Total pages in book: 69
Estimated words: 66184 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 331(@200wpm)___ 265(@250wpm)___ 221(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 66184 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 331(@200wpm)___ 265(@250wpm)___ 221(@300wpm)
“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.
CHAPTER 20
JANSEN
If I had an executive washroom, I’d be in there right now jerking off, but it’s a good thing I don’t, because Ana shows up at my office door a few minutes later.
“You wanted to see me?”
The fire that was in her eyes earlier has dampened, and there’s a wariness in her tone.
“Come in and close the door behind you.”
After doing so, she lifts her chin, some of that defiance I love returning. “Are you going to fire me?”
As I cross the room to flip the lock on the door, I study her, my mind wandering to how she looks when she’s bent over in front of me. “Should I?”
“I’m sorry for cutting you off in there, but that’s no way to interview someone.”
“I was putting him off balance to test his ability to function under pressure.”
She arches a pretty brow, her eyes shining. “You were testing him?” When I don’t answer, she adds, “Is that what you were doing when you interviewed me? Testing me?”
If I was, she passed with flying colors, but I continue to keep my mouth shut.
Seemingly comfortable now that she’s not going to be fired, Ana takes a seat in front of my desk. “You can’t treat people that way. Your company’s going to fail if you scare off good candidates, and if you continue to treat them poorly after they’re hired.”
“You’ve been here a week, and you’re telling me how to run my company?”
Despite my challenge, she doesn’t falter. “I’m telling you how to treat your staff so that they want to contribute to Community Bean’s success. People deserve respect.”
I sit in my chair and lean back as I notice how the skin above her blouse is reddening. Her cheeks are flushed as well, making me think about other parts of her body that are pink. “You don’t think I respect my workers?”