Second test
1108 Words
The interview room fell silent.
One of the interviewers closed the file in front of him and looked at Ruth with an apologetic smile.
"I'm sorry, Miss Bennett."
Ruth straightened in her chair.
"We're looking for someone with recent industry experience. Your assessment was impressive, but you've been away from the field for five years."
Another interviewer nodded.
"We need someone who can start immediately with little or no supervision."
The words landed like a knife in her chest even though she had expected that question.
She even rehearsed answers on the way there.
But hearing it from them made her mute.
She forced a small smile.
"I understand."
"Thank you for coming."
Ruth stood, shook their hands politely, and walked out of the room.
Only after the elevator doors closed did the smile disappear.
She stared at her reflection in the mirror-like doors.
She looked confident, professional, and all put together.
Yet all she could think was... Maybe five years really was too much.
Her phone vibrated it was a text from Rinna: Done already?
Ruth took a deep breath before replying.
Ruth: Yeah.
In less than five minutes, Rinna's car pulled up outside the building.
The moment Ruth got in, Rinna looked at her face and sighed.
"You didn't get it."
Ruth managed a weak smile. "Was it that obvious?"
"You have the same face you make whenever you lose at chess."
Ruth sighed heavily.
"They said they needed someone with experience."
"They're idiots and it's their loss."
She said as she started the engine.
For a while, neither of them spoke.
As the car moved slowly through the streets, Rinna suddenly gasped.
"Oh! I completely forgot."
She picked up her phone at the next red light and handed it to Ruth.
"I applied for another job for you yesterday."
Ruth blinked.
"You what?"
"I knew you'd hesitate, so I did it yesterday."
Ruth looked down at the screen.
Her eyes widened.
TC Corporation. That was her dream company.
For years, she'd followed their products, read about their innovations, and imagined herself working there.
"I can't..."
"What do you mean you can?" Ruth asked
"You heard about Multimedia Tech, I have no experience.“
Rinna shrugged.
"And you really need experience for this, babe."
Ruth shook her head. “Let's just go home.“
"Opportunities don't wait for anyone, and you never know till you try," Rinna muttered.
Ruth looked at the application again.
The assessment would begin in less than an hour.
"Okay, I'll try." She said, Ruth didn't want to seem ungrateful because Rinna was putting in much effort to secure her a job.
Rinna grinned so widely that it was almost contagious.
"Finally."
*****
TC Corporation stood tall with the glass walls up against the sky.
Ruth stepped out of the car and stared up at the building.
Her confidence suddenly disappeared.
Employees hurried in and out through the revolving doors, dressed in crisp suits and carrying laptops.
"I don't belong here," she murmured.
Rinna gently squeezed her shoulder.
"You do."
"What if I fail again?"
"You won't know until you try."
She pointed toward the entrance.
"Now go. Call me when you're done. "
Ruth nodded, inhaled deeply before walking inside.
The lobby was even more impressive than she'd imagined.
A receptionist directed her to a large assessment room where dozens of applicants were already seated in front of computers.
"There won't be interviews, I'm sure you all read the requirements for this internship," the supervisor announced.
"Your skills will speak for you." He added.
Ruth felt her heart leapt. She wasn’t prepared for it, but she just had to try.
The room fell silent as everyone logged into the system.
A timer appeared on the screen.
02:00:00
"You may begin."
Ruth rested her fingers on the keyboard for only a second before she started typing.
The first task was simple.
The second required a little more thinking.
By the third question, she had forgotten where she was.
She forgot Caleb or the threatening messages.
She forgot the interview she had just failed.
It was just her in her own world with the codes.
One after another, the task disappeared from her screen.
Her fingers moved with practised ease.
Years had passed, but she hadn't forgotten.
She simply hadn't been given the chance to use what she knew.
An hour later, Ruth leaned back in her chair.
"Done already?" the supervisor asked in surprise.
Ruth nodded.
"I think so."
He looked at the timer.
Nearly an hour remained.
"You can wait outside."
Ruth quietly gathered her things and walked into the hallway.
Inside the assessment room, several candidates were still struggling.
The supervisor picked up his tab, and his eyebrows slowly rose.
After the two hours elapsed, he immediately left the room and headed for the executive floor.
Scott was signing documents when someone knocked on his office door.
"Come in."
The supervisor stepped inside with a tablet in his hand.
"Sir."
Scott didn't look up.
"What is it?"
"Today's assessment results."
"Leave them with HR."
"There is one applicant you should know about."
That finally made Scott raise his eyes.
"Why?"
"She scored the highest we've had this quarter."
Scott didn't take his eyes from what he was doing.
"She finished almost an hour early."
Scott remained silent.
The supervisor continued.
"Normally, we'd place everyone on an internship first..."
"But?"
"I think we'd be wasting her."
Scott finally looked up. He took a moment before speaking.
"Give her the debugging test."
The supervisor. Mr Ben pressed his lips. He couldn’t argue. No one could ever.
Scott closed the file he had been reading
“If she solves it...".
"Don't make her an intern. Hire her."
The supervisor blinked.
"Immediately?"
"If she's that good, someone else will recruit her before we do."
"Understood, sir."
Mr Ben returned downstairs and listed the names of the applicants that passed. Ruth listened, but her name wasn't called.
“That will be all.“ The supervisor Mr Ben said.
“For those that didn't pass, don't give up, keep improving, don't stop trying. This doesn't mean failure..“
He kept talking, but Ruth wasn't even listening
Her heart had already sunk. She felt she had failed again.
The long talk was over. Some of the applicants moved toward the exit while the ones accepted followed another staff.
Ruth lowered her head and walked to the exit.
Another rejection. She should have expected it.
She tightened her grip on her bag and stepped through the doors.
"Miss Bennett."
Slowly, she turned around.
Mr. Ben was looking directly at her.
"Could you come with me for a moment?"
- Writer
