Pulse (6 page)

“That’s correct. I’ve done most of my work in Behavior Analysis.”

“Interesting,” she raised her eyebrow at me from behind the thick frames of her glasses. “That’s kind of an odd combination. You don’t usually see the two paired together.”

“I can’t speak to how common it is. But I thought it only made sense.”

“How so?”

“Business is about understanding the market. It’s about making the right decisions. But rarely is it one or two people that make these decisions. You have to understand a person’s behavior to see how they’re thinking. Sometimes you can influence them. Sometimes you just need to understand them. It’s sort of a subjective way of looking at things.”

“Interesting,” she nodded her head, a slight smile on her face. “That’s really interesting, Alice. Everything else seems to be in order. Stellar GPA. Loads of extracurricular activities to show that you’re the people person you claim to be. Recommendations from some of your professors. I can’t argue with any of this. But you do understand that there are many people trying to work here, correct?”

“Yes. Yes, I’m aware.”

“Now tell me, Alice. What do you know about Barnett Industries?”

Barnett Industries. I didn’t have to think long to find an answer. It was one of the most prominent companies in the city. They did business on an international level. I had to compose myself because I was taken aback at the sudden question.

“Barnett Industries?” I asked. “I know that they do business with companies worldwide. They have a strong business in emerging technologies… They deal with finance, as well… I think they have their hands in everything from agriculture to medicine to—”

“Why do you want to work for Barnett Industries, Alice?”

“W-well, I…”

“You do realize that this is what you were applying for, right?”

“To be honest with you, Estelle, I didn’t. I knew that Barnett owns this entire building but I assumed it was just the parent company for something beneath… There are a lot of smaller offices…”

“I don’t think you’ve actually read your own resume, Alice. You have all of the credentials needed to be a market analyst for Barnett itself. We don’t put it directly in the application as a means to encourage everybody to come and apply. You
still
want this job, don’t you?”

“Yes. Yes, of course.”

“I’ll be honest with you, Alice.”

Estelle stood up from her desk and began pacing back and forth. I was more nervous than I’d ever been before. I felt like an idiot for not realizing what job exactly I was applying for. I didn’t think Barnett Industries would even bother replying to me, let alone give me an interview.

“We’re looking for some new blood,” she began. “The board of directors is becoming somewhat stagnant. Business has been successful as usual but we’re looking to expand. Everything can be improved upon. That’s why we’re looking at college graduates to see if we can change things. We’re trying to inject some new life into our business. The road to the future is going to be paved by young people, Alice. People like you. This is straight from Rafael Barnett himself.”

I listened attentively to everything Estelle was telling me. I wasn’t sure what point she was trying to make to me specifically. I was beginning to wonder if I had done enough to stand out from everybody else.

“The job is for a potential spot on the board of directors,” she said. “You’d start out as an intern. Paid, of course. You’d learn right underneath all of them and learn the ins and outs of how things worked. Once everybody felt you were ready, you would be there to help make the decisions. The decisions you know they have to make. This is no small task, Alice. You’ll be working with the board directly. You’ll even have Mr. Barnett’s ear. Are you ready for this, Alice?”

“Yes. Yes, I am.”

She looked at me skeptically. I suppose I couldn’t blame her. It was ridiculous to think that I was capable of working with Rafael Barnett and his board of directors straight out of college. I almost wanted to question their line of thinking for even bothering to interview fresh college graduates. I knew that this was what I wanted though. If I could start out on top, there was no point in wasting time at the bottom.

“Did you see all of the other candidates, Alice?”

“What?”

“Did you notice all of the other people waiting to be interviewed?”

“Yes, I did.”

“And what did you notice about them?”

“I… I don’t know,” I shook my head in confusion. “They all look like they’re college grad—”

“Most of them are men, Alice.”

When I thought longer about it, I realized she was right. I wasn’t exactly sure what she was getting at. Even if I did, Estelle was intent on making it clear to me what I was getting into.

“You’re dealing with a board of directors whose average age is 63,” she said. “They’re all stubborn old men. Mr. Barnett himself is young but he’s still a man. If you get this job, you’re jumping into a shark tank. The expectations of you aren’t just to do your job. You’re going to deal with old men who aren’t just going to judge you for your competence. They’re already going to be skeptical of you because you’re a woman. I know. It sounds silly, doesn’t it? It’s old-fashioned. And those men are indeed old. There’s going to be a lot of pressure on you. I need that to be perfectly clear to you. This is absolutely
not
something you should be taking lightly. I know what your answer will be, so I’m just going to give you some time to yourself.”

I nodded to her and she took a seat back at her desk. I wasn’t sure what else to say. All of the pressure I was feeling from the interview seemed to be magnified. I knew that they were expecting the most out of me but I didn’t think it would be in this manner. As I thought about everything Estelle just said to me, I suddenly realized that I wanted this opportunity even more. She was right. There
was
nothing she could say to me to make me refuse. But now my eyes were open and my desire to work even harder for this chance was greater.

“Estelle, can I ask you something?”

“Of course.”

“I know that you’re skeptical. I know that a lot of people are. But why even bother? Why would you even waste the time to interview me if you don’t think I can do this?”

“Mr. Barnett himself said—”

“Yes, I remember. He’s looking to change things. I can’t predict the future. I can’t tell you that things are going to get better because of me. I can’t tell you that I know anything and everything this company needs to do to see what’s beyond the horizon waiting for it. I’m not going to lie to you and give you nothing but empty rhetoric. But Mr. Barnett said that things need to change here. All I’m asking for is a chance. Give me an opportunity for this paid internship and I’ll do everything in my power to show you that I was a good hire. I’ve worked too hard for this… I’ve… I’ve worked my entire life for this… All I want is a chance to prove myself.”

When I stopped speaking, I noticed that I was leaning forward in my chair. I sank back into my seat and sighed, suddenly needing to catch my breath. Estelle stared back at me and I had trouble looking her in the eye. But I held my ground to let her know that I was serious about every single word I said to her. I saw a smile slowly beginning to form on her face. She looked down at the papers in front of her then scratched several notes upon it with her pen.

“All right, Alice,” she said. “That’s all I need from you for now. We’ll contact you as soon as tomorrow to let you know whether or not we’re interested. I should remind you that there are only a few positions available and that you shouldn’t get your hopes up. Do you have any questions, Alice?”

“…No,” I shook my head.

“Then thank you very much for your time, Alice.”

She smiled at me then directed me out of her office. I walked through the doorway and when I stepped back onto the main floor, I saw several more candidates waiting for the chance to be interviewed. I finally noticed how many men there were. There was a single woman sitting there among dozens of men. I wasn’t sure if anything I said was enough to get me this job. But I did know that I had spoken to Estelle from the heart and told her nothing but the truth. A follow-up couldn’t come soon enough.

Chapter 7

There was nothing on my mind except doing everything I could to land that job. There were several other opportunities on the table. I had interviews scheduled over the next few days. But I knew that it would be a huge loss if I didn’t get this opportunity. There was nothing else I could say about Barnett Industries. This was a job unlike anything else. I didn’t want to imagine what it would be like if I didn’t get the job.

I sat around in my apartment unable to get my mind off of the interview. There were still several other companies I had to send my resume out to but I couldn’t work up the strength to bother with it. My mind was made up. This was where I was going to start my career.

As I sat there on my couch, my phone rang. I looked at the number but didn’t recognize it.

“Hello?”

“Alice Pratt?”

“Yes? Who is this?”

“Hi, Alice. This is Estelle. I just spoke to you in the office.”

“Of course. Is something wrong?”

“No, nothing is wrong. The complete opposite actually. I know that I said we would contact you tomorrow but is there any chance you could come in today? I know it’s an inconvenience to call you back so soon but—”

“No! No, it’s no trouble at all. I can be there in just a few minutes.”

“Great. Just stop by my office. There are a few more questions that we need to ask you.”

“I’ll be there as soon as I can.”

I couldn’t believe this was happening. I tried my best not to get ahead of myself but couldn’t. I was too excited. As I headed back to the building, this positive feeling of anticipation washed over me. It was like my prayers were being answered.

I couldn’t get back into Estelle’s office fast enough. It had been a few hours but there were still several candidates lined-up and waiting outside. I walked up to the receptionist.

“Hi. I’m Alice Pratt. Estelle wanted to speak to me about something—”

“Just let yourself in,” she said plainly to me. “She’s been waiting for you.”

“Right.”

I nodded to her then anxiously made my way back into the office. I didn’t know what this was about but I was excited about getting an answer so quickly. The door to Estelle’s office was open and when I stepped inside, she was sitting at her desk going over some papers that looked similar to the ones she was examining earlier.

“Alice!” she looked up at me. “I’m so glad you could come back so soon. I’m sorry about such short notice.”

“No,” I shook my head. “It’s not a problem. It’s not a problem at all.”

“Yeah, I didn’t think it would be.”

“What is it you wanted to speak to me about?”

“It wasn’t me actually. It’s someone else. All of our interviews are being sent to the board. They’re all reading them and going over them. They all have the final say. Someone upstairs took particular interest in your interview.”

“My interview? What was it? What did I say? Did I make a mistake—”

“Alice, I don’t know what they’re thinking. Either way, something you said must have caught their eye. You can ask them for yourself. Follow me.”

Estelle stood up from her seat and I followed her out of her office and back into the elevator. She pressed the button for the 90th floor. As the elevator began to ascend, I felt nervous standing just behind her. I wasn’t sure what to think. I tried to prepare myself and have the right answers ready for whatever questions they might have of me but I was growing more and more nervous as the elevator gained speed.

The doors opened and I followed Estelle onto the floor. The room was more spacious than I imagined. I looked to the side and out through the large window walls. I felt like I was high above the city. On the 90th floor, I practically was. Across from us, there was a lone reception desk where a petite blonde woman sat. She was wearing a headset and seemed occupied with several different things at once.

“Hello, Tina,” Estelle said to her. “This is Alice Pratt. Someone from the board read her interview and wanted to speak to her.”

The blond receptionist looked like she wasn’t paying attention. She scanned one of her computer monitors then finally turned back to Estelle.

“Alice Pratt? Are you sure one of the board members wanted to speak to her?”

“Yes,” Estelle assured her. “I received the message just an hour ago.”

“Let me see… Oh, there it is. It’s not one of the board members. It’s Mr. Barnett himself.”

“Oh. All right. Is he ready to see her now?”

“One moment,” Tina said as she pressed down on her earpiece. “Mr. Barnett, Alice Pratt is here to see you… Right away, sir. Mr. Barnett will see you now.”

Tina smiled at me and directed me toward the door next to her. Estelle held her hand out and made way for me.

“Wait,” I said to Estelle. “You’re not going in with me?”

“I’ve asked all the questions I needed to,” she said. “Mr. Barnett has the absolute final say over everything. I don’t think there’s any need for me to be there.”

“Oh… Of course…”

Estelle smiled politely at me then made her way back to the elevator. I stood there anxiously, hesitating to walk into the next room. Tina was too busy to notice how reluctant I was. I had worked so hard for this moment and all of a sudden I found myself unable to move forward.

Just relax, Alice. You’ve earned this. Just go in there and be you.

An interview was one thing. Hell, even one of the board members would be more than enough to give me a panic attack. But knowing that it was Rafael Barnett himself waiting for me behind that door was enough to make me almost forget everything I was doing.

I opened the door and stepped inside of the spacious office. The large window walls were glistening. The view was perfect. I could see nothing but blue skies and the tops of the other buildings. Even the other skyscrapers seemed tiny from all the way up here. Across the room, there was a lone desk. The chair was turned away from me so I couldn’t even tell if there was someone sitting in it.