I was contacted by two headhunters in 2006. One was for an IR gig in Philadelphia, the other was for something in NY. I didn't really jump on either.
Then 2007 came around, and the company whose name we dare not speak called me out of the clear blue sky. One thing led to another, and there I was flying out to California for a day of interviews...
California:
It could not have been a more gorgeous day -- 70s, sunny and clear, as if we had blown through spring and were verging into summer any moment.
The building I was told to go to is so new it isn't on any of the "campus" maps. The circular reference of using GoogleMaps to get there felt like a old joke that you can keep retelling, but I'll spare you.
Everyone seemed very concerned about making sure that my every need was fulfilled; "are you SURE you don't need something to drink, something to eat, need to use the restroom" at every turn. It practically put my friend Catherine's Italian grandmother to shame.
As we were walking toward the "microkitchen" during one of my many breaks ("they are every 150 feet"), I asked the recruiter about the dog policy. I had seen a Cavalier King Charles Spaniel(Blenheim, of course) getting walked early on in my interview rounds, and could barely contain my excitement at the possibility of bringing Arthur to work.
"Well, there are so many dogs, that you can't bring it every day - you have to work it out with everyone." Just another issue I would have to negotiate with the world to get anything done.
Of course I wore a suit, I saw no other choice. Jeans were ubiquitous on the 20-somethings running around, but everyone I met with was in "casual business-casual". It was as if that other San Franciso-based company that starts with "G" (whose cult-like atmosphere I experienced during summer internship interviews in 1999) was the standard-issue uniform. Maybe there were secret doors leading from the microkitchens into microclosets where all of your wardrobe needs were met, too.
The interviews happened in 30-45 minute spurts, and included a roleplay, a chat, a case interview, and another chat. True to form, I was nervous at the start but warmed up fairly quickly. The last was the most conversational and relaxed. After a quick stop at the IN-N-Out burger, I head back to the airport for a mind-numbing wait until the redeye back to NY.
The interim:
I receive a call from the recruiter. They're looking for some more information and want to understand my test scores and if I've received any promotions, they can't really tell from my resume. On the test score front, they ask "why are they below average?" For what average, I'm not sure. "Were you working full-time when you took them so you didn't have time to study etc.?" I have never felt so old and generationally challenged, at (almost) 39. I tell her the kind of activities that I was involved in during high school and that I graduated 3rd in my class. I talk about how I didn't study for the GMAT, just took it to see how I would do and it was good enough to get me into an Ivy league business school, so I didn't retake it. And I spend the rest of the afternoon writing up a description of each job and the details of every promotion I've ever gotten (6 of them). She responds with one word:"thanks." I subsequently find out through my friendly Admissions Officer at Middlebury College that the SAT was "recentered" up in 1994 to raise the average score to 500 (it had been in the 400s) and then the scale changed to 1600 to 2400 in 2005. But who really cares? They do.
New York:
There is a Starbucks in the bottom floor of the building, and first I think "wow" and then I remember the microkitchens with their high-end espresso machines and wonder if anyone but me would bother to pay for their afternoon coffee-drink obsession. The office is a stark white loft, vintage "Silicon Alley" style. The recruiter is super-nice and leads me through the labyrinth of halls splashed with color signs for printers named for NYC subway stops (e.g. Jay Street). It strikes me that one of the differences for this company is that no project seems too small or unimportant - if that's how you're going to contribute, then make your signs proudly and make them good!
The two interviews will happen by videoconference. For the first one, we have to figure out how to zoom me in, as I am a tiny little speck in the conference room. Mission accomplished, but that was probably the most successful part of the thing. It wasn't bad, it just wasn't great. And at this stage, it sort of needs to be great. He kept asking things about my current job, it seemed like a digression but of course I struggled to find ways to make what I currently do relevant to the opportunity at hand. Hold that thought. And I also struggled to figure out where i should look, and kept trying to make sure I was 1)smiling and 2)looking in the right direction. The "VC" interview is tough to get down the first time! The second one was different; it started out a little awkward but somehow it was really easy to chat my way through it. It didn't hurt that the room on the other side was empty at first, so I could figure out how to position myself without being looked at. It is sort of the ultimate narcissistic experience - you are looking at yourself in a camera on a screen while trying to talk to someone else. Weirdness. She mentioned Middlebury and the fact that her sister left after freshman year - which was a great opening for me to talk about how unreasonable a place it was and how I was amazed that I survived it and was more amazed to see how different it was now. We wrapped up in 30 minutes and I was done - out into the snowy April New York moment.
Fast forward almost two weeks - and I finally get the call. The answer is no. I'm not that surprised, but I'm still shocked. After all, in my estimation, out of the 9 people I interviewed with in the group, I was able to connect with 50% of the men (not including the VP of the VC interview, oops) and 80% of the women. That plus my "substandard" scores and it's not hard to predict the outcome. But hey, you don't always know if you read it right. Apparently, that is one area where my talent is unquestionable. The rest is, well, up for debate.
