One Interesting Interview

Breast implants, a turkey dinner, and the largest dogs I’ve ever seen- three things you typically wouldn’t associate with an internship interview. During my senior year of college, I got to experience those three things during an interview for an internship position.

I arrived at the company’s location with my resume in hand and a hopeful attitude. I immediately realized that it wasn’t in fact a business building- it was the owner’s home (a very large and beautiful home, may I add). A man greeted me at the door as two of the largest dogs I’ve ever seen welcomed me with their barking and licking. As the man brought me inside, he sat me down at the kitchen table and went outside to get the woman who would be interviewing me. Apparently she either forgot I was coming or just didn’t care about first impressions because she was outside on the deck in her pajamas, talking on the phone with a client while smoking a cigarette. She rushed inside, apologized and went to change in the bathroom.

Before having our interview, I was told that the woman’s “live-in chef” would be preparing us a lunchtime meal. All of the company’s employees (about 6 or 7 in total) gathered around the table as we ate a meal that I can only compare to a Thanksgiving dinner. It consisted of a full roasted turkey, mashed potatoes and gravy, green beans, carrots and homemade raspberry tea to wash it all down. Was this really happening? I was being served a gourmet meal five minutes after meeting these people and before I even had the interview!

After the meal, I met with the owner and a few of the employees as they spoke about the company and asked me questions about myself. From the company’s website, I knew their clients were mainly plastic surgeons, but I didn’t expect their work to be this in-your-face. They showed me books that their clients had been featured in, including one about the correlation between football and fake breasts.  After the interview, I met with the social media coordinator, who showed me examples of the blogs, websites, and Facebook pages that she manages. I don’t think I’ve ever seen so many boobs in my life before- especially during my first meeting with someone. She showed me various before-and-after shots of their client’s work, all while adding in comments about her personal favorites (including “She’s got a great rack” and “I would kill for a nose like that”).

As the interview experience ended- with my belly fully and my eyes burning from seeing so many breast implants and face lifts- I was offered the internship position. I ended up taking another internship position at a marketing agency instead, but left this experience with a great story to tell.

This article was originally published in LA Family Magazine and can be read here. Check out the rest of the articles in my “Life after College” column here.