Five days ago, I got rejected for a software engineering internship at a biotech startup in New York.
Thinking back on the interviews itself, I could’ve sworn I’d passed them. The technicals were a breeze, I felt my conversations during the interviews went quite well, and after my second interview, I even ran downstairs and danced around my mother in excitement (who immediately mirrored my enthusiasm despite not knowing what was going on. Love you mom).
As you can imagine, the rejection was quite crushing.
But as soon as I received the email, I thought back on the posting for the position. I didn’t find it on some job-board next to a 2 paragraph description filled with buzzwords and a laundry list of technical requirements. Instead, the CEO of the company made a small tweet on his account claiming he was looking for ” a dog” to work over the summer. I suspected the lack of formality in the posting might mean I could get away with pushing back a little. So I immediately typed back a response to my recruiters thanking them for the polite rejection and CC’ed the CEO proposing that I work for them unpaid instead.
To my surprise, I got a very brief “ok your hired. you start next wednesday” from the CEO. What. a. rush.
To add fuel to the fire, he was willing to actually pay me. Wow.
This taught me a few things.
First and foremost, as the title of this post might have suggested, ask and you shall receive. I’d bet I was one of the only people (more likely than not, the only person) that asked for the position even after getting the rejection email. I suspect it was my refusal to take no for an answer that the CEO liked. Startups are, after all, a finicky business, and any successful startup founder has more than likely met their fair share of naysayers in their life. If I’d never asked, I would never have gotten this job.
Second, know your audience. I’ll admit, I tailored my response in a way that I thought a startup founder might resonate with. Matter of fact, I even added a line in there that said “So, here’s the pitch.” I imagine that must have had some part in me getting the position, and I’m glad I took it into account.
In my life, I’ve learned that lessons stick a lot harder when you’re the person living them. I’ve come across this idea of “don’t be afraid to ask” more times than I have dollars, but I don’t think I’ve ever truly appreciated it until today. I’m glad I learned this lesson. Onwards.
Leetcode solved: 423
Shredded: Not yet!
Startup: Turns out there’s two companies who’ve already built this idea of omni-directional interactive VR treadmills. Will have to do more digging.
Choong 