the interview process at the magnus institute is notably different from any other organization, mainly because the institute head handles each of them personally.
the interview itself receives mixed reviews from its participants-- some find it to be near-torture, others outright enjoy it. the only common thread everyone agrees on is that it feels like he knows you a bit better than he should. there are subtle comments and hints that make you second guess how much information he has on you. you know you didn't list your childhood pets or food allergies in your resume, and yet elias bouchard implies that you can't feed your fish the standards brands because they all contain gluten.
(it could just be paranoia on your part. his comment about your problem-solving skills and resourcefulness could be a part of standard interview tact. his example of a time-release fish feeder could be coincidence; although you did have to build your own, given how they don't sell fish feeders compatible with the pellet size of your ultra obscure brand of fish feed.)
(lost focus, this is supposed to be about jon. let's turn our attention to him)
jonathan sims would absolutely never work in some shady paranormal investigators "institute". the audacity they have to call themselves an institute-- there's hardly a single proper academic working there. the demographic it attracts is mainly aimless young adults from upper-middle class backgrounds who are willing to accept any job that could look decent on a resume. (although the institute has a surprisingly high retention rate, so it's not like anyone's resumes will be serving much purpose)
jon had never even heard of the magnus institute until he happened to walk past it one day. (he has this habit to walk down different roads when heading to his frequent locations-- if he needs to get groceries, he may as well make the trip interesting by taking a route he's never taken before.) and on one such day, he sees it. the building's physically impressive, and as an academic he finds himself drawn to any beacon of academia, which this building purports to be.
so he looks into it. he does his research. The Magnus Institute. founded in 1818. a total fraud. apparently it's well-known that the institute doesn't do much other than collect people's ghost stories. and they really aren't selective. they'll take anything, no matter how blatantly false it is. a few years back a number of their files were leaked, and if the institute has done any legitimate research before or after that, it's impossible to find.
scanning the institute's website, there's one thing noticeably missing. academic institutes typically allow unaffiliated academics to access their databases and library. and yet there are no request forms posted.
maybe jon wouldn't have been so interested if the institute's records were easier to access.
he calls the institute that night and asks how an academic can submit a request form. how does one receive a guest pass to access their library? whoever's on the other end of the line (rosie, I presume) says there isn't one. jon asks how that's even possible. surely the institute has a library, surely the institute has some form of a database, so surely there must be a way for external researchers to access it. but the woman on the phone tells him that simply isn't a policy or system the institute has in place. goodbye, have a nice day. and the line's dead.
so jon takes matters into his own hands. clearly whoever he spoke to didn't know what she was talking about., if only he could speak to someone more qualified-- then he could get a quick peak at their records, put this to rest, and move with his life.
as one does, he gets up bright and early the next day and waits outside the institute. as people begin to enter, he approaches them. do you work here, he'd ask, and do you know how I can access the library? I'm a researcher affiliated with oxford (he conveniently omits that he graduated years ago).
no one's helpful, everyone finds him slightly off-putting. or at least Too Much for 8am. save that energy for after everyone's had their coffee, maybe you'll get some productive responses.
jon tries again in the evening, but everyone's too tired from the long workday to humor him with a response. those who've dealt with him in the morning know to avoid him entirely once they see him loitering outside again.
back to the drawing board, jon gives up on getting a guest researcher pass and turns his focus to simply entering the institute. of which there are three way to do so: 1) be an employee of the magnus institute. 2) be a prospective employee coming in for an interview. and 3) just break in. break and enter. that's always an option.
he opts for option 2. if that doesn't work out, he'll resort to option 3.
the application was easy to fill out, the interview was easy to schedule. three days later he receives a guest ID in the mail with instructions: the ID will be activated on the day of his interview, and remain active until the end of the work day. he will be interviewed by one elias bouchard, located on the fourth floor, room 418. the woman at the front desk will direct him there.
perfect. this aligns well with jon's intent.
he made sure to schedule his interview at the earliest possible time slot. just a short half hour with some hr rep who'll quickly see he's not passionate about ghost hunting, and then he'll be free to head straight to their library. and Finally get it off his mind. really, it should be illegal to intentionally withhold information from people who seek it out. all of these hoops academia makes everyone jump through, and all of these ladders you have to climb, just to access information that ought to have been free to the public to being with. of course there's a rise in anti-intellectualism-- we don't allow people to access peer-reviewed research unless they're willing to to pay with their soul, money, and life.
the day arrives and Jon's impatiently waiting for it to be over and done with, so he can stop thinking about this clearly fraudulent institute that's been haunting his thoughts for weeks. he scans his guest ID, heads inside, (admittedly seeing that little green light on the keypad was more satisfying than he'd have thought)--, and gets his directions up to Bouchard's office.
maybe not an hr rep, from the looks of things. this seems a bit too opulent? sophisticated? for an hr rep. but frankly, jon hasn't been on enough interviews to know what should be expected. so maybe sometimes instead of hr handling interviews, they're personally dealt with by the head of the institute. given the looks of it, he wouldn't be surprised if the institute's head had nothing better to do. he wonders how this place could even afford to stay open, given its limited contributions to the academic spheres that would typically sponsor it..
on elias's end, he enjoys surprises, and revels in the cat and mouse dynamic an interview presents him with. so he doesn't tend to look into a candidate until they're standing right in front of him. on that day, he was aware there was one interview scheduled, but he didn't care to know with whom. he goes through four or five interviews a month and rarely comes across anything interesting.
so when jonathan sims, deeply marked by the web, stepped through his door, he did a double take. he could nearly see the future laid out in front of him, with this man paving the path.
and then when jonathan sims, deeply marked by the web, starts lecturing him about how to properly run an academic institute--and how dare he monopolize knowledge-- and it should be illegal, how DARE anyone have a private academic database with absolutely no way for the public to gain access to it---
elias isn't able to get a word in edgewise. it takes a lot to surprise him, but he's floored. this young man clearly has no intention of interviewing. he's here for the institute's database. this boy has made that exceedingly clear-- he's clearly very passionate about the subject matter-- too passionate to notice the overwhelming feeling of being Watched that most candidates find unnerving-- and what can elias do? he needs him. he has him right in front of him. he sees jon finish his near-incoherent rant and turn to leave. he cannot let him leave.
jon stops, halfway out the door. he only has 7 hours remaining on his pass. he can't afford to waste them.
what would you do differently? if it were in your hands, how would you improve the institute?
now jon's the one who's stunned. people don't tend to ask for his opinion-- probably because he'd give it without being asked. is this genuine? he's suddenly aware of the dynamic at play-- he just spent a good half-hour ranting at this total stranger, nearly cursing him out, and this man is talking to him like an equal. more than an equal-- like someone whose opinion matters. the guilt hits him hard, should he apologize? he was very rude, he should probably apologize. what should he say? he can't say he didn't mean to, he definitely DID mean to--
it's ok. you can come in. sit down.
elias needs to coax him back. like a frightened animal, he thinks. he can't afford to lose him now. the web put this gift right in front of him, he can't afford to ruin this opportunity.
how about we make a deal? if you can design a practical and cost-efficient system for opening our database to unaffiliated guests, I'll have it implemented.
really? this man would listen to him? he just has to do the work--so long as the tedious, annoying part is taken care of, this man would be willing to alter how he runs his business? all because a stranger had some complaints? it doesn't make any sense, why would he--
you've raised a lot of good points.
elias must navigate this carefully.
can I be truthful with you for a moment?
In my line of work I don't tend to receive such honest feedback. I suppose it makes sense, no one wants to tell their boss what areas he's lacking in.
Institute heads don't receive performance reviews.
carefully, he guides the conversation back to somewhere stable. steady. keep his attention on something concrete. let him get comfortable in the rhythm of things. don't let him leave.
jon could do what elias asked of him. he's up for the challenge. in fact, he could do it here and now. two hours in, and it's been successfully designed; a flawless system utilizing resources the institute already has access to, that would allow for the seamless registration of academic guest passes and database request forms.
five hours left on his guest pass. does jon notice the time? either way, now that his one task is complete, he'll be getting ready to leave.
I've kept you here so long, my apologies,.. I suppose I've lost track of the time.
acknowledge the time. it's a risky move, but it's better than the alternative. given this boy's general demeanor, it wouldn't be a stretch to assume he'd interpret elias wasting the limited hours on his guest pass as some form of convoluted revenge against him for his little outburst this morning.
It's late, you must be hungry. I'll have Rosie grab something for you from the cafeteria. No, no, it's alright, it's the least I can do. You've been so helpful, after all. Please accept a lunch as a small token of my appreciation.
oh. alright. that sounds reasonable enough. although that seems to be more praise than he's earned. maybe elias gives out praise rather flippantly? although that wasn't the impression he was under, based on their limited interaction--
(he doesn't handle praise well, use sparingly, we cannot afford to scare him off)
Wait here while I retrieve your meal. Feel free to browse any books on the shelves in the meantime.
elias doesn't stay out for more than five minutes, but that's more than enough time. jon already found something that caught his interest and is oblivious to the world around him as he sits and reads. still on the first page, elias notes. a slow reader.
he gently puts the food down on the desk. two meals. he wasn't going to have jon eat alone. more importantly, he didn't want the single meal to imply that jon should take it and leave. it is to be eaten here. we aren't done talking.
how long could a book tide him over? it doesn't matter, elias takes one glance at the cover and knows jon will be here for a while. because jon will have strong opinions on it. and clearly-- exceedingly clearly, he hardly had to survey jon's mind for this-- jon doesn't have anyone to share his opinions with.
but now he does. elias is always ready and willing to listen.
it takes a few more bribes to really get jon to let his guard down. extend his guest pass by 24 hours, or by a few days, or weeks,-- Don't worry, there's no need to be in any rush to view our database, I'll make sure you have access to it whenever you like-- jon stops by regularly without getting formally hired, just to talk. just to be listened to. it's not like elias always agrees with him-- more often than not, he shows jon a whole new angle of viewing the topics they debate-- but he's always present and engaged.
and Are you really not interested in a job here? Your presence would be deeply appreciated. I know I would appreciate it, at least. Would you like to try a mock interview? I'm sure you're curious about what type of questions are asked at an organization like this.
of course he's curious. what are the qualifications, even, for an academic institute that focuses its attention on the supernatural, of all things? sure, he'll run through the interview questions. what could they possibly be?
The questions aren't what he expected. or maybe they're exactly what he expected. they covered topics he and elias had discussed ad nauseam. it was comfortable,.. it was pleasant, even. he knew exactly where elias stood on every topic, but he also knew that he could answer each question honestly. there was no need to cater to someone's preferred answers. elias appreciated his perspective. elias respected him. maybe it wouldn't be so bad to stay. why wasn't he staying here? he had the job offer, was it just out of a desire to work somewhere respectable?
he wasn't going to get any more respect anywhere else than what he would get here. he never felt as seen and understood as he did over the past few weeks. elias understands him better than anyone, there isn't anywhere else he'd be more comfortable at, there's one person in the entire world who genuinely wants him to stay,,, he may as well.
