Armed police turned out when school leaver Nicola Wheatley, 16, went for her first job interview.

She was just filling in her application form in a home improvement firm's office when they burst in, ordering her: "Put your hands on your head".

Nicola was marched out with the staff at Homestyle UK, in Borough Road, Middlesbrough, as armed response officers from Cleveland Police trained Heckler and Koch guns on the scene.

The compound was the target for a National Crime Squad swoop aimed at drug dealers distributing heroin and cocaine in the North East. Two men from another firm were arrested and charged with conspiracy to supply Class A drugs.

Nicola, waiting for exam results from Macmillan College, Middlesbrough, said yesterday: "I was standing against a wall with my hands on my head for half an hour.

"I was scared at first and there were also police dogs barking. The police took everyone's name and address. Then they told me to go home.

"One of them said that I had to put on my CV that I work well under pressure."

Two days later, Homestyle UK called her back for an interview, and she was given a job as a marketing representative.

Nicola, of Bridport Road, Hemlington, Middlesbrough, said: "Only a couple of my schoolfriends have got jobs since we left last month, and I'll never forget my start. I love the job. It's brilliant."

Director Tony Finnigan said: "She is doing fine, and I am sure she will be a company asset.

"When we take on young staff, it is our job to help them succeed, and Nicola has had a rare baptism in meeting people."