Beyond the Interview
Like millions of others in the United States (and around the world) in the past year, I was laid off from my job. It was quite a shock after working for the same company for more than thirteen years. Still, I am not one to sit around doing nothing and whine. So, I quickly dusted myself off and picked myself up to start my job search. After five grueling months of combing career web sites, soliciting my professional and personal network, and submitting resumes, I, at long last, made it to a third round of interviews at company X.
For most people, job interviews are one of the most stressful events they ever have to go through. For me, I had an added stress – a lunch hour in the middle of the session. Yes, here I was interviewing with 10 people over the course of about 4 hours and my greatest concern was not the dreaded “what are you weaknesses” or “tell me about the time you had a conflict with someone and how you resolved it”. Nope. My brain was churning about what would happen at lunch.
It was beyond how I might make pleasant conversation with a total stranger while having food stuck between my teeth. No, I was mulling the possibilities of where the lunch might take place, how I would not look like a freak to my potential employer if I brought my own lunch wherever we were going, and how I would quickly and easily explain my allergies so I didn’t scare them out of continuing to consider me.
All kinds of scenarios played through my head the night before. I imagined having to go to a “cool Thai place”, with my new potential manager raving about the “awesome peanut sauce” they have on just about everything. I was certain that would be big black mark against me if I turned it down. People want someone on their team that they can have fun with outside of the regular workload; not someone that could drop dead at their favorite lunchtime hangout.
So, I went with my standard lunch in-hand – a pita with meat and cheese that I’d made in the hotel room that morning. Instead of having lunch with my potential manager and going to a restaurant, I was having lunch with two of my potential co-workers and we were going to the company café instead. I was getting a meal ticket to get whatever I wanted. Brilliant!
On the walk over, I enjoyed the casual conversation, wondering if I should, at some point, let them know about my allergies. I didn’t want to make a big deal about them, but I knew I’d have to explain at some point. I decided to wait until we were sitting together at the table, when my pita was there in front of me for all to see.
I navigated the café, looking for some good sides. I found chips, fruit, and a soda. Surely this wouldn’t seem too freakish. I noticed a great array of choices in general and, for a few brief moments, I actually contemplated asking for the manager to see if I could possibly order something. It all looked so good. I chickened out…deciding that I’d better not risk anaphylactic shock during my afternoon interviews.
I was the first to the agreed-to-table, so I sat down and started eating, figuring I’d be interviewed when the two sat down. When Bob* sat down with his tray, I immediately saw that look on his face. I’d seen it before. It was the “why didn’t she get more food?” look, after glancing at what was in front of me. I knew I’d have to explain the pita in the Ziploc baggie.
“I have some bad food allergies, “I said.
“Oh? Are you allergic to peanuts too?” he asked.
That’s when my jaw dropped open. Not only did the job, the company, and the team seem great, but someone had the same allergy as me? No one would think I was unusual, weird, or otherwise abnormal? This was uncharted territory. And it got better after I told him I was allergic to peanuts, as well as tree nuts:
“The café is great. They put allergens in red on the menus every day.”
Was that trumpets I was hearing playing? And angels singing?
That’s when I knew for sure this was the job for me.
And, luckily, I got it.
|