Chapter 2 The Interview
Angela lowered her head after the first applicant followed the woman in. She didn’t want to demoralise herself and lose her confidence for this interview, looking at the people she was competing with. Recalling what the woman said was making her lose hope already. She was already thinking that her appearance would disqualify her.
While Angela was lost in her thoughts, the inner door was opened within two minutes and the applicant who had entered exited with confusion registered on her face. Angela raised her head when the applicant returned to the waiting room. She was now staring at the inner door and saw that the other applicants were equally just like her, wondering what was going on with the first applicants coming out in two minutes. Susan entered the room again.
“Next,” Susan called out and went back.
The room was soon filled with murmuring, with everyone asking the obvious questions: what happened and what was going on?
Angela’s heart raced against her chest, yet she couldn’t get up to leave. It was like something glued her to her seat.
The next applicant in the queue stood up. Adjusted his clothing, entered the room, and the door was closed. All the remaining applicants, including Angela, stared at the closed door. The applicant who had entered exited the room immediately to the shock of the other applicants. It was as soon as he entered and closed the door, he was asked to get out. The man had returned to the room with a frown plastered on his face.
“Next, please,” Susan came out and said to them. “Please, once an applicant steps out, the next in the queue should enter,” she added and went back in.
Angela wanted to ask the second applicant, who spent the shortest time, what happened, but she couldn't get up from where she was sitting to get to the man who hurriedly headed for the exit door. The next applicant, a lady, went inside and lasted five minutes before returning to the waiting room with a smile plastered on her face. Her smile gave the rest of the applicants some hope. The next person entered with confidence, and Angela counted how many applicants were in the queue before it reached her turn.
"Four," Angela thought, holding her file close to her chest.
The applicant who had just entered with so much confidence lasted just two minutes and exited the room, but she was smiling. Angela wondered what was going on inside the room. The next person entered and exited the room after six minutes. The next person also went in, and Angela checked again. Two more and it will be her turn. She inhaled deeply. She realises she is the last person in the queue. The person who had just entered exited after a minute, and the next person entered. One more, and it was Angela's turn. She became nervous.
"Would you like to switch places with me?" the applicant sitting next to Angela asked, and Angela gulped, wondering why she wanted to switch places with her.
"No, please, I am fine," Angela replied.
"Really. I don't mind," the lady said with a smile, staring at Angela.
"Thank you, but I would like to keep the turn given me," Angela replied, returning the smile.
"No, I want you to go before me," the lady insisted, and Angela frowned. "Once she comes out, you go," the lady added, sounding more like a command rather than an offer.
Angela stared at the lady for a while and decided to ignore her. The applicant who entered exited, and she was almost in tears.
"Now, you go," the lady said to Angela.
"Why?" Angela asked.
"Because I say so," the lady replied with authority, and Angela wondered what was going on.
The inner room door opened, and Susan entered the waiting room after the panel waited a while, and no one was coming in. She frowned when she heard what the applicant next in line said to the last applicant for the day.
"It is not a request or an offer. I am asking you to go inside, or you won't like what I will do to you after this interview," the lady threatened Angela and gasped when she turned and came face to face with Susan.
"You," Susan said, pointing to the applicant sitting next to Angela. "You can go home," she said and moved her gaze to Angela. "You, come with me," she said, and Angela stood up, feeling sorry for the lady.
"You got me disqualified. Are you happy now? Wait and see," the applicant said angrily to Angela before grabbing her bag and rudely pushing Angela to the side while exiting the waiting area.
Angela wondered who the lady was and what that was all about. She inhaled deeply and knocked on the door after exhaling. She heard someone inviting her in, and she pushed the door open.
It was a panel of six, including Susan. Angela stood next to the seat, almost trembling, looking at the six pairs of piercing eyes staring at her.
"Good morning. I am Angela Anderson. Can I sit?" Angela said, trying to calm herself.
She was trembling, and her anxiousness was so evident.
"Sure," came the deep voice of a very handsome man sitting in the middle of the six.
His dark hair was neatly styled, and he wore an expensive suit and a Rolex watch. His hand was resting on the table as he stared at Angela, who was trying to sit on the provided seat. He goes by the name Bernard, head of IT, and he doubles as discipline committee head when there are conduct issues.
"Are you nervous?" Bernard asked, his voice very commanding.
"Er, No please," Angela lied, managing a smile as she sat on the chair from which she almost fell.
"Angela, relax. We are not going to bite," said Susan, and Angela nodded with a smile, adjusting herself on the chair.
"So, Angela. Tell us about yourself?" A lady asked.
This lady was sitting at the end of the table towards Angela's right. Her hair was blonde with heavy waves flowing freely on her shoulders. She goes by the name Eva, Susan's best friend, and she assists Susan with HR work as a deputy HR manager. Susan was sitting at the end of the table, but she was toward Angela's left.
Angela inhaled deeply and took her time answering the question by telling them about her skills and how they could help the company. She explained how her skills would fit into the company's mission and vision.
"Nice one," Bernard praised, a little smile playing on his lips as he admired Angela.
"How old are you, Angela?" asked another man, more handsome Bernard.
His hair was brownish, and his eyes were hazy blue. It was like a deep ocean sucking one in. Angela averted her gaze and answered his question. That was Bryce Moore, the CEO of the company. Usually, Bryce does not sit in interviews with applicants, and when he does, he is always silent, but this time, he spoke to the surprise of his panel members.
"Twenty-three," Angela replied.
"How long do you intend to work with us, if given the opportunity?" Bryce asked a follow-up question, staring at Angela coldly.
Angela could read the surprised look on the other five panel members' faces as the man asked her questions. She didn't understand why or what was going on, but she answered his question anyway.
"This is my first job after completing college. I intend to work with your company for ten years. In these ten years, I will work hard to achieve all the given targets and more. I believe I would learn more and sharpen my skills to achieve more and hit milestones," Angela answered and quickly moved her gaze away from the man whose stare was making her uncomfortable.
Bryce went silent, and the other panel members asked Angela a couple of questions. Before Angela knew it, she had spent close to twenty minutes with five members of the panel throwing one question after the other at her.
"Thank you," came the voice of one panel member.
"Thank you for this great opportunity and for having me," Angela appreciated, feeling more relaxed.
She stood up, excused herself and headed for the door. As soon as Angela was out of the room, the CEO of the company spoke.
"I like her. Prepare a contract for her to sign tomorrow and start her orientation the day after," Bryce said and stood up.
"Yes, Mr President," Susan acknowledged before Bryce exited the room using another inner door.
"I will give it to this Angela girl. She is good. I hope she will last that long," Susan said.
"Susan, you just said she is good, so why won't she last that long?" asked Britney, the lady who said thank you to Angela. She is the head of the PR team.
"Britney, don't act like you don't know the president is hard to please. I am surprised this lady wearing rags caught his attention," Bernard said.
"Is that what she was wearing? Rags? Yet, you will be the first to make a move on her once she signs a contract tomorrow," Ariana commented, making Bernard frown. Ariana is the head of security and doubles as head of the cleaners.
"Don't give us that face. Did you not make a move on me?" Eva asked with a smile.
"Break time is over, guys," Susan said as she stood up, and the rest followed her out of the interview room using another exit.
Inside Susan's office, she picked up Angela's CV and dialled her number after getting a few files she had on her table cleared up.
Outside, Angela requested an Uber home. She paid the driver and headed for the apartment upon arrival. She was about to open the front door when her phone rang. She quickly retrieved her phone from her bag and answered it.
"Hello, Ms Anderson, I am Susan McClean, from Diamond Corporation. Congratulations. You have been selected for the position. Kindly come by the company on Monday for your contract and other relevant documents," Susan said.
"Thank you," Angela acknowledged with a smile, and the call ended.
She pushed open the door and entered the house with screams of excitement.
"They picked you," Mr Anderson said with a smile as his wife joined Angela in screaming.
Mrs Anderson ended up coughing, and Angela got her a glass of water after helping her to a chair.
"You are old, but you like to follow Angela to act like you are young. Now see you," Mr Anderson said, smiling.
"That is why you have a bad back. You are acting old, meanwhile, you are not that old," Mrs Anderson replied after drinking the water, making Angela giggle.
"Congratulations, my dear," Mrs Anderson said to Angela as they all took a seat inside the living room.
"Mum, Dad, thank you so much," Angela appreciated.
"So I guess you are picking up your documents on Monday?" Mr Anderson asked.
"Yes," Angela replied, sharing a seat with Mrs Anderson.
They spent the rest of the day with Angela telling them everything that happened when she got to the company and about the lady who started bothering her for no reason.