Job Interview – 1958 – Leonard Sullivan

JOB INTERVIEW 1958

Leonard Sullivan

There was a must have book for those planning to graduate from college in 1958 and seeking that first job interview. I still have the book “Career for the College Man-1958”. The book contained a brief synopsis of most regional, national and International companies.

Two things vividly show changes in the business world since 1958. First the title of the book, “Careers for Men…”. I did not realize at the time that women were not being recruited or interviewed for executive type training programs by most companies. The second thing you notice when flipping through the book is many of these sought out companies no longer exist. Conversely, many of the sought after companies today did not exist in 1958.

Companies that have disappeared such as Montgomery Ward, Foley’s, Braniff Airline, Scott Paper Company, Eastern Airline, Fleming, Liberty Bank, Leman Brother, E.F. Hutton, OTASCO, Rock Island Rail Road, Pen Central Rail Road, T.G.&Y, McDonald Douglas, Aero Commander, CR Anthony, Enron, International Telephone & Telegraph, Arthur Anderson, Humpty Dumpty Super Markets, Burroughs, Pan Am Airlines, Studebaker, Hudson Auto, to name a few that have disappeared since 1958.

However, many of the most sought after employers today did not exist in 1958. Can you remember the world without Walmart, Apple, Amazon, Facebook, Chesapeake Energy, Continental Resources, Oracle, Broadcom, Southwest Airlines, Pay Pal, and Devon?

Other aspects of the business world were changing at the same time. In the summer of 1957, I rode with a friend to Ft. Hood Texas, for ROTC Summer camp in a new Studebaker Sky Hawk. That fall, I came to downtown Oklahoma City’s John A. Brown’s Department store to purchase a new suite for job interviews and graduation.

I flew for one job interview from Will Rogers Airport. I waited behind a chain link fence for the propeller driven plane (D-C3) to taxi up to the “loading area” and lower the two steps into the plane.

I flew from Tulsa to Memphis for the next job interview. The D-C3 stopped in Ft. Smith, Little Rock, and on to Memphis. In Little Rock it was pouring down rain. Those getting off the plane were soaked as were those getting on the plane.

This has happened in one business career. Imagine what my grandchildren will be writing sixty years from now.

I would like to thank John Frost for recalling some names for me.

Leonard E. Sullivan