Millennials. That's all she interviewed these days. That's all that came through her glass doors. She sees the same enthusiasm to work, the same thirst to prove themselves, the same attention they crave. Just because they've successfully delivered her some layouts doesn't mean they immediately deserve a gold start and an early leave for the day. You don't just receive success and acknowledgement, you earn it.
They don't seem to understand that.
"Next," Cat yelled out as the tall, handsome and privileged boy walks out her office, hoping he impressed her with his long resume. A long resume is not impressive; it's what's on it that's truly worth the bucks. Part-time jobs at Starbucks and McDonald's don't do it for Cat Grant. She stood up, and tried again. "Where's my 10:15?" Before anyone would come in, she walked out on her balcony for a very much needed breath of fresh air.
As she let out a long exhale, a shy but fairly determined voice came from behind her. "Miss Grant? I'm here for the, uhm, job interview?"
"Out here," she spoke loudly. She could hear the sound of high heels making their way out in the spacious balcony. As she turned around, she was welcomed with a tall, even more shy-looking girl. Her blonde hair was tied in a ponytail. Cat studied her from head to toe; she was wearing a white button-down shirt tucked neatly in magenta pants, followed by black high-heeled boots.
After the short silence in which Cat just watched her, Kara said, visibly gathering some courage, "My name is Kara Danvers and I'm here for the assistant job interview." She smiled warmly, extending her CV and Cat took it lazily. She was leaning over the balcony's railing and as she glanced down at Kara's work and achievements history, she noticed she didn't have nearly as many jobs noted down as the previously interviewed boy.
"And Kiera…" Cat said, but Kara interrupted her as soon as she finished.
"It's… uhm... Kara."
"What's that?" Cat asked, still looking at the paper.
"My name… it's pronounced Kara…" she corrected her, but as soon as she'd done it, she regretted it.
Cat shot her a look that told her to never correct her again, because she knew how to pronounce names correctly. She knew how to read. She just didn't want to yet.
"Right," she continued. "So Kiera, what makes you so special? Why do you think you'd be perfect for this job?"
Ignoring the misspelling of her name again, she replied, her voice more determined this time, "I want to follow a career in the vast world of media and news. I truly believe CatCO is the perfect place for me to be right now."
"And why is that?" Cat asked curiously.
"It's one of the most respected and read magazine from America, let alone National City. It's got a big audience and, well, a very well earned one ever since its creation. I've been following it ever since I can remember." Cat didn't notice any trace of trying to praise the magazine and her empire to be impressive, just sheer honesty. Whether to believe that or not, she was yet to find out.
She looked at her for a second, and then added, "You do know you're applying for the job of an assistant now, right? My assistant?"
"Of course," she replied in a matter-of-factly voice. "Everyone must start somewhere, and I know this job will give a lot of knowledge and experience to begin with. I just… want to be worthwhile."
Somewhere along her answers she's lost her nervousness, or at least any visible one. She formed courage over talking about something that excites her, something that interests her. A job she cares about having, a title she'd work to earn.
Cat walked past her back to her desk, and Kara followed her, continuing, "Miss Grant, I don't care if this job implies bringing you coffee, or arranging your schedule and meetings."
"What's that supposed to mean?" Cat asked quickly, once she settled back in her chair.
She fixed her glasses which didn't need fixing and replied just as straight-forward, "It means that I'm in, no matter the task. I just want to work my way up," she said, and this time her sincerity was obvious.
Cat didn't change her attitude much, but inside she was going over everything this girl had told her. She didn't look impressed, but deep down, she started to be.
"Very well then," she said finally. "You will receive a call regarding the job."
Kara looked a bit downcast at the final answer, but she came back quickly, putting up her smile and saying, "Thank you for your time." She left the office, her high heels audible on the hardwood floor.
Needing little time to think, Cat wrote down REPORTER on her resume. She wasn't sure about this job yet, but she was sure about this girl's future.
The lunch and afternoon flew by as she interviewed several other applicants, all with the boosted confidence and well-polished resumes. Her head was filled with all kinds of previous jobs and the same promises to do their job not just well, to do their job right. It's all empty promises, she thought. They're never as they pose themselves to be. She ends up firing one every month or so.
With a drink in her hand, she stood out in the balcony again, sitting down on one of her leather armchairs and ran the candidates in her mind again. They never truly want to write down "worked at CatCO" because of the actual magazine, they wanted it for the success its been having and for how renounced it was.
Then she came to her mind.
The one, who, she can say, was different from the rest.
She didn't just show interest for the job to make an impact on Cat; she showed interest because she truly wanted it. The fact that she said that this is a beginning in a career for her, that's what truly impressed Cat. Knowing how to start, and where to start was always very important to her.
She thought about who she would trust on handling all her meetings and appointments, who she would depend on to transmit the right information to her; which of the candidates would be that one organized and present person to do it.
It was Kara. The only one she could think of from between all of her candidates was Kara.
She thought back of an older assistant of hers. Perhaps the worst one she's ever had. She was just as smiley and positive as Kara. She hired her because she seemed organized and with her feet on the ground, and yet her head was in the clouds all the time. She got her orders wrong many times, hardly learning from her mistakes. Cat kept her around because she thought she could teach her, that she could make her more focused and directed to her work, but she couldn't, as if she would not learn what Cat told her all the time.
She didn't know why she read her wrong. She was always good at reading people and learning their personalities from a few meetings. But this one had been tricky. So she had to fire her, for the good of her work and her company.
She was still at the beginning, learning how to run an empire.
Now she was at the top of her game. Through her mistakes and wrongs she learnt. And now she knew talent when she saw it.
And Kara Danvers had talent.
