Anna prepared herself for days. She had to
get a job once and for all because she didn’t want to live with her parents
anymore. They were all right, it wasn’t that they weren’t a bother or anything
but she wanted more than life than her eternal bedroom with a window towards
the mountains. There was never sun or warmth in her room and she had always
thought this affected many of the things she did. Besides, she needed change
urgently. Anna didn’t want to turn thirty and still be the girl that hadn’t accomplish
much. She felt everyone she knew was doing something and she wanted to do
something too.
She tried skirts and pants, blouses and
sweaters, heels and flat shoes. All that in front of a mirror the day before
her job interviews. She had been scheduled to be in at least five: three of
them were in a ten-block radius so she could get to any of them on time by just
walking. The other two were in other areas and she was going to have to take
the bus. It was possible they called Anna from two more places to go there and
just pop up for an interview but they would only call her if they had the time
to do it that day.
The girl woke up early, spent exactly seven
minutes in the shower and got dressed pretty fast having prepared her outfit
the day before. She put on some make up, verified that she was bringing
everyday in a briefcase her dad had lend her and then she went out the house.
But the moment she was about to hop in the elevator, she realized she had left
her cellphone in the kitchen, after having a fast breakfast. She had to go
back, grab it and then run out faster than before. She had thought of taking a
taxi to the first interview in order not to be late and she did arrive just in
time.
The job was in a cleaning product factory. It
was one of the ones that were in a distant location, more exactly in a large
industrial area. She arrived just in time, as a bald man said her name. She
smiled and got in an office with him. The interview was very normal at the
beginning but then the man asked about her job background and her studies. Anna
had gone to college to be an architect and she had the degree but that had
nothing to do with the job they were offering there. She said that, as it was
an assistant post, she could learn fast but the man wasn’t convinced and told
her, kindly but with decision, that maybe the factory wasn’t the best place for
her. She thanked him for his time and left the building shortly after.
A bit bummed out by the outcome of her first
interview, she took a bus straight towards the financial area. There. She would
have three interviews and she tried to convince herself they were going to be
much better than the first one. In the bus, something funny happened: a very
cute guy, one of those that might not even realize he was cute, was standing by
the middle of the bus and danced softly but as the bus reaches its destination,
the guy started dancing more and more. Maybe it was that he didn’t realize that
people were watching, because he had big headphones, but many of the passengers
of the bus were looking and a kid was even recording a video of him. This very
particular event made Anna think that some people are just who they are. Maybe
she was too desperate and that too was noticeable.
So when she entered the building were the
second interview was going to take place, she made a mental note to be a little
more lose, more natural and compelling, instead of being lost and nervous.
Maybe if they saw a cheerful and very committed Anna, they would hire her. The
interview was in a fashion magazine and she would also assist on several
duties. The ad didn’t really specify what was that she would be doing but that
was ok. She entered after ten minutes of waiting and it was a woman this time
that did the interview. They chatted amicably and even laughed to some jokes
and characteristics of the job such as helping the very full-of-themselves
photographers or just stock pictures in the archive.
Anna went out of the building walking on air.
She hadn’t secured the post but she was sure she had made the right impression.
So that was the key, just to be playful and funny and go along with must of
what they said. Everyone wants to hire someone who isn’t going to be a problem
and that can be deduced if the person has very strong feelings against something
or is not very eager to be in there.
The
next one was in a import-export company. That appointment had been gotten for
her by one of her aunts that happen to work there. She was ready to be the nice
and likeable Anna but they man that interviewed her was the most sparing person
she had ever met. He only said the necessary words and avoided to make eye
contact with her so it was very hard to be cheerful and smile when people
weren’t even paying attention. And even when she saw the chance of being funny
and original, the man didn’t seem to care for it at all. The longest part of
the interview was about her aunt and Anna knew the job wasn’t hers when the guy
said nothing at the end of the interview.
Annoyed by this last one. She decided to have
lunch and then go on her next appointment jus six blocks away. She bought a
sandwich and a bottle of water on a supermarket and went to a small park to
eat. Some other people were doing the same but others just passed by talking
with co-workers or friends. There were many college people too and that made
her think of her friends and how college was so much easier than parading
around the city begging for a job. Because after all, she thought, that was
exactly what job interviews were. Most of the times, they didn’t chose people
that were the best at anything. They just went for who had family there or whom
they just liked, which was sad.
Anna decided to be early for the next one so
she walked very fast to the building was the interview for a secretary post in
a talent agency was being held. This time it was different as she was asked to
enter the interview room with three other girls. They all sat in front of two
people and were asked random questions, each one answering them in just less
than half a minute. It was like being on a marathon because when they all went
out, they discuss how tired they were from the bombardment of questions. None
of the two interviewers said anything to the girls before asking them to leave,
only that they would call if they find them to be a fit for the agency.
The girl was ready to take the long bus ride
to the last appointment but then she got a phone call from one of the places
she was waiting word from. They asked her to their offices right there in the
financial district. She said she was only a few blocks away and thanked them
for the opportunity. As he go in the next building, she received a message from
the factory she was going to go later telling her the post had been filled and
that she wasn’t require to go. It was a little bit sad because it was a
clothing factory but she didn’t have much time to think as they made her enter
an office as soon as she arrived.
The
place was beautiful because of the glass walls all over. It was a bit scary at
first but then she stood up and went straight for the window. The view was
breathtaking as she was standing on a 46th floor. She almost fainted
when she heard a voice behind her. She hadn’t noticed someone had come in and
was about to excuse herself when she realized her interviewer was one of her
former college teachers. Mrs. Flores was her 3D modeling teacher back in her
architecture days so the conversation they had was very nice, mostly about
college but also about Anna’s abilities in the computer.
Mrs.
Flores was actually the head of the department in a video game company and
somehow Anna had forgot all about the job she had come for but her former
teacher told her she would be a perfect fit because it was a small job but one
were she might learn more about her trade and also from the world of video
games, which was expanding every single day. Anna got very interested in the
subject during the interview that was substantially longer than the other ones.
When it was finished, she hugged Mrs. Flores and told her than, even if she
didn’t get the job, she was very happy to see her again. The teacher told her
she had always been very perceptive and agile with her work and that many
people did not own her same skills.
After going out from the building, she decided
to call a friend and meet for ice cream. Anna thought she deserved a prize, as
the day ended, for having confronted so many types of people at the same time.
One appointment had been cancelled, she never received word for a potential
seventh interview and some of them weren’t great. But some were and, talking
with her friend, Anna realized that, in any case, she had her future in front
of her so she shouldn’t worry more than necessary. She realized she had things
to offer so, hopefully, someone would notice, even if the work world wasn't the fairest of them all.
