Most of you know my fine culinary habits take me to Taco Bell on a frequent basis. Having vegetarian kids and grandkids makes it a common landing place with something for everyone. (Joanne would debate that.)
A couple weeks ago I witnessed a job hiring experience that blew my mind. I was sitting there quietly eating my 
7-layer (black bean substitution) and saw a young guy (Jeff) walk in with a job application form in his hand. Upon being alerted, the manager came out and sat down with this guy. I was sitting close enough to observe and hear the entire conversation – which lasted approximately 4 minutes. When the manager walked back to her office I asked the guy – “Did that actually just happen?” He said he had stopped by the day before, picked up an application without talking to the manager and did in fact just come in for his first interview. He said he had moved to this area two days before and needed something so he could stay here. The manager asked if he could start tomorrow.
After Jeff left I asked to speak to the manager. And I asked her why she hired this guy so quickly. He had a ring in his lip, short pants showing tattoos on his legs and nothing special in his work history. She did not do a background check or a credit history. She replied that he was straightforward in his responses, looked her straight in the eye when he talked and did have a couple previous fast-food jobs. She added that she needed people desperately and would like to add 3 more people immediately. I asked about the pay level – and she said that while $7.25 is the minumum wage here, she offers her starting employees $8.00/hr.
I’ve now seen Jeff 3 or 4 times. Each time he greets me cordially and I ask him about his job. He cleaned up really well – no more lip ring (which the manager did ask him to not wear) and the long pants hide the racy tattoos. I thought about telling him that if he had cleaned up his presentation first, and with his good personal skills, he probably could have gotten a $15/hr job. But he seems happy and I want Taco Bell to stay fully staffed.
The morals of the story are:
- Companies are desperately looking for good people. Granted, this is not a $100,000/yr position but it’s certainly better than nothing.
- Taking action stills gets results. Up to the $30-40,000 level positions, walking in the door is still a great job search strategy. With a pleasing personality, people are being offered jobs on the spot.
- Sitting at home complaining about the economy or what the White House is doing is not a job search strategy. Use the Jeff approach, think outside the bun and start work tomorrow.
It’s amazing what happens with a little honesty and a lot of confidence.
THAT is awesome. Hustle wins, every time. Maybe not at each particular place, but it always wins in the end.
I think we’ve all found that the fast food world is full of overqualified people who just don’t know they are…and a lot of people of are underqualified (or just choose to act that way) and think they are too good for the position.
Matt,
Oh so true – “overqualified people who just don’t know they are” I like that. Thanks for your comments.
Nice! You got to jump on these jobs (if that’s what you need at the moment) as soon as they come up.
Ricardo – yep, taking action makes a big difference.
Good to see hustle works and people are willing to do what it takes. I hope that a year from now he has moved up and is not one of those that wants $15/hour do the same thing he’s doing now.
Loved that “he was straightforward in his responses, looked her straight in the eye when he talked”. Many people don’t have these skills.
Dan, thanks for sharing this story. What a great reminder of the power of just being confident and doing something instead of complaining!
Great story. One comment that stood out was “looked her straight in the eye when he talked”. I’ve conducted many hiring interviews for $100K + jobs, and have seen so many applicants who don’t look you straight in the eye. I see it more often these days. I wonder if it is the lack of social interaction at different levels due to social media or lack of confidence. I believe most interviewers assume the latter. Looking one straight in the eye is key area to cover when coaching an applicant. It makes a significant difference.
That’s how I’ve gotten most of my jobs. I always wondered why my “interviews” were so short and I was never asked a lot of questions.
Sam – that’s pretty interesting. Knowing people respond well to that could open the door to better and better jobs for you.
Sadly this is a bit racist, as well as unfair to much of the population. In some cultures such as hispanic, direct eye contact is too much, and seen as impolite. Worse, introverts are wired to think differently, and the brain difference seems to cause a looking away in order to really listen well. It is actually beneficial for some people to look away. In other words, yes, people get jobs that way, but it is sad that ignorance of legitimate differences exists in those doing hirings.
You are an idiot with a victim mentality.
Whether the behavior is based on one’s culture or basic personality type, one must make a few concessions in order to make the connection. Perhaps we can all be more sensitive to body language, and mirror the interviewer’s body language. If they seem to be more introverted, respect that and try not to stare them down. But if your interviewer is more typical, look them in the eye, even if it makes you a bit uncomfortable. Hopefully neither of you will be uncomfortable, but you’re more likely to get hired if you don’t make the interviewer uncomfortable!
Dan I loved how you went to talk to the manager about the interview. Had you not taken action, this post could not have been written. Thanks for showing us once again that simply taking action can make all the difference.
Jenny, I continue to see this young guy frequently. Both the manager and he seem to be happy with the arrangement.
Dan, I loved this story. Thank you so much for sharing it with us. I’m considering sharing it with my students. I teach 9th grade English.
Douglas – I’m still amazed at how quickly and easily this guy got a real job. Not high level but at least he’s in the game. I see him frequently and I’m tracking his progress. One of these days I’ll introduce him to the principles of how easy it is to move up in the workplace.