Reading Rendezvous
"Tech recruiter Nneka interviews candidates all day—but the thick Nigerian-Jamaican engineer who walks in for her 3 PM interview changes everything about what Nneka thinks she's looking for."
The CV was impressive.
MIT. Google. Three startups. Returning to the UK for family.
The woman who walked in was more impressive.
Keisha-Amara was thick, confident, Nigerian-Jamaican heritage evident in her features and her attitude.
"Tell me about your experience," Nneka said professionally.
"Professional or personal?"
"Let's start professional."
"And finish personal?"
The interview took an unexpected turn.
"You're overqualified," Nneka observed.
"Maybe I'm here for something other than the job."
"What do you mean?"
"I researched this company. I researched you." Keisha-Amara leaned forward. "I've been following your work for years. You're brilliant."
"This is highly irregular."
"So is walking away from a Google salary. But here I am."
"You could sue me for what I'm thinking," Nneka admitted.
"I could. I won't." Keisha-Amara stood and rounded the desk. "I've spent my career being professional. Following rules. Denying myself."
"And now?"
"Now I see something I want. Someone I want. And I'm taking a risk."
She kissed Nneka right there in the interview room.
The door had a lock. Nneka used it.
"This is insane," she gasped as Keisha-Amara's hands found her curves.
"Innovation requires insanity." That smile. "Let me show you what I can really do."
On the interview desk, Keisha-Amara demonstrated skills not listed on her CV.
Her tongue was precise. Her hands were expert. She made Nneka come while describing the architecture of desire in technical terms.
"Excellent performance review," Nneka panted.
"I aim to exceed expectations."
"You've succeeded."
The job offer was extended.
So was a dinner invitation.
"Isn't this a conflict of interest?" Keisha-Amara asked.
"You'll be in a different department. No direct reporting relationship."
"Just a personal one."
"Just that."
Reading's tech sector gained a brilliant engineer.
Nneka gained something more.
"Best interview I ever conducted," she told HR.
"Best job I ever took," Keisha-Amara agreed privately.
Some candidates, they learned, were worth breaking rules for.