CHAPTER 1 -- the info session
I just sat there. I wasn't sure I actually heard what I thought I heard. So I listened to the voicemail again.
'Hi Megan. My name is Steve Polson. I would like to talk to you about an internship opportunity we have at our company. You come highly recommended so I am very excited to discuss it with you and see if you are interested. We are finishing up with a few other candidates and we hope to make a decision in the next few days, so please call me back so we can get your interview on the calendar as soon as possible.'
This seemed too good to be true. I listened to the voicemail again. He addressed me by name so it was not a wrong number. He said that someone recommended me so he knows something about me. My mind was racing. Who could have recommended me? What did they tell him?
This could not have come at a better time. I'm 3 weeks removed from my high school graduation and I am in major panic mode for figuring out the next steps in my life. Being an adult sucks. Not getting any scholarships is going to make paying for college a bit rough. I wonder if this internship is a paid one. Several thoughts powered their way through my head like a conveyor belt.
'I guess there is no harm in talking to him right?' I thought to myself as I dialed the number.
Three rings in he answered, "Hi Megan. I am so glad you called me back. So you're interested then?"
"I am interested in learning more yes."
"Do you think you could come in tomorrow morning at 9 am?"
"I can. Can you tell me what company this is, what you do, where you are located, what I would be doing in the internship, who recommended me? I do not know any information aside from what was in your voicemail."
"All in good time Megan. I think it is better explained in person. Let me text you the address... and Megan... dress to impress."
"Ok. See you in the morning."
I looked up the address that Steve texted to me. It came back with a company named Tri-Star Biotechnology. Their website was simple and the only information I could find was generically what biotechnology was. I was not sure how to prepare for the interview with such limited information.
I studied what I could. I prepared for all of the usual interview questions like 'tell me about yourself' or 'tell me a time when you faced adversity'. I decided a good nights sleep might help a lot.
The next morning I decided to go for a run to clear my head followed by a protein shake and a shower. Finally I find myself standing in front of my closet trying to decipher what 'dress to impress' might look like.
I finally choose a dark blue dress that is in between date night and corporate America and head out the door. I arrive 15 minutes early and tell the receptionist at the front desk why I am there. She picks up her desk phone and announces my arrival.
A few minutes later a handsome well-kept man in a suit enters the lobby and heads my direction. He is slightly taller than I am, clean-shaven with a head full of flowing brown hair. We exchange smiles and handshakes and he leads me to the elevator on the other side of the lobby.
When we exit onto the 4th floor, Steve leads me through a series of hallways where there is a large room full of people behind every door we pass. Finally we get to a conference room in the back corner of the floor. As I enter, I notice it has windows on all sides and has a nice view over a large park across the street. He offers a chair across from him.
"Would you like anything to drink?" he asks me.
I nod my head no and he sits down and opens a leather-bound folder and pulls out a pen.
He continues, "I am really happy you have come in today. You were highly recommended."
"By whom if I may ask."
"Dr Wilson, your old English Lit teacher. His brother is a research director here. And through a conversation a few days ago the dots connected and you were recommended."
"No kidding."
"Truth. I am interviewing you today based on that recommendation. Transparently, Dr Wilson told us that you are incredibly smart and capable. And that maybe you were bored in high school and that is why you did not quite perform up to your potential. Is that an accurate representation of you Megan?"
"I think that could be a true representation. I will say whenever I did give a class or an assignment my best I always excelled at it. But I did not do that every time."
"And what do you think would motivate you to give your best every time?"
I had prepared for a similar question. I organized my thoughts before responding. "I either need to see value in the assignment itself or value in the benefit I may get by doing it."
"And did you not see value in finishing high in your class and the potential scholarships that could result from doing so?"
"I do now in hindsight. But most of my time up to this point I have not had the best foresight or the best organizational skills. As they say, knowing now what I know now I would do it differently."
I could see him writing notes in his pad of paper. It made me a little bit nervous wondering if I am answering the questions the way he would want me to. He continues, "So, I have a few administrative questions."
I nodded.
"You are 18 years old right?"
I responded affirmatively.
"Do you still live at home or have you moved out?"
I replied, "I still live at home until I can get the next phase of my life going."
"Do you have a boyfriend?"
"Not anymore. We broke up anticipating that we would be going to different colleges."
"Okay. Good. We can move on then. So if you do not get this internship, what are you going to do next? Sounds like you intend to go to college?"
"I am planning to go to college. I am not 100% sure how I am going to pay for it yet. By chance is this a paid internship?"
"I'll tell you about the internship shortly. I have a few more foundational questions first."
I nodded my head trying not to show my impatience.
"Can your family pay for your college?"
"No. My dad was in a car accident a few months ago and has been out of work since. My mom works but it is just enough to help them pay their bills. They won't even be able to help me pay for living expenses."
"I am sorry to hear that. If you are chosen for this internship and you make it through the year you will more than be able to pay for college and living expenses."
"So this is a year long paid internship then?"
"You're getting ahead of yourself again Megan. Patience young lady."
I tried not show my annoyance with a man not that much older than I am calling me young lady. I forced myself to take a deep breath and move forward.
He continued to ask me more foundational questions, as he called them. It seemed that he was evaluating how I assessed certain situations or how I reacted to stress or how comfortable I was in different situations with different people. I must have answered them well enough because he finally moved toward the internship itself.
"Let me tell you about the interview process itself and then I will tell you about the internship. I will finish walking through the details of what is expected of you and what you get for your commitment. Next you will meet with Nicole, who is the last person to do this internship. After talking to the both of us and getting a full picture of the role, you will have to make a choice. If you decide that this is not a good fit for you, then you let us know and there will be an envelope at the front desk paying you for your trouble today. No harm no foul. Or you can choose to formally start the interview process. You would do a session with myself and Nicole, and then a few people from our leadership team will want to see you one after the other. It is a little bit of a grueling evaluation process. But this is a very important role and we want to make sure to get the right person."
It sounded like an intense interview process. When I left this morning I did not think I was going to be here all day.
He asks, "Are you ready to hear about this internship?"
I nod my head in agreement. Finally I think. He puts the pen down, takes a deep breath and begins. "Let me start with the benefits. This company pays well for what you do and the more you do the more you get paid. For example, you will be paid for this interview today. The farther along you make it through the day, the more you will get paid. That is how this internship is set up. The more you do the more you can make. The more of yourself you put into this role the more you will be rewarded."
He takes a drink of water and then continues, "If you make it through the year there is a large bonus that will be paid to you at the end. It is an incentive for you not to quit, no matter how tough it gets."
I started to get worried. Why would anyone want to quit an internship, especially one that pays so well I wondered?
"You start with a probationary period of 60 days. The pay is not that excellent for those 60 days, but it grows each week by 5% thereafter. You are paid weekly. There are monthly bonuses based on performance. Additional money goes into an escrow account which is available upon completion of the year."
My mind was racing. This sounded really good so far.
"Additional compensation includes an allowance for a new wardrobe, access to a personal trainer, access to a chef, all of your living expenses and travel expenses are paid for the duration of your internship. You will want for nothing and get way more than you need. How does that sound?"
I could not contain my smile. I responded excitedly, "That sounds amazing. There has to be a catch. Why is this internship so lucrative?"
"Because it is really hard. That's why. To directly answer your question, there are 2 catches. One, the job is a full commitment. We require that you delay your entry to college for one year and that you move into this facility. We have an apartment on the 5