voice.
Serena looked around the table at the sea of faces with a forced but confident looking smile. She knew most of them already from her initial tour around the building. She spotted Thelma, Mr Lin, Andrea something or other from IT, Thomas Brooks the Finance director… Her gaze stopped suddenly, the smile disappearing as she reached the perfectly suited form of Mr nice eyes.
‘NO WAY! This could not be happening! Not him!’
Her mind swam for a moment.
His eyes widened and he drew his mouth into a tight line as he now obviously recognised her too. She felt as if her heart had stopped beating in that instant. The sudden pain in her chest was unreal! She tried to remain outwardly composed but it was damn nigh on impossible as her legs had turned to jelly. She blotted everything and everyone out as best as she could and watched Alistair as he lined up the first slide file for her.
She put on her glasses and began her presentation with as much professionalism as she could muster. She was very glad she had prepared so well as she was on autopilot the whole way through. She finished the longest 15 minutes of boardroom hell ever experienced with some final closing points and handed back to Alistair. He asked the board if there were any questions for her. She held her breath trying to stop her hands shaking, her stomach muscles clenched tight.
Please, please, dearest God, let this be over! She prayed silently…
A familiar voice broke the short silence.
“I would like to ask something, if I may. You have adequately explained why we need this type of marketing and what it actually is… but I would like to know why you think YOU can provide an appropriate social presence for a company such as ours? What is your particular expertise Miss Green?”
This was a pointed reference to her snogging behaviour the other night and she knew it. He didn’t think she was appropriate material for this type of role in the company! Well she would have to prove him wrong somehow. She took a deep breath.
“The social marketing arena is a comparatively new field, sir. There are not many experts around yet! However, whilst studying for my degree I helped develop a social network for Cambridge University, for the practical part of the course. In fact I wrote my dissertation on the subject of this latest form of business reputation management. Although this is a well-known institution with an already qualified reputation, it had no active social profile on the internet at all. If you look at all the major social platforms today – it does now. The Professors and Dons and other contributors are able to work with this medium. I personally instructed them in the online social etiquette. They know how to get their message across, announce news when and if they need to. Does that answer your question fully, sir?” She looked him squarely in the unsmiling eyes when delivering her reply.
“That will do for now, thank you Miss Green. I would like a meeting with you later, if I may? I want to know more about this social world you inhabit. Please come to my office at 2pm this afternoon.”
She nodded and picked up her notebook and left the room. She rushed down the corridor and into the ladies cloakroom and locked herself in a cubicle. As the adrenaline that had been coursing around her body subsided, she started to shake and then tears started to flow as she wept her heart out. How could this be! Ethan is on the board? Her ultimate boss!
Oh fuck it!
she thought. What a messy start to her working life…
As she sat at her desk that afternoon waiting for 2pm to arrive, she considered walking out and never coming back. But this position was a rare find. She wanted it. She wanted the salary too. She could do a very good job and get much needed references for the future. She had to try and salvage something at least. Maybe she could win Ethan over by being so profoundly excellent in the quality of her work and so damned professional that
Serena looked around the table at the sea of faces with a forced but confident looking smile. She knew most of them already from her initial tour around the building. She spotted Thelma, Mr Lin, Andrea something or other from IT, Thomas Brooks the Finance director… Her gaze stopped suddenly, the smile disappearing as she reached the perfectly suited form of Mr nice eyes.
‘NO WAY! This could not be happening! Not him!’
Her mind swam for a moment.
His eyes widened and he drew his mouth into a tight line as he now obviously recognised her too. She felt as if her heart had stopped beating in that instant. The sudden pain in her chest was unreal! She tried to remain outwardly composed but it was damn nigh on impossible as her legs had turned to jelly. She blotted everything and everyone out as best as she could and watched Alistair as he lined up the first slide file for her.
She put on her glasses and began her presentation with as much professionalism as she could muster. She was very glad she had prepared so well as she was on autopilot the whole way through. She finished the longest 15 minutes of boardroom hell ever experienced with some final closing points and handed back to Alistair. He asked the board if there were any questions for her. She held her breath trying to stop her hands shaking, her stomach muscles clenched tight.
Please, please, dearest God, let this be over! She prayed silently…
A familiar voice broke the short silence.
“I would like to ask something, if I may. You have adequately explained why we need this type of marketing and what it actually is… but I would like to know why you think YOU can provide an appropriate social presence for a company such as ours? What is your particular expertise Miss Green?”
This was a pointed reference to her snogging behaviour the other night and she knew it. He didn’t think she was appropriate material for this type of role in the company! Well she would have to prove him wrong somehow. She took a deep breath.
“The social marketing arena is a comparatively new field, sir. There are not many experts around yet! However, whilst studying for my degree I helped develop a social network for Cambridge University, for the practical part of the course. In fact I wrote my dissertation on the subject of this latest form of business reputation management. Although this is a well-known institution with an already qualified reputation, it had no active social profile on the internet at all. If you look at all the major social platforms today – it does now. The Professors and Dons and other contributors are able to work with this medium. I personally instructed them in the online social etiquette. They know how to get their message across, announce news when and if they need to. Does that answer your question fully, sir?” She looked him squarely in the unsmiling eyes when delivering her reply.
“That will do for now, thank you Miss Green. I would like a meeting with you later, if I may? I want to know more about this social world you inhabit. Please come to my office at 2pm this afternoon.”
She nodded and picked up her notebook and left the room. She rushed down the corridor and into the ladies cloakroom and locked herself in a cubicle. As the adrenaline that had been coursing around her body subsided, she started to shake and then tears started to flow as she wept her heart out. How could this be! Ethan is on the board? Her ultimate boss!
Oh fuck it!
she thought. What a messy start to her working life…
As she sat at her desk that afternoon waiting for 2pm to arrive, she considered walking out and never coming back. But this position was a rare find. She wanted it. She wanted the salary too. She could do a very good job and get much needed references for the future. She had to try and salvage something at least. Maybe she could win Ethan over by being so profoundly excellent in the quality of her work and so damned professional that
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