The Job Interview: In the not-too distant future, #2

By Adriana Karvaiová

A young man, Adam, is heading for a job interview in the not-so-distant future. He finds a development company whose goal is not only to bring new inventions to life, but also to create an ideal society. But what he doesn't initially know is that their target is not living and working on the Earth, and that the highly unusual third round of the job interview is actually a test of candidates for the settlement of Planet B.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Adriana Karvaiová
• Release date: Dec 29, 2023
• ISBN: 9788835457640

Adriana Karvaiová

Adriana Karvaiová je učiteľkou anglického jazyka a prekladá z a do angličtiny, maďarčiny a slovenčiny. Venuje sa aj hudbe a posledných päť rokov pracovala ako muzikoterapeut v domovoch dôchodcov. Po dvoch desaťročiach strávených prevažne starostlivosťou o rodinu a prácou sa rozhodla vrátiť k písaniu. Výsledkom je niekoľko diel literatúry faktu, ako aj zopár románov a poviedok, ktoré milého čitateľa pobavia a zároveň mu dajú podnet na zamyslenie. Voľný čas Adriana rada trávi so svojou rodinou, píše, spieva, hrá na gitare s manželom, ktorý je vynikajúci klavirista (navštívte www.pianoterapia.sk) a rybárči.

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Contents

The interviewee

The offer

In and out of the sarcophagus

The rules

The discussion

The flight

The treasure hunt

The loner

The treatment

Time to think

A new companion

A and B

Back in the meeting room

Points to discuss:

Index

The interviewee

An endlessly long desk, at its far end four people with a stern look, flanked by a crowd of empty chairs.

They theatrically paused for a moment. Adam began to feel somewhat uneasy, but he immediately realized that this might be the very goal of these professionals, so he squirmed a little in his chair to relax, leaning back and patiently expecting the next question with a fleeting smile on his face.

Why do you want to work for us? Indeed, he didn't have to wait long.

I perceive your firm as a promising company that places great emphasis on sustainability, has solid foundations in its long history, and last but not least, I am very interested in the field in which your company operates. Working in the given position would allow me to fully utilize my skills and experience and at the same time I would welcome the opportunity to extend my knowledge, Adam delivered the memorized phrase quite believably, in his mind saying silent thanks to the monumental table top for not revealing a slight tremor in his fingers underneath.

The poker faces and the guarded look of the members of the hiring committee were still not helping Adam's well-being at all, although it seemed to him that the woman on the right turned up her nose a bit. Perhaps he should say that he has also heard that the company is involved in an important project aimed at averting human extinction, but the details of the research are so closely guarded that it’s not clear what is a hoax and what is a fragment of a well-kept secret?

We believe that we are witnessing the turn of the digital age and the quantum era. Fitting computers with subatomic particles is about to bring inconceivable scientific and social changes. What is your opinion on this and can you make a brief outline of the matter? The middle-aged woman, dressed in a luxurious-looking costume with perfectly matched accessories, her hair flawlessly combed into an old-fashioned bun, at first reminded Adam of an ideal old-school secretary, but he immediately threw his hand in an imaginary cloud above his head.

Adam's face was now showing unease. He told himself that it was okay to think before opening his mouth, but as the pause was starting to feel long, he decided to begin, trusting that his reasoning would lead him somewhere and that his words would make sense.

Ehm, first of all, yes, quantum computers can do calculations much, much faster than digital ones. They use qubits, the quantum equivalent of the zeros and ones that carry information in a regular computer. While bits are stored as electrical charges in transistors etched on silicon chips, qubits are represented by properties of particles, such as the angular momentum of an electron. In the subatomic world, the laws of classical physics do not apply. Sorry, but it is virtually impossible to explain it in a nutshell. How much time can you give me?

As he hoped, he answered satisfactorily again. He let out a sigh of relief that he tried to hide, but he still felt that his exhalation must have been heard in the next room as well.

We would like to thank you. Your expertise is undoubtedly satisfactory. Nevertheless, it is part of our company's corporate culture that interpersonal relations are one of the priorities. We firmly believe that only a non-toxic work environment will stimulate people to deliver the best results. And that's why I have one more question. What did you notice about the people you've met here today? The question was asked by a person whom Adam, thanks to the symmetrical and smooth face and the long, blue-dyed hair, initially took for a young woman, until he spoke with a deep throaty voice.

Adam looked away for a moment to hastily activate his cache and project onto the canvas of his imagination who he had actually met so far. The author of the question himself might as well be the answer, on the other hand, apart from the confusing hair colour, there was nothing unusual about him, he conducted the conversation in a high standard and it was obvious that he was highly professional indeed.

The same applied to the other three people by his side. A distinguished elderly lady who, he quickly deduced, would probably not be an easily replaceable assistant despite her image, nor a recruiter with a decisive voice, a bearded man with a tattoo on his right cheek and a barchet shirt more suited to a comfort-seeking farmer, nor an incredibly beautiful young woman with flawless make-up, a perfect business hairstyle, wearing a sophisticated summer dress made of translucent material with a provocative cut. During the interview, Adam was not at all certain which of them would have the last word, and so he alternately addressed his gaze to everyone.

And who else had he actually met since his arrival? A silent couple in the elevator who barely responded to his greeting, walking down the corridor he saw a small crowd magnetized by the coffee machine and through the glass walls of the immense corridor he saw ordinary office desks covered with piles of paper and some computer hardware, most of which were currently abandoned but others were occupied by busy workers. This scenery gave him an impression that they were an accounting firm – nothing to get excited about.

What I noticed about the people I've met here today? Adam repeated the question only to gain a few extra seconds. "Actually, I found it a little strange that upon entry I was only greeted by a digital doorman, that my biometrics were scanned for identity and a generated passport escorted me here. I'm not sure if this answers your question, but in fact I was