Executive Affair Read Online Free Page B

never met him. He and Mark had a good relationship and Claire was confident that Mark would pave the way for her as much as he could. The rest would be up to her.
    Claire shut the door behind her and sat down before dialling the video conference number. Her interview with Harry was at eight – she had five minutes to go. The screen came alive withthe image of the room in Sydney. There was a long board table and gold-coloured curtains that were drawn to block out the sunlight. Her own image was in a small box on the bottom left of the screen. She self-consciously fixed her hair and when she saw how slow and obvious her movements were on screen, she reminded herself not to fidget throughout the interview. While she waited, she read through a copy of the résumé that she had sent to Harry. She looked up to see a blurred male figure move jerkily across the room until he was seated. It was hard to see his features but his hair was white. He was older than she expected.
    â€˜Good morning, Claire.’ His smile was friendly.
    â€˜Good evening, Harry.’
    â€˜It’s nice to meet you at last. Thanks for agreeing to this interview at such short notice.’
    â€˜It’s no problem. I’m very keen to pursue the opportunity and thank you for considering me,’ she said, making an early pitch to show her enthusiasm for the role.
    â€˜Claire, I’ll start by giving you some background information on the position. The incumbent is leaving at the end of this week to take on a new role in San Jose, under Robert Pozos. We’re looking for a good generalist, with proven operational ability in financial accounting, treasury, taxation and customer proposals.’ He paused deliberately to allow Claire to respond.
    â€˜I believe I can demonstrate effective skills in each of those areas. Tax may be a bit of a challenge, as I’m not familiar with the local legislation, but the basic principles should be fairly standard.’
    Harry adjusted his position in his seat before speaking. She could see his lips move but it was a few moments before the sound of his voice reached her end.
    â€˜I agree, tax should not be an insurmountable problem. We have advertised the role externally. However, it is our preference to have an internal candidate over an external one. It would be a much smoother transition for us if we found an existing employee who would be familiar with Amtech’s policies and procedures.’
    â€˜Have you had many external applicants?’ She hadn’t considered the possibility of competition for the role she had set her heart on.
    â€˜Yes, but none of them jump out at me … Claire, I’ve been through your résumé in detail and have talked to Robert Pozos about your role and performance in Dublin. I am not going to make this interview too laborious as I have a lot of positive and reliable information that most interviewers don’t have about the candidate they are interviewing. So, why don’t we just have a chat … you tell me about you and then I’ll tell you about me.’
    Their chat lasted an hour and ended with a job offer.
    Later that evening Claire opened the door to Susan whose face was pinched and pink from the icy cold.
    â€˜I think it’s going to snow,’ she said, hurrying inside, a paper-wrapped bottle in one hand.
    Claire grinned. ‘Well, in four weeks’ time I’ll be far, far away from this freezing weather.’
    Susan stopped in her tracks. ‘Is that why you invited me over? Have you booked a holiday?’
    Claire laughed. ‘It’s not exactly a holiday. I’m going to Sydney. Indefinitely.’
    Susan’s eyes popped. ‘You’re what ?’
    â€˜I’m going to Sydney! I applied for a finance manager’s role – it was advertised on the homepage. I had an interviewwith Harry Fielding today and he offered me the job on the spot!’
    Susan was flabbergasted.