My brother begged me to help his friend Jake land a job. I didn’t expect that doing so would jeopardize everything I’d been working toward—including the tuition for my daughter’s private school.
Jake looked perfect on paper. I coached him hard for the final interview, confident he’d succeed—and get me the referral bonus I desperately needed.
But in the room, something shifted.
Jake wouldn’t stop talking. He ignored every cue, dismissed each question, and spiraled into a self-absorbed monologue. After 15 excruciating minutes, my boss finally said what the rest of us couldn’t:
“Jake, you really have to shut up and listen.”
Just like that, Jake blew it.
The job was gone, and so was the bonus—until the next day, when my boss sent me a note: “You did your best. It’s not your fault.” The money came through anyway. I cried at my desk.
Months later, I hired someone who listened more than she talked. She thrived.
And Jake? He later thanked me. That interview had forced him to confront his own blind spots. He took a course, did mock interviews, and eventually landed a role at a startup.
He also asked me out.
I told him yes—on one condition.
“Only if you promise to listen.”
