Job interviews are such an interesting game – almost like a blind date. If you’re paying close attention, you can learn a lot about what the relationship could be like.

When I was interviewing for my first “real job” after college, I flew to the San Francisco Bay area and stayed with a friend’s parents in Berkeley while I went to several job interviews in a week. I interviewed with Lonely Planet, whose offices in Jack London Square were suitably cozy and professional. They asked if I would ever be interested in spending time abroad to work on a travel guide. Having just returned from a 3-week backpacking trip through Japan, I was ready to stay in one place for a while and as I honestly replied, “No, not really,” I could immediately see that it was the wrong response. There goes my future in the travel industry.

The next day, I took BART into San Francisco and walked six blocks from Market Street through a questionable neighborhood to a small office above a copy place. I told the girl at the front desk that I was there for an interview and she had me sit in a fishbowl-like conference room that was uncomfortably warm, especially in my interview suit. A few minutes later, another girl came in to greet me. She was wearing torn up jeans and a faded camo t-shirt that looked like it had been washed about a thousand times. She mumbled something about her outfit and then told me she was on her period and crampy – thus the not caring about her appearance.

Little did I know that this was the beginning of an enduring friendship. Rannie and I worked and played together for almost 2 years as I started my adult life in San Francisco, and she has been a reference for me on every job I’ve had since, as I’ve bounced around the country. With her unwavering honesty and directness, she often made me laugh, but she also challenged me to become a better version of myself. And over the years, we both encouraged each other to improve our fashion choices.

Yesterday, Rannie died after fighting the good fight against a rare form of cancer. She was only 33. And as I struggle to find a way to let go without losing her, I can’t help wondering if there’s a way to incorporate camouflage into a professional look that would be apropos for an interview situation. Sounds like a Project Runway challenge!