The Interview
by
Book Cover & Preview Text
Driving a late-model American-made pick-up truck, Gil Jackson maneuvers the vehicle within the late-morning traffic commute. Heavy rains pound on the roof of the truck and windows. While the left windshield wiper moves evenly from left to right clearing the rain drops away, the right wiper refuses to cooperative, stuck in a straight vertical position.
His eyes dance wildly as if he has no control of their movement, belonging to someone else. He strokes his unshaven chin, agitated. The uneven flow of traffic further stirs his troubled mind, encouraging his discontent. He strikes the truck horn with his right fist, once, then again, holding pressure the second time on the plastic device as a threat to all who are near. The sound, however, is muffled by the other noises of the city. Commuters by foot and by vehicle continue their morning routine struggle, no time for accommodating behavior.
He continues to weave through the obstacle course, nearing his destination. The continuous downpour turns the usual morning daylight into a creepy dark extreme. He, too, continues his transformation, becoming more angry and aggressive.
He drives through a part of the city that is in need of redevelopment. It co-exists adjacent to the high rise buildings that house corporate offices, expensive restaurants and shopping boutiques, along with apartments and condominiums that command high prices often beyond the reach of most people.
When it is not raining, this part of town, in the morning hours, is inhabited by several small groups of men, dressed in denim and flannel shirts, often wearing baseball caps with the names of baseball teams or beer, for example. These men, for the most part, are quiet, hardworking. They move slowly along the sidewalk, talking to each other in low sounds in native languages, smiling and nodding. There are no noises from blasting radios or boom boxes. There is no horsing around.
Tim replies, "Sure, here it is" as he hands her a key attached to a red plastic stick.
"Ms. Simmons, here is your validated parking ticket as well. Do you want anything to drink?"
He hands her the validated parking ticket in unison to his comments, waiting for her response.
"Thanks, Tim, for the key and the validated ticket. How about some coffee with light milk and one sugar," she says, gathering the physical and mental force to smile at him.
"It’ll be here when you return," he says.
As she leaves, she takes a piece of chocolate candy from a jar on top of the receptionist desk, simultaneously as she asks Tim for permission, "May I?"
"Of course. That’s what they’re there for," he replies.
As she enters the ladies’ room, she challenges herself to stop being so self-critical. "Negative energy is draining," she reminds herself. "It zaps my strength and reduces my ability to really show them what I’m made of. Or else, they won’t want me!"
She looks at herself in the mirror, noting tension in her face. She notices she is alone, "I-I’m strong. I-I’m worthy. I-I will succeed," she affirms. A faint smile appears on her face. She nods approvingly, takes a deep breath, and reaches for her cell phone inside her briefcase.
She presses the on-bottom. The display panel reads GIVE ME YOUR PASSWORD. She replies to the directive by pressing F-A-I-T-H on the buttons. The display panel reads VALID. Using speed-dial, she calls the offices of Merriam and Webster.
"Good morning. Offices of Merriam and Webster. This is Jill. How can I help you?" greets a female voice.
Formats
Book Details
About the Book
In-ter-view: a formal consultation usually to evaluate qualifications, as of a prospective employee; a meeting at which information exchanges between two parties.
A job interview is stressful for most people, but for Laura Simmons, a determined and trusting, yet insecure, job candidate, the interview with Fred Wheeler and Associates is more than what she expects.
Her husband, Kyle, is a successful opportunistic executive, whose business successes is largely due to his competitive, self-confident, and risk taking behavior. However, he misplaces these traits when he provides counsel to his wife’s job search.
In an attempt to please Kyle, Laura overextends and becomes overly self-critical and an easy touch, thus jeopardizing her emotional and physical well being.
The interview is unexpectedly interrupted when an angry former employee, Gil Jackson, takes hostage Laura and seven employees of Fred Wheeler and Associates, threatening to explode a dynamite bomb, killing everyone.
This thriller exposes the real character of each person, demonstrating how each of them reacts differently to the same stress-demands. The turning point occurs when they realize they must work together to survive, and put aside their differences.
About the Author
He is best recognized as a Human Resources Executive with over 25 years business experience helping organizations maximize the potential of their employees. He earned a Bachelor of Science Degree in Biology from Union College, a Masters in Management from Northwestern University, and an Officer Commission in the United States Air Force. He has written several management articles for trade journals. While still heavily active in human resources consulting and teaching, The Interview is his second novel. The cornerstone of his writing recognizes human conflict, the opposing action of incompatibles. His current writing project-in-progress is a two-part self-help workbook: Career Management and Employee Portfolio Tool Kit contains two workbooks to help the employee better manage his/her career and prepare for the performance management process.