She shrugged.“It’s hard to say with such short notice, but a lot of people dream of getting into Steele.I’m betting they’d be able to fill their schedule with interviews.”
I nodded, feeling hopeful but also quietly giving myself a reality check.
You don’t have any experience, and you’re applying for a highly sought-after position.You’ll need to stand out, Soph.
“I think I’m calling it a night early,” I said.
She nodded and waited for me to tell my uncle before walking out with me.
The Steele buildingwas impressively large, with a full-service cafe to the right of the main entry doors and a main reception area with seating to the left.Next to the reception desk, security turnstiles separated the public spaces from the Steele Corp Human Resources Department and the elevator banks that had access to the rest of the floors.
I sat in the sitting area with three other women and watched the human resource manager walk through the turnstile with the previous interviewee.She thanked her for her time, watched her leave, then called the next applicant’s name.
One of the women stood and joined her.
A new woman walked in, went to the reception, and said she was there for an interview.
“That last one was quicker than the previous one.I wonder what questions they’re asking,” the woman next to me said.“I really want this job.”
“You and every other young, single woman in the city,” the other woman said with a grin.
“Why?”I asked, feeling like I was missing something.
“Are you serious or just pretending?”
“This is my second day back in the city after four years.Not pretending.What don’t I know?”
The woman next to me leaned closer to speak softly.
“The CEO is the heir to Steele Corporation.He’s still single and not currently dating, according to my sources.”
I tried not to let my face show my partial revulsion as I realized they were social climbers like my father.
“Ah.Well, good luck with that.”
The door opened, and the manager walked out with the woman who’d just gone in.The manager shook her hand, turned, and called my name.
“Here,” I said, standing.
Her gaze went from cool and welcoming to slightly curious.
Good.Make an impression, Soph.
When I reached her, I offered my hand.
“Thank you for taking the time to interview me.”
She shook my hand.“Of course.That’s why I’m here.Come in.”
I followed her into the small conference room and sat in the chair she indicated.
“Tell me a little bit about yourself, Ms.Elmantas.And why Steele Corporation?”
I launched into a smooth introduction about my personal interests as they related to business.
“As for Steele Corporation, I've followed your expansion into sustainable development projects and your innovative employee development programs.My coursework in organizational management and my internship experience with team coordination align well with your collaborative culture.I'm particularly interested in how you've integrated technology solutions to streamline operations, which connects to my senior project on process optimization.”
She glanced at my resumé, which was at the top of the stack she had in front of her.
