The Job Offer - By Eleanor Webb Page 0,1

a perfect time, giving her a little over two weeks to prepare. She intended to "wow" the interviewers, to quote her friend Carla, with her knowledge of marine biochemical and oceanographic research, experience in lab and field studies, and personality. Anne really wanted this job. She wanted something permanent to replace the uncertainty of the consulting jobs and the adjunct work she was doing since she became unemployed when her old company closed its doors over a year ago. She also wanted the job because it would take her back to Washington State working for a company that had built a solid reputation in biochemical research over the last thirty years and in her area of specialty in the past ten years. As much as she liked the Boston area, she was ready to go home.

Carla talked to her about coming back to Seattle to interview for the position with Stanford Enterprises. Carla's brother-in-law worked for the company as head of their Information Technology department, and he put in a good recommendation for Anne for the open research scientist position in their Marine Biochemical Research department. It was over four months ago when Anne first submitted her résumé to the hiring manager of the Human Resources department. Just as she did with so many other companies she sent resumes to over the past year, she gave up hope of a call for an interview when the months went by without a response. But then out of the blue, she was called for the first Skype interview two weeks ago.

Thinking of Carla, Anne looked at her kitchen clock and noted the time. It was a little after six in Boston, and Carla lived in Seattle. With the time difference, she would not be able to call Carla with the news that she would be coming out for an interview for at least another three hours. She could text her, though. Taking her bottle of water and the salad that she ordered from the deli down the block from the table, Anne went into the living room of her Cambridge apartment to eat and watch the evening news. She saw her smart phone sitting on the coffee table next to her purse, picked it up, and sent Carla a text message to let her know that she would be calling her later in the evening.

* * * * *

"Oh, that's great, Anne," Carla said excitedly from her end of the phone when Anne told her later about making it to the third round of interviews. "I'll be crossing my fingers for you."

"I'll be crossing my fingers, too. I imagine there are a number of applicants they will still need to interview at this stage of the process. I've been doing my homework on the company, Carla, and I intend to get this job. I've liked what I learned so far about the company. It was started thirty-five years ago by Benjamin Stanford, Jr. to research and manufacture environmentally friendly cleaning agents to be used in the manufacturing process. Then, when he died, his widow ran it for a number of years before their son, Benjamin Stanford III, took over twelve years ago. Since then, the son added the researching of biochemical solutions for sea and fresh water cleanups. With my background in oceanography and biochemistry, and with my experience in researching solutions to reduce the effects of chlorine on sea water, I think that I would be a good fit. I really want this, Carla. I want it so much I can taste it."

"Yah, you deserve it. You've worked hard enough over the past seven years at distinguishing yourself. You work on saving the planet, girl, and I'll work on feeding it," Carla laughed at her regular joke. How the two of them became friends and stayed that way since elementary school was a mystery, at times, to Anne. They had such different personalities. Anne was always the analytical scientist who approached things logically, and Carla was the free spirit who loved to cook. Carla's love of cooking eventually led her to her current career as one of the up and coming in-demand caterers in the Seattle area. Anne thought for the hundredth time that Carla was a lot like Anne's mother and that was why they got along as well as they did.

"Are you going to see your mom and Jim while you are here?" Carla asked as if she had been reading Anne's mind.

"I planned on calling her to let