“I don’t think we’re going to like any of these candidates,” Spencer told her boss.  They were sitting at Ashley’s desk, regrouping after the disaster of the morning.   “They’ve never even had jobs before.”

“You’re just aiming to high,” Ashley said.  “You don’t need work experience to be a good assistant.  You barely had any.”

“I was valedictorian.  I doubt any of these people were able to graduate with anything above a C average.”

“I never took you for an academic elitist,” Ashley said.

“I’m not,” Spencer replied, her suspicion growing.  Ashley was defending these candidates even though she hadn’t liked any of them either.  And, she didn’t seem at all upset about how poorly the interviews were going.  Spencer continued, “I’m just confused about how some of these people got this far in the process. We spent an entire day going over resumes, picking the best candidates, but none of the people we talked about were scheduled for interviews.”

 “I’m looking for a new assistant that fits what I want,” Ashley replied sharply. “I have my own process for doing that and if you wanted any say in it, then maybe you should’ve shown up to work last week when I had to schedule the interviews by myself.”

Spencer softened her tone.  She didn’t want her boss to get upset, especially over a matter she needed her help on.  “Maybe, I could schedule a few more interviews this week.  I’ll even work overtime to do it so it won’t interfere with anything else.”

Ashley gave an empty laugh.  “So now you want me to pay you extra to find an assistant because you skipped work last week.  This search is already costing me money and valuable time, Spencer.  That’s why I have people sign contracts in the first place.  So I won’t have to go through this every month.  I think I’ve accommodated you enough by giving you a chance to break your word on your two-year agreement.  We’re keeping the interview schedule as is.”

“You don’t have to pay me more money.  I’ll work the overtime for free.”

“Absolutely not.  I have to pick my own assistant and that means I have to be the one to interview the person.”