CHAPTER 40: Why Should We Hire You?

Atilla's POV.

"Are you sure we're ready, Atilla?" I heard Nicole's question from behind me as I checked myself in the mirror, making sure I looked presentable.

We spent almost two weeks preparing and planning for our supposed application to Henry's company, which is based in Australia. Henry taught us everything we needed to know to pass the interview and get hired, so we could find out who was embezzling money from my brother's company.

I thought this only happened in the government, but it seems that there are still people like that in the business world.

"Am I ready?" That was also my question to myself on the day of the interview.

Nicole and I planned to apply for jobs at the company to make it simpler for us to figure out who was responsible for the embezzlement at my brother's company.

I had to take Henry at his word when he said we were ready, and we didn't have to worry about getting caught, and whoever that person was, he would pay the price for messing with my brother.

Preparing for this work forced me to think about something other than Ram, and I was grateful for the distraction.

We quickly walked out of our condo and into the waiting cab that would take us to the center of Sydney after taking one last look in the mirror.

"Where are we going, ladies?" The driver asked us with a smile as we finally got into the taxi.

"Chifley Tower, please," I replied with a smile, and we soon joined the flow of traffic on the streets of Sydney.

Compared to the Philippines, traffic in Australia wasn't as bad, so it only took us fifteen minutes to get to our destination. I couldn't help but look up and down the building where Cervantes Heavy Industries was located.

Currently, the company occupies seven floors out of the fifty-three floors in the building.

"Good morning, we have an interview with Cervantes Heavy Industries, please," I said with a smile to the receptionist, who immediately gave us passes.

Nicole handed over her real ID, while Henry gave me a fake ID with a fake name.

Cervantes Heavy Industries is the leading provider of various things for construction, from machinery to raw materials and other things.

I felt my heart pounding as we entered the elevator of the building, waiting for the floor where we were going to get off, which was the twenty-second floor.

To be honest, I wanted to run out of this building and forget everything I needed to do. I was scared that instead of helping, I would only make the situation worse.

I'm just a plain and shy Atilla, and I feel as though I have no chance of joining this group, let alone demonstrating my effectiveness to win people over. However, a promise is a promise, and Henry has been so helpful to me that I can't let him down.

"Atilla, we're here," Nicole nudged me, and I was surprised to realize that we had arrived on the twenty-second floor.

I took a deep breath before finally walking up to the receptionist on the said floor, a pretty blonde girl with a little bit of freckles on her face. A professional smile was plastered on her face.

"Good morning ladies, how can I help you?" She asked as we approached her desk.

"Good morning. We're here for our ten a.m. interview," I spoke for Nicole and myself because she was still nervous.

She briefly looked at the computer in front of her, perhaps to check our names and make sure we had an appointment. She then looked back at us.

"Mr. Lorenzo will be with you shortly, just wait in the waiting area for your names to be called," she said, and she didn't wait for a reply before going back to her work.

"Atilla, I don't think I can do this," Nicole said nervously as soon as we sat in the waiting area, completely ignoring the looks of the people around us.

"Come on, Nicole, don't be nervous. We're already here, and besides, you don't have anything to worry about because your CV is legit. Just think of it as you really needing a job, and you need it now," I tried to convince her.

"Well, first of all, I'm not really looking for work since my dad can take care of me, thank you very much," she couldn't help but say.

This girl comes from a wealthy family, so even if she doesn't work, she can still live comfortably. She hasn't experienced hardships since childhood. But despite that, Nicole is still down-to-earth.

"I know that, but since you are a really good friend, I know you won't leave me in this situation, right?" I spoke to her sweetly, and no matter how hard she tried to hide it, she couldn't help but smile.

Finally, the interviewer for Nicole and me arrived. Nicole was called first for the interview. Actually, we only needed to go through one interview before we knew if we would pass or not. I muttered good luck to her before she finally entered the room where the interview would be held.

Nicole's interview lasted for more than half an hour before she came out and returned to her seat. A few seconds later, my name was called.

My heart was pounding with nervousness as I approached the office of the supervisor of the HR department, who would conduct the interview.

After a few minutes, I was already facing my interviewer for the day. His name is Arnold Lorenzo, in his forties and a Filipino based in Australia.

Henry already told me a lot of things about this guy, so I know what and how I should answer his questions.

"Good morning, Mr. Lorenzo," I greeted him, handing him my hand for a handshake while looking straight into his eyes. Maintaining eye contact is one thing that I need to do.

"Good morning to you too, Ms. Salvador," he replied.

He briefly glanced at the CV he was holding before looking back at me. Henry told me that they were looking for someone who could answer quickly, spontaneously, and efficiently.

"Shall we begin then?" He asked, to which I quickly replied, Yes.

He started the interview with the things on my CV, asking me about my educational attainment.

"I graduated from the University of California just this year. I took management and performed really well in all my academics and curriculum," I answered.

He continued to ask me questions, which lasted for almost twenty minutes. He really tried to test my abilities with his consecutive questions.

After his last question, he asked me a serious question, as expected.

"You do know well that there's a big difference between what you do in school and what you do in the real world, so tell me why we should consider hiring you when, in fact, you don't have any experience working compared to the other applicants."

"Yes, I know I don't have as much experience as the other applicants, but just think about it. How will you know if that person is worthy of being part of your company or not? Having experience is an advantage, but it doesn't guarantee that they can be the most efficient employee that you can get. If you base your judgment on hiring people with just their employment background, then you will be wasting the chance of getting the right people who have the potential to prove that they can be an asset to the company," I said directly, still looking straight into his eyes. I didn't even know if my answer was effective because I couldn't see any emotion in his eyes.

Compared to Nicole's interview, my interview with Mr. Lorenzo took almost an hour.

We only waited for five minutes before a woman called our names.

"Ms. Evangelista and Ms. Salvador?" the woman called out from a room.

Nicole and I approached her, both of us unable to breathe due to nervousness about the results of our interview.

"Please just wait for a call from us," she said thoughtfully, and I couldn't help but feel glum because it meant that we didn't pass.

When we left the building, I finally breathed a sigh of relief, and Nicole spoke up.

"Doesn't that mean we didn't pass?" She hesitantly asked, knowing that in the Philippines, being told that they will call you later usually means you didn't pass.

I couldn't help but feel disappointed in myself because I felt like I had let Henry down after all he had done for me.

"Let's just take a walk," I said, and when she heard the word "walk," she suddenly perked up. Maybe there was still something else I could do to help Henry.

Three days passed without any call from the interview result, so I gave up and talked to Henry, who had already returned to the Philippines a few days prior. I apologized to him for not being able to fulfill his request.

We were at Starbucks resting from shopping when my phone suddenly rang, and I was surprised because the number on the caller ID was unfamiliar.

"Hello?" I greeted whoever was calling, and I immediately thought of Ang, but I knew that it was unlikely she had my number.

"Good afternoon, is this Atilla Salvador?" I heard a woman with a thick Australian accent ask on the other end.

"Yes, who's on the line, please?" I asked.

"Hi, this is Misty of Cervantes Heavy Industries. I just want to tell you that you passed the interview, and we are extending our intent to have you in our company. Your start date will be on Monday, as well as your contract signing if you're interested," she said.

I was in shock and almost unable to process what I was hearing. I didn't even notice Nicole calling me because I was still in shock.

"Yes, of course!"

Misty and I talked for a few more minutes before she ended the call.

"I'm in!" was the only thing on my mind at that time.

"Atilla, what's going on?" Nicole interrupted, but she stopped mid-sentence when her phone rang. I had a feeling I knew who was calling and what the call was about because of her reaction.

"Don't tell me?" She said after ending the call.

Before she even finished her question, I nodded, and I saw the smile on Nicole's face when she confirmed that we both passed.

I immediately called Henry to tell him the good news, and I could hear the pride in his voice. Before he ended the call, he promised to send us the requirements we needed for our Monday start date, which made me really excited.