That one conversation at a diner in Gary changed how I handle job interviews

I was eating breakfast at a diner in Gary last March and this older guy at the next table overheard me complaining about a job interview I bombed. He leaned over and said 'you're trying too hard to be who they want, just show up as yourself and let the cards fall.' It stuck with me because I realized I was spending all my prep time memorizing answers instead of being real. He was a retired plant manager, worked at US Steel for 38 years. Has anyone else had a random stranger give you career advice that actually worked better than all the books?

3 comments

3 Comments

thomas_martinez1mo ago

That Waffle House guy definitely earned his wisdom the hard way, but let's be real about something. Gary diners and Waffle Houses aren't exactly the retirement homes for all the old plant managers and truck drivers. Sometimes you get a grumpy guy who just wants to eat his eggs in peace and doesn't care about your career problems at all. I think the real trick is that the advice only sticks because you're sitting there feeling desperate and open to anything. If that same guy told you the same thing at a grocery store checkout it probably wouldn't have landed the same way. The location matters almost as much as the words.

daniel_lane302mo agoMost Upvoted

Oh geez, another life lesson from a stranger at a diner. I guess that's where all the retired wisdom goes to retire. Makes me wonder if I should start ordering breakfast at random places instead of reading "How to Win Friends and Influence People" for the fifth time. That plant manager probably gave better advice in thirty seconds than most career coaches do in a whole session.

eric7232mo ago

Ngl I had almost the exact same thing happen at a Waffle House in Kentucky back in 2018. This old truck driver told me more about managing people in like two minutes than my entire MBA program did. Sometimes the best advice really does come from a guy in a flannel shirt eating hash browns at 6am.