I was one of the unfortunate people who was laid off from their job a couple years ago. At the time there wasn't much opportunity for new employment, so I had to bide my time for a bit. But as the weeks turned into months, and then over a year, my husband and I found that his income alone just wasn't cutting it anymore. Being a former administrative assistant didn't really qualify me for much, so the opportunities weren't exactly pouring in. My husband has always joked that it was because I would hide my long legs and if I just showed them off a bit I might get an offer. Finally, I found an opportunity that I might be qualified for. "Administrative assistant wanted for executive level management" was the listing. Perfect!!!
I polished off my resume and filled out the online application. It was just like all the others I'd filled out over the previous months, only at the end of it all it asked for something none of the other applications did. "Please upload a recent photograph of yourself" was the request. Luckily my husband was obsessed with taking pictures of me, so finding a good picture wasn't difficult. I uploaded the picture and off my application went.
The next week I received an email with an offer for an interview. Excited and eager I started to research the company. The more I researched the more I got this feeling that there was something familiar about this company. Like I had heard of them before but couldn't quite figure out where. When the day of the interview came I prepared myself the best I could, put on my favourite skirt suit (which was just short and tight enough to not be inappropriate) and went on my way. When I arrived at the office I checked in with the receptionist and was lead to a waiting room with the other candidates. I looked around at them. It was a room full of Barbie-dolls in business attire. Each one of these women could just as easily slip on a swimsuit and strut down a runway. I've always been very confident in my looks, but this time I didn't feel like they gave me the competitive edge they normally do.
I watched as these women got called into the office, one by one, then walk past and out. The woman across from me was called in. She a was a cute strawberry-blonde with the most adorable freckles and stunning green eyes. As the door of the office opened I caught a glimpse of the man holding the interview. That's when it occurred to me. I knew where I had heard of this company before. I had read in the news that their CEO was accused of sexual misconduct by his now former admin assistant. Rumour had it that they paid her off to stay quiet and the case against him was dropped. I pulled out my phone and looked it up. Sure enough, there was his photo in the news article. I guess it made sense that he needed to replace his assistant. And every one of these women seemed to be what a man like him would want...eye candy!
A moment later the door opened and away walked the strawberry-blonde. Then my name was called. I was ushered to a seat across the desk from him. He closed the door and took his seat behind his desk. it was a larger desk than most people had these days. His computer monitor off to one side, a small notepad and pen in the middle, but clear otherwise. He started with pleasantries, then started to ask all the typical questions. "Tell me about your strengths." "Tell me about your weaknesses." "Tell me about a time when..." There was nothing original or challenging about this interview. In fact, the only thing more routine than the questions he asked were the answers I gave. Each one more typical than the last. After enough time I was even starting to bore myself.
