A survey of office employment requirements in selected Rockford, Illinois, businesses

Includes bibliographical references.The purpose of this study was to examine the office employment requirements in selected Rockford, Illinois, businesses for high school graduates entering the Job market immediately after graduation* The major objectives of the study were: (1) to determine the current office employment requirements for high school graduates in the areas of skills, education, sex, and personal qualities and (2) to recommend changes and/or revisions in the business education program or courses of study at Hiawatha High School In light of the findings concerning Initial employment obtained from selected Rockford, Illinois, businesses. Method and Procedure: Five types of offices to be surveyed were selected by utilizing a past knowledge of graduates' office positions, a study of Rockford newspapers' classified advertisements, and personal interviews with Rockford employment agencies, the Rockford office of the Illinois Employment Service, and the Rockford Chamber of Commerce. The total population for each of these five classifications of offices was obtained through the use of the Rockford Manufacturing Directory and the yellow pages of the Rockford Telephone Directory. The total population of 1,732 was reduced to 234 business firms with the use of a small-sample formula. A letter of introduction and questionnaire were sent to 234 randomly selected business firms. Three weeks later, a follow-up letter and questionnaire were sent to those firms which had not responded to the original mailing. From the response to those two mailings, data were tabulated, classified, and arranged in the descriptive areas and tables found in this study. The significant findings of this study were as follows: (1) clerical positions afforded the greatest opportunity for employment to young people just graduated from high school while accounting positions gave the least opportunity for employment; (2) the most common positions available to recently graduated young people in the areas of clerical work, office machines work, and accounting were clerk-typist, adding machine operator, and billing clerk respectively; (3) although only a little over one-third of the respondents used employment tests, the typewriting test was the most popular, with clerical tests ranking second; (4) employers were almost evenly divided in preference to five-minute and ten-minute typewriting timings; (5) the average speed requirement for timings was 50 words a minute with employers evenly divided on using net words a minute and gross words a minute; (6) the majority of respondents did not indicate an error limit; (7) not one of the firms surveyed indicated that they had standards of performance for office machines tests; (8) the major factor resulting in failure on the job was lack of initiative, followed by lack of interest, failure to accept responsibility, and skill deficiencies; (9) characteristics rated nearly the same in importance for job success were initiative and demonstrating good work habits.M.S. Ed. (Master of Education