The Job Offer

Monday morning dawned with the promise of a day as equally beautiful as the day before, and Anne finished getting ready for her interview by running through all possible questions and her answers over a cup of coffee and a bagel. Then after stowing her suitcase and new clothing in the trunk of her rental car, she made her way up Interstate 405 to the Highway 520 exchange and headed east to Redmond. She didn’t bother playing with the radio station but, instead, listened to the NPR station someone had previously programmed in. Traffic was light due to missing the morning rush hour, and she made good time as she drove and listened to the morning news report. About two miles after merging onto Highway 520, she saw the exit for the frontage road that she would need to take and followed it until she reached the campus for Stanford Enterprises, a few blocks away.

  The Stanford Enterprises campus consisted of a large two story red brick building with two white concrete buildings located behind it that flanked it like raised wings. The sweeping campus was covered with mature maple and pine trees, several large grassy areas, a small parking lot in front of the red building, and a larger parking lot located in back between the two concrete buildings. A well maintained shrub and flower garden filled with azalea and potentilla bushes, blue lobelia, red impatiens, purple and white petunias, red astilbes, and several other annuals Anne couldn’t name followed the sidewalk that led to the front door of the red brick building from the smaller parking lot. She parked her rental in one of the Visitor Parking spots in the lot and looked at the dashboard clock before she locked her vehicle and followed the sidewalk to the main door. With fifteen minutes to spare, she entered Building One, the red brick building, and checked in at the reception desk. Then she excused herself and went to the women’s restroom to freshen up her hair and makeup and attempt to calm her racing heart.

  Thankfully, her reflection didn’t reveal any of her nervousness but, instead, showed a woman who was calm and collected. Her long curly dark brown hair that was put up in a neat French twist that morning, still held. This shouldn’t have surprised Anne because her hair was so covered in product that a hurricane would not be able to pull a strand loose, but it did. She said a quick "thank you" to the god of good hair days for keeping her hair looking neat. Her white silk shell showed a few wrinkles from the seat belt, so she buttoned up her blue suit jacket to hide them. Her light blue eyes were bright and alert and did not show any effects from the sleepless night she had experienced due to her nervousness over the interview and due to sleeping in a strange bed. At least she looked good, she thought, as she touched up her lipstick and powdered her nose.

  When she was finished she went back into the front lobby and was directed by the reception desk to the Human Resources department. After she walked into the department, she took a seat in a light blue colored contemporary accent chair and looked around as she waited. The lobby of the HR department, like the main reception area, was tastefully decorated with a mixture of blues and greens and white painted woodwork. The overall color scheme gave the room a sophisticated beach house look that helped to calm her nerves. A painting of racing sailboats hung behind the HR reception desk and complimented the decor. She liked that the room was not too formal.

  A few minutes later, a tall middle-aged African American woman with short silvery white hair came out to greet her. The woman was dressed professionally in a multicolored floral print blouse, black dress pants, and colorful earrings. Her short hair emphasized her striking looks, her good bone structure, her warm brown eyes, and her smile. "Dr. Conner. It is a pleasure to meet you, finally. I am Ms. Tomlinson, our Human Resources Director. Can I get you anything before we go to the conference room?" She shook Anne's hand while she spoke then began leading her down a wide, well lit hallway until they came to a conference room that also reflected the beach house theme.

  "No. Thank you, Ms. Tomlinson. I'm fine."

  "Good. I hope your flight was all right. I always hate to fly, myself." She ushered Anne inside to a chair at the table. Two men were already waiting inside and were seated at the oblong cherry wood table across from Anne. Each of them had a notebook and several papers on the table in front of them. After Anne's assurance that the flight went well, Anne was introduced to the men. Mr. Winfield was a tall distinguished looking man of about sixty who came across, to Anne, as someone who could be formal and standoffish until he had a chance to get to know you. Dr. Rudolph, in contrast, was a short balding man with a shaved haircut who wore black-framed glasses over his brown eyes. He appeared to be somewhere in his late forties, had a wiry build, and looked like he wanted to jump out of his seat and move around. Anne's first impression of him was that he was like a Jack Russell terrier that had boundless energy. His smile was warm and friendly. If she were to be hired, then he would be her boss.

  Anne made herself comfortable as Ms. Tomlinson sat down next to Dr. Rudolph then began answering their seemingly "small talk" questions. Anne knew from experience that the questions were merely "feeler" questions that were asked to see what her personality was like and how she would fit into the company culture. They spent a few minutes with those seemingly unimportant questions, and once that portion of the interview was completed, they proceeded to the portion of the interview where they asked specific questions about her work experiences, education, and ideas. The butterflies in Anne's stomach at the beginning of the interview left her as she began to talk about her work. They spoke for almost fifty-five minutes discussing Anne’s work experience. Anne was ready with her replies for each question. The verbal and nonverbal responses she received from the three of them were encouraging. Anne noticed small smiles, their bodies leaning in, a few slight head nods, and silent communications that took place between the interviewers.

  After their line of questioning was completed, Anne had the opportunity to ask them specific questions related to the job and the company, things she could not learn from the company website and business journals. This took several more minutes, and before she knew it, the interview was over. The hour and a half long interview had flown by. Anne’s good feeling about how it went increased when she saw that the three interviewers were all smiling sincerely as the meeting broke up. Then, after shaking the hands of the men, she was shown out of the room by Ms. Tomlinson for a quick tour of the facility.

  The position was for a biochemical research scientist working as part of the Marine Biochemical R & D department, and Anne and Ms. Tomlinson began their tour there. The department’s focus was on marine water cleanup solutions. It was the area of research right up Anne's alley, and Anne was very interested in touring the department. The R & D department was located in the front of Building Two, directly behind the main building, and was connected by a glass-enclosed walkway that allowed them to see the nice weather outside. As they walked to the department, Anne could also see that a courtyard was set up outside for people to take breaks and eat their lunches. Wrought iron tables and chairs were set up for the employees, and several people were already outside enjoying the sunny day as they ate their lunches. Flower boxes, filled with red geraniums and multicolored flowers, flanked the edges of the exposed concrete patio, and several Japanese maple trees dressed up the grassy areas.

  The R & D department looked much as Anne expected it to with several offices and a central lab area. Although Anne was only allowed a quick glance into the lab through the door, she could see that several scientists were still at work. One man was busy typing on a computer while two other people, a man and a woman, were busy working with beakers and Bunsen burners. Out by the office area, there was a small lunchroom with vending machines, a refrigerator, and a couple of microwave ovens. It was empty except for a woman who was at one of the microwaves heating her lunch. Anne could smell chicken being heated, and her stomach growled. On the far end of the office area was a conference room complete with a digital whiteboard and a table that could seat at least ten people.

  After the brief tour of the R & D department,
Ms. Tomlinson walked Anne back to the HR Department by way of another glassed in walkway that connected the two white buildings. As they walked through the third building, Anne was told that manufacturing took place behind the office areas of that building but that they would not be touring there because it was restricted. After they came back into Building One, they entered the HR Department after walking past the Sales and Marketing Department and the Customer Service Department. The Accounting Department, the Information Technology Department, and the Executive offices were located on the second floor, Anne was told.

  "If we decide to call you back for the final round of interviews, the final interviews will be held with Mr. Winfield, Dr. Rudolph, Benjamin Stanford, our CEO, and me. Final interviews will begin on the eighteenth. There are five applicants being interviewed this week," Ms. Tomlinson informed her as they walked back into the HR Department. "I understand that you will be staying with family in the Seattle area?"

  "Yes, I will," Anne said as she walked beside Ms. Tomlinson into the HR lobby.

  "Good. We have your cell phone number in your file. You will be called to return again to meet Mr. Stanford if we decide to call you back. Have a nice stay in Seattle, Dr. Conner. It was a pleasure meeting you." She shook Anne's hand warmly before leaving Anne to check herself out from the front reception desk.

  With the rest of the day free from interviews, Anne walked out to the rental car, took off her jacket, and steered her car north for the three-hour drive to Orcas Island. She stopped only once to grab a burger and fries from a fast food restaurant along the interstate.

  Chapter 3