Jennifer walked in the office building, full of hope and a renewed sense of self-worth. The interview of a lifetime awaited her, and an end to the misery she was having for the last two years. It was the second round of interviews, and all doubts she had originally were deflated when she was called back for another interview. At twenty-three, she had a chance to make something of herself.
It was two weeks ago that Jennifer recalled applying for a low level data entry job. It was just a numbers punching job with almost no benefits and a salary that could be compared to Walmart. Now, she was heading towards the top floor for her shot at a senior assistant position. Something she didn't even think she could ever get, now was within her grasp. It was like winning the lotto without buying a ticket she thought because she did not even apply for the position.
She walked past the waiting area, figuring it was for the low paying jobs, given to people who either come off the street or apply online. As she saw the people writing on the clipboards, she remembered doing the same thing not too long ago. It was during that initial contact that the guy from Human Resources said she was being considered for a senior executive assistant position.
Jennifer walked past the waiting area and towards the elevators and the inner sanctum of the building, past the guards who waved her on. She channeled her inner strength and remembered what she did right when she was called in after the initial visit. Playing the giddy pretty girl came naturally, but she calmed it down just enough to come across as professional as she could.
She walked out of the elevator to a receptionist that greeted her with a grin of disapproval. The office looked completely different from the downstairs as everything looked modern and expensive. When she explained that she was there for the interview, the receptionist motioned for her to sit in a very small waiting room.
Jennifer sat down and could see two other girls waiting and looking at their phones, and she quickly realized they were applying for the same position; it was then that fear struck. The two other girls were both immaculately well dressed and beautiful. The dread of not getting the job grew as she listened to both girls talk about their colleges. The one girl mentioned Yale, while the other one spoke about her times at Notre Dame. Her heart dropped knowing that she did not even get into her second semester of college before her life problems hit.
Jennifer was worried that her past was going to catch up with her on the interview. Even though she went to Duke, she feared mentioning it could lead to further questions about her leaving. It was not the drunk driving charge that hurt, but the leaving the scene of an accident that stung. The legal fees and lawsuits drained away all her money and killed her dreams of college. Now selecting the box listed for felonies almost ensured not getting the job.
With her long flowing dark hair pulled back and up, she put on just enough makeup to look professional and yet stay sexy at the same time. Being the girl with both beauty and brains was a gift that she loved, but she knew it needed to be toned down if she was going to work in a professional setting like this one.
Her skirt still showed off her ass and the perfect curve it had while still covering up her thighs as it came down to her knees. Her blouse was not tight even though she loved to show off her fit body that years of dancing perfected. She then went with a sports bra instead of her normal one as showing off her large D-cup breasts might seem too much. At five foot five she felt like a walking bomb for men's hearts and libido sometimes. But today, she needed to be a professional and not a sex symbol.
When her name was called it was George that met her at the office door. She greeted him with a handshake and sat across from him in a small but elegant room. It had only a small table and two chairs. The room had a large TV on the wall that she assumed was for video conferencing.
The first time she saw George was during the initial interview. She instantly noticed that George was either bi-sexual or just straight up gay the first time she saw him. His high tone and brightly colored blue suit were instant signs that he was more fashionable than a man should be. His hair was long and flared up in a weird style, but it seemed to work for him.
The interview seemed basic and bland. It was more of a get to know you meeting with no real in depth or hard questions. The only thing they did ask was to clarify the felony charge that was against her. Jennifer hated telling them that she got hammered at a party and drove drunk. How she hit three cars and then drove away only to be arrested when she crashed into a house. How all her college savings was spent on legal costs and compensations. She did leave out having to leave college due to grades from her hard partying too.
George stepped out and she wondered if the entire interview was out of pity and they already hired someone else. It was the longest five minutes as she reeled in all hope of landing this job. In her mind it was an experience in failure.
George walked back in with two other woman and she wondered what was wrong. The two other woman seemed uptight and lesbians or nerds like they wanted to get even with all the popular girls. George slid a paper towards her telling her she needed to con-sent to a drug screening before she could begin a probationary trial at the position. Once she signed it, George slide another paper in front of her telling her that it was a confidentiality agreement and that anything said or done in the office could not be spoken about.
Jennifer walked out of the office and drove home wondering if she did get the job or not. She was going to work next Friday but only that day. She heard George say that if she did work out she would be given another day to prove herself. She did hear that after the second probationary date that they would then determine if she got the job. She did hear that she would be paid for the trial dates, but her mind was in a fog after hearing what the assistant to the company gets.
She read the paper quickly and looked up in total shock. It was a salary position that made more than her father made plus a company car, full health benefits, vacation time, and an expense account. Her heart raced with the thought she could land a job that would allow her to move out of her parents' home after only the first paycheck.
The whole week the buildup was killing her. She did not want to spoil or jinx it and did not tell anyone that she could land a job of a lifetime. Jennifer did not want to get her hopes up in her mind and played it off as a normal day as a temp.
She dressed professional again with her mid length blue skirt and dark blue blouse. Makeup was good but not over the top. Hair was put up and her heels were changed out for flats as she could be walking a lot. She knew she was there to get the job and not look pretty.
Walking past security and up to the top floor, she waded past all the other secretaries heading towards the back office and where she was supposed to be. The place seemed to change to a more elegant area once she stepped past the two other secretaries. The feeling of being out of place hit her and maybe she did not deserve or warrant a shot at the job.
She saw George in his large office talking on the phone and he pointed to a desk as she assumed it would be hers. He stepped out of his office dressed as a man with too much fashion sense. "There is a folder of the company's regional managers in the top drawer. I need you to memorize their names."
Before she could speak he was back in his office with the door closed. She opened the drawers and saw a large leather bound binder. Opening it up, she saw color photos and biographies of twenty different regional managers. She quickly began to scan their names and faces the best she could as she then read their biographies.
It was an hour later that George came out with another binder in his hand. "These are the adjusted company figures for this quarter. I want you to create a letter stating the percentage change from last year."
George walked off quickly, and Jennifer seemed scared. She looked through the book and did her best to find the percentages and write up a professional letter. She wondered if the letter looked like shit or was it up the company standards. The only thing she could muster was to make sure the grammar was good.
