Kate Reardon, the editor of Tatler magazine, told public schoolgirls that in order for young women to be successful, they should focus on being "polite and respectful" rather than attaining good qualifications.
Speaking to an audience of schoolgirls at the £30,000-a-year Westonbirt School for Girls, Reardon insisted that those who are well liked will go far, saying: "It doesn't matter how many A-levels you have, what kind of a degree you have. If you have good manners people will like you. And, if they like you, they will help you."
Reardon also cautioned young girls about spending hours behind a screen, and said that young women ought to be organised when applying for jobs because "chaotic isn't cute".
Reardon, author of Top Tips for Girls, was educated at Cheltenham Ladies College and Stowe School, and turned down a place at University of Exeter to pursue journalism. She was made fashion director of Tatler aged 21.