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“Welcome, Sophie,” she says briskly, shaking my hand so firmly it makes my fingers ache. “I’m Gigi Gaudino. Thank you for being early. We have a lot of interviews to get through today. Right this way.”
“Thank you for having me,” I say, trotting a little in my pumps to keep up with her long strides. “I’m really thrilled to be here.”
I try to mask my dismay at her “a lot of interviews” comment with determination. This is a good position that’s been created, and I’m sure there are a ton of people vying for it. It’s natural that there would be more interviews after mine. I’m probably the first of the day.
Don’t get in your head, I remind myself. You can still get this job.
Gigi’s office is just as sophisticated as she is, and not a binder or paper is out of place. There aren’t any personal effects, I notice. No framed photos or kitsch that’s accumulated through the years. It seems like she is all business, and every fiber of my being is primed to try to impress her.
“Sophie, I believe in transparency,” she says just as soon as she’s settled in the black leather armchair next to mine, rather than behind her desk. “So I’m going to be up front with you. You don’t have the same level of experience as our other candidates.”
My heart lurches into my throat as I wait for what comes next. For Gigi to tell me that my invitation to interview is just a courtesy. How I’m not going to get this job.
I touch one of my mom’s diamond studs self-consciously, and a sudden calm settles over me.
I can do this. I’m a good marketer. No, I’m a great marketer. And right now, what I need to sell is myself.
“You know, Gigi, that’s so interesting—I was just having the same thought this morning, on my way over here,” I say, crossing my legs at the ankles and leaning forward. “This is an amazing company. I’m certain you have excellent candidates with decades of experience vying for this position, and you’re right, I don’t have those years at other companies like others do. What I have is different, and valuable in its own way.”
Taking a breath, I launch into my pitch. I tell her about my life, about going to school in San Francisco and losing my parents. About how I came back from that loss with a determination to live my life as purposefully as possible—including doing the kind of work I know I’m best at. I tell her about the work experience I’ve had, highlighting every way that I brought fresh and new ideas to the companies I’ve worked for.
I don’t highlight the fact that those jobs were all at companies much smaller than this one, or that it took me a while to recover from the blow of losing my parents and finally admitting that being with Brad was toxic for me after he cheated. I focus on my successes, not my failures, and I’m proud to realize that there are many successes buried in there, even if it’s felt like crawling up a mountain without any gear a lot of the time.
Gigi nods and takes notes on her tablet, tapping at it every so often. When I finish speaking, she asks me some questions, and I feel like I handle each one well. We veer into different, less expected topics after a while, and I almost manage to forget I’m in the most important interview of my life as we chat easily.
After a while, Gigi leans back, a small smile curving her lips. I glance at the clock on the desk and am stunned to see that it’s almost ten fifteen. The interview was only supposed to be fifteen to twenty minutes, and I’ve gone well over that. I don’t know if that’s a good thing or a bad thing.
“I told you at the beginning of this conversation that I’m all about transparency,” Gigi reminds me. “And so I’m coming from a place of honesty again when I tell you that, in spite of your lack of experience, I think you’re exactly what we’re looking for in this new role.”
Oh my god. I feel like my heart is about to sprout wings and flap its way out of my chest. It’s thumping thunderously, so loudly that I’m sure Gigi has to be able to hear it even as she describes to me how Dynasty needs new, young blood to help take the company in a new direction.
“I do have other candidates to interview,” she finishes, snapping me back to reality. “But, unofficially, you’re my pick. No one else on my list today is like you, and our marketing director and CEO agree that they don’t want someone who’s already stuck doing things other companies’ ways. They want someone fresh. Someone malleable.”
“I’m here to learn,” I promise quickly. “And to grow. Just like I hope to help Dynasty grow through my work.”
“That’s music to my ears, Sophie,” Gigi says, standing. I join her as fast as I can without toppling over. “Let’s walk and talk. I want to show you around, and answer any questions you might have.”
I’m so excited I can hardly stand it. As Gigi leads the way toward her office door, turning her back to me, I indulge in a tiny victory dance—more of a shimmy, really—before getting myself under control again.
“The building is fairly new, but we’re thinking of moving,” Gigi remarks as she shows me the chic clusters of offices and common spaces. “Or redecorating. We want to make sure our physical space matches with what we’re doing in terms of our product. Everything should flow.”
The break room is warmer than the rest of the space, filled with complimentary drinks and snacks in every variety. Gigi describes the corporate lunch package: perfectly balanced meals curated on a weekly basis by a different health-centric chef.
There’s even a gym, fittingly filled with sleek Dynasty products.
“Working out isn’t mandatory,” Gigi says with a small huff of a laugh, watching me eye the machines. “There is a perks program if you log time on these or any of Dynasty’s line of machines. It’s a culture of caring here. We want our team members to be healthy and happy.”
“What is your ideal first day for this new role?” I ask, still so dazzled that I’m afraid I’m not absorbing everything.
“When is your ideal start time?” Gigi counters.
“Immediately,” I breathe as we round the corner and head down a new hallway.
I’m so eager to see my dream fulfilled that it takes me a long minute to fully recognize the man striding toward us.
Tall. Dark. And dangerously handsome.
“Ah. Perfect timing.” Gigi stops, nodding her head sharply. “Mr. Wright, this is our leading candidate for the new position in marketing, Sophie Anderson. Sophie, this is the founder and CEO of Dynasty, Declan Wright.”
