One by one, the designers filed into the interview room, each selecting a seat in the designated area.
The interviewers positioned themselves at the forefront, observing quietly as staff members handed out sheets of paper and drawing pens to the candidates.
The lead interviewer cleared his throat and addressed the group.
“You are all talented designers, handpicked from a rigorous resume screening process. Today, we’ve brought you here to gauge your foundational design skills in a real-time setting. You have one hour to create a complete design draft. Let the countdown begin.”
With that, a staff member beside him activated the timer.
A murmur of surprise rippled through the room. One of the designers, unable to hide his confusion, blurted out,
“But you haven’t provided us with a design brief. What exactly are we supposed to design?”
Linsey, her gaze fixed on the interviewer, awaited his response with keen interest.
The interviewer offered a reassuring smile and explained,
“Today’s challenge is to assess your ability to make swift decisions on the spot. Please work independently, ensure your ideas are your own, and avoid any form of imitation. Now, please begin.”
As silence enveloped the room, the designers bent over their papers, pencils scratching away.
Linsey, however, sat motionless, her eyes locked on the blank page before her. Memories suddenly flooded back-the wedding day, the first time she had met Collin…
Linsey’s first impression of Collin was of a man dressed sharply in a wedding suit, seated in a wheelchair with an air of quiet authority. Despite the humiliating situation of being abandoned at the altar, he hadn’t shown a flicker of unease or frustration.
A spark of inspiration struck Linsey.
She wanted to design something for him-something that mirrored his composed and dignified presence.
A small smile formed on her lips as she picked up a pen and began sketching with practiced ease.
Half an hour later, Cynthia rose to her feet, exuding confidence. She strode toward the interviewers, holding her design as if it were a masterpiece.
“All done.” She flashed the interviewers a self-assured smile as she handed over her sketch. “Cynthia Keller. My name’s in the bottom right corner.”
The interviewers accepted it with polite professionalism.
“Thank you. You may wait outside.”
The other candidates exchanged uneasy glances. Cynthia had finished already? Only thirty minutes had passed, and most of them weren’t even halfway through their sketches.
Completing a design in just half an hour seemed almost impossible.
Their growing anxiety rippled through the room.
“What do I do? I still have so much left to sketch.”
“I shouldn’t have picked this concept. It’s too late to start over now.”
“This is a disaster. I’m completely screwed.”
The restless murmurs prompted one of the interviewers to issue a sharp reminder.
“Please maintain silence. You have twenty-seven minutes remaining.”
Linsey, oblivious to Cynthia’s early submission, remained engrossed in her work, her pen moving steadily across the page.
As the minutes ticked by, the others gradually completed their designs and turned them in, filing out one by one.
With just a minute left, Linsey was the only candidate still seated in the room.
An interviewer glanced at the clock.
“You have fifty seconds remaining.”
“I see,” Linsey murmured, her voice steady as she signed her name at the bottom of her design. She rose from her seat and walked forward, placing her work on the desk.
“I’m done. Thank you.”
The interviewer gave her a small nod of acknowledgment.
Linsey stepped out of the interview room and leaned against the wall, letting out a quiet breath as she sat down.
Cynthia spotted her immediately, seizing the moment to taunt her.
“Linsey, what took you so long? Did they throw you out because you couldn’t finish in time?”
The sycophants who had rallied behind Cynthia earlier eagerly joined in.
“I bet they did. The interviewers probably won’t forget her anytime soon.”
“I bet she just scribbled something last minute.”
Linsey’s brows drew together in irritation. She shot them a cold look and snapped,
“Shut up. You’re all too loud.”
With that, she closed her eyes, refusing to give them any more attention.
Cynthia clenched her fists, seething, but with CR Corporation’s staff nearby, she had no choice but to swallow her anger and glare in silence.
Once all the candidates had submitted their designs, the interviewers began sorting through them, matching the strongest pieces with resumes to determine the sole designer they would select.
The wait felt endless. When the interviewers finally emerged, all the designers gathered anxiously.
Linsey, having rested for a bit, suddenly felt her nerves creeping in. Her pulse quickened, her breath shallow as she fixed her gaze on the interviewer holding the final decision.
Beside her, a designer whispered to Cynthia,
“Cynthia, it has to be you. You’re the most talented one here.”
“I think so too. Cynthia, we should congratulate you in advance, right?”
Cynthia smirked, already picturing herself reveling in their admiration. This was it. She would be the one CR Corporation chose.
The interviewer scanned the group before finally smiling.
New Book: Back Home to Marry Off Myself
Loredana’s father left the family for his mistress, leaving them to fend for themselves abroad. When life was at its toughest, her father showed up with “good news” after 8 years of absence: To marry off Loredana to a paralyzed son of the wealthy Mendelsohn family.