Interviews (Clara)

Instead of using his cramped office for the interview Bo found more appropriate lodgings for the current task. Taking over one of the numerous conference rooms the space almost seemed to big. So many chairs for just two people, and the only documents that littered the massive desk was one resume of Clara Goldstein, and a one page reference for “HR appropriate questions, keep to the script please Mr. Miller that will be all.....o by the way please stop smoking in the hall ways”. The old witch had made it clear that it was inappropriate. Not wanting to rock the trailer to much, he simply chewed on the fresh cigar rather than actually lightning it.....for now.

He had removed his hat letting it rest on the table, his hair more unkempt than probably necessary, his beard to follow. Still having not unpacked his actual wizard attire he had instead stuck with his upper class fashion. He sat with one leg propped up on the table, leaving one boot to rest on the ground. The papers sat unread and unneeded for the moment. Instead his attention was on chewing the cigar, and using his knife to clean under his fingernails.

It was only at the prompting of the goose of a Goshawk to take on an assistant, but it seemed like that’s what would be required of him. Looking back on their conversation, he’d rather go wrestling alligators than her just yet. Best to get a foot and hand in the door prior.

The girl she had so insistently pushed on him should be arriving any second he thought as he continued to focuse on his hands. Still a little dirty from the previous evenings garden tending. It was getting late in the season, but it was August so if he could get some carrots or maybe some chard in the ground soon he might have a prayer.

Clara hadn't been told much about the man she was about to meet. She'd simply been told where to be at what time to interview for a position as his assistant, and that he was the new head of the Department of Intoxicating Substances. It seemed like a boring job, but she supposed if the Ministry saw fit to assign an entire department to the task, there must be some need for it.

And she understood she had plenty of motivation to be there. For one, she would be getting paid, and the vast majority of that would be going toward her tuition for university next year. She also knew that Adelaide Goshawk intended to keep a place for her at the Ministry, so this assistant's position was probably just a step on the ladder. So even if she didn't enjoy the job itself, she could console herself with the fact that it was temporary, and she would be compensated.

She was determined to put in the same caliber of work, regardless, knowing that somebody was probably watching her, and this was most likely a test. People weren't just given random opportunities unless they were expected to prove themselves.

So Clara made sure she looked presentable, made sure she could explain everything on her resume with reasonable succintness, and made sure she understood the duties of the Department of Intoxicating Substances, before heading to the Department of Magical Law Enforcement and finding her way to the meeting room. Glancing at a nearby clock, Clara stood outside the door for a few seconds until it struck the exact time of her appointment, and then she knocked sharply three times.

Rap-Rap-Rap, the sharp knocks came on the door at the exact moment of the appointment. Little on the nose he thought. If he had to guess, this gal would be cut from the same tight cloth as the witch from earlier. Chewing on the cigar, he waited a few seconds before telling her to come in. As she did he would look the girl up and down, already considering her potential. He felt himself to be a decent judge of character, and what was an interview but a civilized interrogation. Stepping forward he would hold out his scarred and callused hand for her to shake. “Bo Miller darling.” He would say introducing himself before waving for her to have a nearby seat. After she sat, he would take his own, leaving 95% of the elongated conference room unused.

Clearing his throat, he would look down at the paper of HR approved questions, still chewing on the cigar his face would look as though he was pained. With great personal restraint, he didn’t roll his eyes at what the world was coming to. “What is your greatest strength, your weakness? What areas could you improve on, where do you see yourself in 5 years” He was able to ramble a couple of them off to her and take notes for at least one of them….maybe.

He would let her finish the last question before putting down the pages and flipping them over. His next question would probably seem like a fox in a hen house to her, but still it was likely more important. “Miss Clara……..do you want to be here? And figurin you do, why do you fix yurself as a minsty witch?”​

Clara wasn't sure what she expected to see when she opened the door, but this was not it. The head of the Department of Intoxicating Substances was a cowboy. He even had a hat resting on the table, and cigar hanging from his mouth. It certainly didn't match her schema for professional settings, but she tried not to let it shake her too much as she briefly shook the man's hand.

"Clara Goldstein," she said, partly in response to his own introduction, and partly as a correction for the petname. She didn't like petnames. They made her feel uncomfortable. She took the proferred seat, noting the ridiculousness of such a long table for such a small meeting. She wondered why this room had been chosen for the interview. It seemed excessive.

The interview commenced immediately, and the man got straight to the point, not bothering to engage in any sort of small talk beforehand. Clara silently appreciated this. She was prepared for these sorts of questions.

"I'm thorough and detail-oriented," she began. "I have critical thinking skills, I'm punctual, and I can work independently without too much supervision. I won't be a burden on your time. As for weaknesses, it sometimes takes me a little while to adapt to new environments, but once I've learned something I won't forget it.

"I'm currently working on improving my people skills, but paperwork has never been a problem for me. In five years, I hope to be graduating from university. If possible, I'd like to attend graduate school, or take part in a research project studying potions or ancient runes."

When the questions were finished, he flipped over the paper he'd been reading off of, and Clara took that to mean the interview was drawing to a close. It had been short and relatively painless, so she thought it went fairly well.

Then he asked her another question, which she guessed he had come up with on his own. She hesitated for a moment, his thick American accent throwing her off. Once she had interpreted the question, she took another moment to think about it.

"I do want to be here," she confirmed. "I...think it would be unwise to throw away an opportunity like this when it's presented to me. I think whatever I end up doing in the future would probably benefit from Ministry support, so the connections I build here are important. I never really saw myself as a Ministry witch, per se...I just want to make the most of the opportunities I've been given."

If she were being honest, she had never actually seen this Ministry position as anything other than a temporary springboard. She didn't see herself remaining there far into the future. She was an academic more so than a government worker, and all she really wanted to do was continue with her studies. Sure, she didn't mind working for the Ministry, but it had never been her ultimate goal. She hoped that didn't jeopardise her current prospects though.

Hrmph.......Bo couldn’t help but make a noise at her last answer. It wasn’t a bad answer, nothing about the gal was bad. Cleaner than Granny’s couch in plastic really, but it was hard to trust something that shiny. Still, this was a formality, and she seemed like a decent enough kid.

“I see little lady......I just got one more question...”. He checked boxes on the form and laid them down haphazardly. The evaluation portion clearly in her view as he radiates pure professionalism. All fives had been marked, to hire was checked, and he’s signed them bottom. “Fixin you get this J-O-B” he started, spelling out the word. “What do you reckon you’ll be the bet at, and what do you think I’ll need ta teach ya?” His words a little muffled as he placed the cigar back between his lips to chew on the end.

As he finished he slid across a job description. On it, mostly there was clerical duties. Filing, transcribing, organization, calendar maintenance, and the last two items, occasional field work under supervision for record keeping purposes, and the infamous duties as assigned.