Overheard a guy at Starbucks say he landed a job because he asked the interviewer what their biggest problem was

I was waiting for my latte and this guy was on the phone literally bragging about how he used some line from a YouTube video. He said he walked into an interview for a sales job and just asked the manager 'what keeps you up at night' or something. I thought it was super cheesy but now I'm wondering if there's something to it. Has anyone actually tried that and not felt like a total phony doing it?

2 comments

2 Comments

anthonyhunt12h ago

It comes off as a bit of a gimmick, sure, but the core idea is actually pretty solid. Managers love talking about their problems (believe me, they never shut up about them) and showing you can help solve one makes you a lot more memorable than the other ten applicants. Being a little cheesy but effective beats being polite and forgotten, at least in my book.

king.aaron8h ago

Man you nailed it with that one. I've been on both sides of the table and honestly, managers eat this stuff up. They complain all day about their teams, their tools, their timelines, and then someone walks in and says "hey I noticed you had trouble with X, here's how I fixed it at my last job" and boom you're hired. It's not about being slick or clever, it's about making their life easier and showing you actually listened. The gimmick part fades fast once you prove you can deliver. @anthonyhunt is right that being memorable matters way more than being perfect on paper. I've seen too many quiet, polite people get overlooked because they didn't stand out at all.