Manuel and a job interview

[x-empath.livejournal.com]

Manuel takes one of the bigger necessary steps towards creating a life for himself outside of Xavier's.


"So," said the striking dark-haired woman in her elegantly-cute suit, with a bright but not false-seeming smile as she regarded Manuel. "What would you consider your greatest strength in the workplace?"

Manuel smiled charmingly at the HR drone and took a second to collect his thoughts. "I'm a people person." he said with a dazzling smile. "I have a gift for knowing what people want and how to get it for them." he said modestly. "People trust me."

She gave him another smile and a look through her narrow glasses that suggested she was vaguely amused by the response. "An excellent trait... for a sales job, perhaps. How do you believe this gift applies to the position you're seeking with our company?"

"It's valuable no matter where you are in an organization." he disagreed with another smile. "If not with external clients, then with internal ones. And in a position like this you must have a head not just for the numbers, the flow of currency around the world, but for the people who make it happen." he said. "There's an old expression about flies and honey that applies perfectly well." he said with a small laugh of amusement.

"And how would you rate your ability to be subtle?" she asked, her smile dazzling now. "Subtlety, discretion... among the primary traits we look for in our employees."

Manuel smiled. "I can be subtle when the situation calls for it." he said modestly.
"Sometimes the best way to go about accomplishing a task is not to go charging in with your metaphorical guns blazing, but to simply ask for what you want." he said. "This industry has no place for someone who can't keep their mouth shut, nor is it a place for showboating, for ostentatiousness. Being too blatant tends to invite the men in excellent suits with MBAs to pay very, very close attention to your financials." he said with a grin. "The quiet ones - the ones who know what has to be done and who go out and do it - those are the ones who go far. For every Michael Milkin there are a hundred quiet unassuming men with the same levels of wealth and influence who you never read about in the Wall Street Journal."

The woman leafed through his resume, with no visible reaction to his response. "We very rarely have entry-level positions available," she said. "The advertised vacancy is the first in... heavens, four years, I believe. Your lack of a college degree does, I'm afraid, work against you..."

Manuel conceded the point. "I understand that." he said. "And I have every intention of pursuing my degree at the earliest opportunity. I think I bring a significant set of advantages to the table that offset - to a degree - my lack of formal education. I am from Spain, as I'm sure you've read, and so I have a much better degree of understanding of the ebbs and flows of international business than a man born and raised here in the United States of America." he pointed out. "And the de la Rocha traditional family business is an import-export business. I quite literally grew up in the arms of it. I can bring a fairly unique perspective upon the business that is not easily obtained by just anyone."

"You didn't let me finish," she chided, if lightly. "Although your point is well-taken. As I was saying, we are quite flexible with our rare entry-level positions. We want to find compatible minds. If they require additional training, that's all well and good - we can mold them in the directions we want."

Manuel conceded her point with a nod of his head. "Most kind." he said.

"Our interest in the wider business world is significant," she went on, "and quite broadly-based, but also... targetted, in a sense. Our company's interests are very specific. Everything we do is geared towards our long-range goals."

Manuel nodded. "Of course. Clarity of focus and a dedication to ideal is one of the things I find very attractive about your firm." he said with an easy smile.

Her answering smile was almost prim. "As an entry-level employee, you would be paired with a mentor, for lack of a better description. To get a firm grounding in our corporate culture."

Manuel nodded. "Of course. That's only logical." he agreed, smiling at the recruiter. She was quite attractive, and he wondered if she might be amenable to a rendezvous outside of the stuffy confines of business.

"There'd be no travel involved just yet. You would be working in our subsidiary office here in New York, most likely in research. Our business affairs division, most likely, given your preexisting experience. We would of course be amenable to a desire to explore other divisions after a suitable probationary period."

Manuel nodded and smiled. "Sounds good to me." he said with another charming smile. He let his senses extend outwards, to get a feel for how the interviewer felt, not only about the interview but personally. Scanning wouldn't bring the glow to his eyes so it should be perfectly safe.

She leaned back in her chair, twisting a silver pen in her fingers almost idly. "The starting salary would be... lower than you might expect. Although there are quarterly reviews, not to mention performance bonuses."

Manuel nodded. "The chance to grow wit the company, to expand and take part in its success, is an acceptable tradeoff for a lower initial salary." he said diplomatically. Although anything to get away from Xavier's wallet would be more than welcome. He had no concern about any quartery performance evaluation - he was Empath, and the judging criteria would undoubtedly be emotional in nature.

"A very good perspective to take," she said, favoring him with an approving smile. "Not to unduly interject my personal history, but I began in an entry-level position as well. Dedication is rewarded very handsomely here."

Manuel smiled back at the woman. Yes, he just might need to get to know this one better. She liked him, he could tell that much, and from that seed he could make any one of a number of interesting fruits grow. A quick glance at her hands showed him no engagement ring or wedding band, and if she had a boyfriend - piff. She'd trade up for a night or two.

"One last question," she said, a certain knowing look in her eyes as she regarded him. "Your genetic status?"

Manuel blinked, and paused while his mind whirled. Should he lie and risk discovery, or tell the truth and also risk everything or worse?

His interviewer smiled at the pause, and then glanced in the direction of the coffeemaker placed neatly on a side table in her office. "Would you like a cup?" she asked as the pot levitated itself smoothly, filling one mug. "I have tea as well, of course..."

Manuel blinked at the display of telekinesis. "I see." he said, trying to cover his shock. How very interesting. "Judging by what I just saw, I would assume that you have your own gift?" he asked.

"Many of us do," she said placidly, the mug floating across the room to her hand. "It's the work, of course. Very attractive to those of us who have an interest in the situation of mutants here and around the world."

"I'll take a cup of coffee." he told the recruiter. "Black, two sugars." As she busied herself pouring it, he "accidentally" dropped his pen. When he bent down to get it, he risked a fast modification to her emotional states - away from curiousity about his mutation, away from the idea of following up on that question.

Her eyes flickered for a moment, the cup bobbing in the air as it floated over to him. "I believe we will give this the proverbial try," she said as the cup stopped right within reach, to allow him to take it. "You could start immediately, I'm assuming?"

Manuel took the cup and sipped the coffee. For office coffee, it was quite excellent. "At your earliest convenience." he said graciously. "You have all of my contact information, yes?" he asked just to be absolutely sure.

She nodded. "We'll see my assistant, before you leave, to get the paperwork started. Just the standard financial documents, plus a confidentiality agreement, of course..."

Manuel nodded. "Of course. I'd expect nothing less." he said with a charming smile. "This is excellent coffee." he said with an impressed smile. Strong coffee, too, he noted with amusement. Just the way he liked it. "A personal blend?"

"A small indulgence. Visible signs of status and wealth are valuable when applied at the right moments, but it's the quieter pleasures that make life more enjoyable."

Manuel saluted the recruiter with the cup. "Could not have said it better myself." he said, finishing off the cup and setting it down on her desk. "If there's not anything else you'd like to know, I'll go get a start on that paperwork..."

She rose, just as gracefully, and extended a hand. "Let's get started, then. Welcome to Eris Consulting, Manuel."