place loyalty first. This word is susceptible of rather a broad interpretation and this is the interpretation I put upon it. Loyalty means honesty of conviction or purpose, first, to one's self. If one is loyal to his own conviction of right he is loyal to his employer.

Loyalty to one's self and one's employer means honest work, and its reward, promotion, increase of responsibility and salary, and the men who have the ambition to attain these are the men we are looking for. The simple test for loyalty is to get the applicant to talk about his present or former employers. The man with a grievance should be watched and the man who criticizes his treatment and lack of opportunity is usually lacking in loyalty. I believe that it is the exception rather than the rule that a man fails to get proper consideration of his services and opportunities for advancement. Opportunities abound, the average man is waiting for the opportunity for advancement to be given him. It won't be, but in a million ways he can seize the opportunity and profit thereby.

My second classification is personality, rather difficult to define, it means the expression, outwardly, of one's self. We speak of an agreeable, a strong, dominant or compelling, or an intelligent personality. All the knowledge in the world is of no avail if one cannot apply it and use it for the benefit of those whom he is paid to work with. The right personality permits a man not only to do himself and his work justice, but to cooperate with his fellow men, developing thereby teamwork-a vital necessity for the proper functioning of any organization. A man's personality is reflected by his every act and speech, oral or written, and therefore can be observed at any and all times, and easily studied during an interview.

My third qualification is experience. I grant that without experience. loyalty and personality are without value, but mere experience is a drug on the market. There are too many men who can teach us the contents of all the engineering text books in the library, and they call themselves engineers. I do not so consider them. It takes more than mere technical knowledge to earn the title engineer. For a given job, however, certain experience is essential, and it is an easy matter to determine whether or not an applicant fits so far as exprience goes. References as to experience and other capabilities are, in my opinion, of little value. It is a rare

occasion for me to condemn a man in such a way that I interfere with his chances for employment, and I believe that is true of most of us.

Experience is not always a matter of years. There again does personality enter, and one man's work for a year may better fit him for a similar line of work with greater responsibility than five years' work by another man. Experience is a splendid, if somewhat costly, teacher, but the man of judgment learns rapidly.

Education is the last of my qualifications, and the least important. It's not what a man has learned that counts, but what he knows and his ability to apply his knowledge. By application I mean, for instance, the knowledge of where to find specific data; that's better than burdening the mind with masses of statistics which can not be relied upon.

The college man has a splendid advantage, or a serious handicap, depending on how he makes use of his education. The man who digs out his education in a night school better appreciates what he has he got it because he wanted it, not because it was handed to him. The percentage of successful correspondence or night school graduates is high, I imagine.

These four qualifications are all susceptible of record and a record can be made of each, and many large corporations are giving keen study. and analysis to the men whom they employ. These records are used not merely as an entrance requirement, but are the basis of transfer and promotion. In other words, the employment of men is being put on a scientific basis-a good job for the engineer.

It's a matter of common sense, which Professor Swain used to say should be called “uncommon sense"-it's so rare. Engineering is merely the application of common sense to a specific field of human endeavor, and we want men, not automatons.

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MEETINGS OF LOCAL CHAPTERS

ONTHLY meetings of the local Chapters of the Society are held during the winter months at Chicago, Kansas City, Boston, Detroit, Minneapolis, New York, Buffalo, Cleveland, Philadelphia, Pittsburgh, and St. Louis. The locations of the various local Chapters and the regular meeting dates thereof, are indicated in the directory of local Chapters which appear on the fourth yellow page preceding page 93 of this issue of the Journal.

It is of the greatest importance in the development of the monthly Chapter meetings, that comprehensive reports of the meetings be published in the Journal of the Society regularly. Secretaries of the Chapters are urged to send the complete reports of their meetings to the office of the Secretary as quickly as possible after the meetings are held.

ILLINOIS CHAPTER

January 10, 1921. On the 10th of January, Illinois Chapter held its regular monthly meeting at the Chicago Engineers' Club with an attendance of 67 members and guests. The meeting was called to order by the President at 7:30 P. M. in the club parlors. The roll call was taken and the minutes of the December meeting read and approved.

A report was called for by the President from the Chairman of the Committee on Membership, Mr. Thomas. A discussion took place regarding the ways and means relative to securing additional members, and it was finally moved, seconded and agreed that the Membership Committee act according to its own discretion.

A report was also called for from the "Booster" Committee for the Annual Meeting at Philadelphia. In the absence of the chairman, Mr. Newport, Major Chenoweth was called on, following which a general discussion took place regarding the number of members who intended to go to the Meeting, and the Committee was urged to continue its good. work. Major Chenoweth was appointed Chairman.

A suggestion was made and discussion took place regarding the advisability of having a stenographer take down full notes on each meeting's program; these notes to be distributed throughout the Chapter membership. It was finally moved, seconded and carried that this matter be turned over to the Board of Governors for investigation, as to whether or not it conflicted with the Constitution and By-Laws of the Society and for their further recommendation.

The next order of business was the election of new members. The following applications were acted upon and unanimously elected: H. B. Natzen, H. M. Nacey, H. M. Reynolds and H. B. Ryan.

The meeting was then given over to the committee in charge, of which Mr. E. A. May, chairman, and Messrs. Butler and W. E. Foskett, mem