19. Ana
CHAPTER 19
ANA
T he following week, I screen dozens of potential hires, first through phone and video interviews, then I bring in the top candidates for in-person meetings.
I update Derek and Jansen about my progress by standing in their doorways one morning, at a safe distance, where I can’t be tempted to show them my underwear.
“I’ll be here all day,” Jansen says. “If there’s someone you want to hire, call me and I’ll come in to question them.”
I assumed this was how things would go, though I was hoping it would be Derek—who’s generally slightly less surly—to review job candidates, but he’s going to be out visiting the shops today.
“I’m mostly interviewing for accounting positions today. Maybe you don’t need to be bothered with those?” I cast a glance at Jansen’s crowded desk, as if my only concern is his busy schedule.
“Call me if you find someone you want to hire.” With that gruff command, his focus returns to his laptop, and I’m dismissed.
A couple of hours later, I meet with a man who’s well qualified for the accounts receivable position. I checked his references before bringing him in, I’ve questioned him about his skillset, and everything about him seems promising.
“Excuse me,” I say as I pull out my phone to call Jansen’s line. When he answers, I ask if he’s able to come to the conference room. It’s been enough of a struggle just being in this room, and having Jansen in here is really going to send my body reeling.
It’s nearly impossible to look at this table and not remember being bent over it and stuffed full of … my bosses.
“One of the CEOs wants to come in and have a word with you,” I tell the prospect, who nods confidently. We continue to talk, until two minutes later, when the door flies open and Jansen strides in, looking stern.
Similar to when I first met him, Jansen doesn’t bother with small talk. “What position are you here for?” he asks the man.
“Account recei?— ”
“Where did you go to school? What’s your professional experience?”
The applicant does his best to answer quickly and clearly, but Jansen doesn’t let him finish before saying, “Do you require hand-holding, or can you figure things out on your own?”
“Um, I’m …”
Watching this previously confident person start to wither prompts me to jump in. “We appreciate self-starters, but we also value collaboration and support. How do you approach learning new things on the job?”
“I’m very motivated to take on challenges, and find new and better ways to?—”
“Tell me something that will impress me.” Jansen hasn’t bothered to sit down, and he towers over the man imposingly, arms folded, coldly watching him struggle to find the right words.
The job candidate aims a questioning glance in my direction, his eyes now wary and his face tense.
“Can I speak with you in the hall?” I ask Jansen. The lines of his frown etch deeper into his face as he shifts his gaze to me. “Excuse us, please,” I say to the poor accountant as I jump up and head for the door, hoping Jansen will follow me.
To my relief, he does, a hint of surprise shining behind the steel in his eyes as I close the door behind us so we won’t be overheard. “Is there a problem, Ana?”
“You can’t treat people like that. You’re going to scare him off.”
Jansen stares back at me.
“We desperately need more accountants, and he’s a perfect candidate. There’s no reason for you to grill him like he’s a criminal.”
My boss continues to stare, and I wish I knew what he was thinking, but it’s hard to read anything from his sour expression since he almost always looks like that.
“You can offer him the job,” he says in a flat tone.
“Okay, I’ll do that. Thank you.”
“Come to my office when you’re done here.”
My stomach tightens into a knot, and I feel like I did when I was in fourth grade and got called to the principal’s office. That turned out to be a false alarm, but Jansen’s tone tells me that I’m actually in trouble this time.
When I return to the conference room and extend the job offer, doing my best to offset Jansen’s rudeness with a big, pleasant smile, the man thanks me and tells me he’ll get back to me tomorrow. There’s a good chance Jansen has scared him off, and there’s not really anything I can do to fix that now.
Suddenly, I wish the break room had a well-stocked bar instead of a fancy coffee machine, because I could use a stiff drink before facing Jansen. He’s probably pissed about how I spoke to him, but I don’t see how I had any choice.
He and Derek hired me so I can build up their staff, and I can’t do that if he’s going to actively work against my efforts.
I hope he’s not angry enough to fire me, because a big chunk of my first paycheck, which I haven’t even received yet, has already been put to use.