Mark Ellis arrived early for the interview and was told to wait in a room that smelled faintly of disinfectant and old paper, where a speaker in the ceiling occasionally repeated instructions about remaining calm and having identification ready.
Ms Carter called his name without looking up from the file. ‘Mr Ellis before we begin do you understand this is a standard assessment?’ Mark hesitated and said that he thought it was a job interview and she replied that it was only that if he passed it correctly which made him ask what counted as correct
She tapped the pen against the form and said ‘Answering is less important than consistency’ Mark asked who decided consistency and she said ‘The office does though it prefers not to describe itself that way’ He tried to laugh but the sound felt inappropriate in the room and she noted it without comment while sliding another page toward him and asking him to describe where he sees himself in five years
Mark said he could not see that far ahead and she replied that uncertainty was acceptable provided it was documented clearly before the interview ended and filed with his application record system protocol
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