Job Hunt Advice
JOB HUNT ADVICE – May 22, 2026 – Boise, Idaho, USA
When he returned home from college for a week, Nathan Mangrove’s family treated him like he was already a self-made billionaire. Nathan had always been something of a golden boy, and not only to his family. In high school, he was voted “most promising”. A local magazine called him “one to watch”. He was now a business student with a million ideas for making his mark in the world. The visit with his family was brief because he was scheduled to begin a summer internship in Seattle with a company Nathan claimed was the next Amazon.
One of Nathan’s biggest admirers was his fourteen-year-old brother, Isaac. They were sufficiently separated in age that they never felt like rivals for their parents’ attention. Isaac looked up to his brother as if he was a superhero and Nathan never took the admiration for granted. When Nathan was in high school and Isaac in elementary, the older brother would drive Isaac around and buy him ice cream with money earned washing neighborhood windows. Now that Nathan was college-educated and bound for business success, Isaac hung on Nathan’s every word when he described his job interviews and growing network of business contacts.
“The thing about interviews is that you’re interviewing a company as much as they’re interviewing you,” Nathan said confidentlyl as he and Issac sat in a booth at Dairy Queen. Isaac nodded appreciatively between licks of the ice cream cone Nathan bought for him.
“You need to rank companies just like they’re ranking you,” Nathan continued. “That’s how I chose my internship. I had offers from four different places.”
“You did? How’d you get so many?” Isaac asked as the Nerds-flavored ice cream turned his lips and braces unnaturally purple.
“You gotta do a lot of interviewing. But the more you do, the better you get.” Nathan leaned toward his brother and whispered secretly, “You figure out that everyone asks the same questions. You can be ready for them, but you can’t act like you know they’re coming.”
Isaac lowered his voice and whispered back, “What are the questions?”
Nathan looked around to make sure they were not overheard. “Well, there’s three of them. For the first one, they ask what your greatest weakness is. You gotta be ready with something that sounds kinda bad but it’s actually mostly good.”
“Like what?”
“Like saying, ‘I take my work home with me and obsess about it too much.’ Obsessing might sound like a bad thing, but companies are happy if you do work at home. It’s like they’re getting work out of you that they don’t have to pay you for.”
Isaac nodded and smiled, showing more of his purple-colored mouth. “Yeah, I get it. So what’s question two?”
“They’ll say, ‘Tell me about a time when you showed initiative.’ They’re looking for a story about how creative you can be and how you’re not going to sit around and wait for someone else to solve your problems. You need to have a good story ready.”
Isaac scrunched his nose as he thought hard. “You mean like the time no one would let us play basketball at the church so I figured out how to prop the windows open?”
“Yeah, I guess that one works. You might need to have a few stories ready, depending on the situation.”
Isaac thought for a few moments before asking, “Then what’s questions number three?”
“They always ask you, ‘Where do you see yourself in five years?’ You gotta sound real ambitious. I like to say I want to be a manager or vice president.”
Isaac took it all in with wide, appreciative eyes. “Do you think I could find myself a job? I want to have money like you and maybe go to business school.”
“Yeah, finding a job is easy. Lots of places advertise for summer jobs. You just have to look around. Or pick a place where you want to work and then go in and ask for the manager. If you show them you’re eager, they’ll definitely hire you.”
The hushed Dairy Queen conversation transformed Isaac. He thought over and over about the questions. The next day was the Saturday before school let out for the summer. Isaac figured it was the perfect time to find a job. He headed out on his bike early in the morning without telling his parents where he was going. He decided it would be better to surprise them with good news when he got back. And even if they were not excited about him job hunting on his own, he would apply another principle he had learned from Nathan: It’s easier to ask for forgiveness than permission.
As he pedaled out of his neighborhood, Isaac noticed a sign posted on a lawn that read, “Help Wanted. Dog Walker.” Dog walking was not his first choice in jobs, but Isaac told himself he could come back to it if needed. He continued toward what he considered the ultimate summer job destination – Trafalgar Fun Center.
Trafalgar was a place where teenagers would pay to hang out all day. It contained a video game arcade, bowling alley, mini-golf course, batting cage, and go kart track. Isaac parked his bike outside. He did not spot any Help Wanted signs, but he took Nathan’s advice and asked to see the manager after finding a young employee dressed in a Trafalgar branded polo shirt. He was pointed toward a balding guy name Pete who stood behind the prize counter for Trafalgar’s ticket games.
“My name is Isaac and I’m looking for a job for the summer,” he announced to Pete and held out his hand for a shake.
Pete looked him up and down. As the Trafalgar manager, Pete could not escape teenagers. They were his customers and his employees. He had hired hundreds of them and was now looking for extra summer help. He asked Isaac, “Have you ever had a real job before?”
“Not a real one. But I’m a hard worker around my house. I could do anything you need. Ticket games. Concessions. I come here all the time so I know all about it.”
Pete sniffed. “Working here’s not the same as playing here. Cleaning up messes isn’t so fun. Are you one of those kids who needs to have fun all the time?”
Isaac shook his head and tried to look serious. “Oh no. I barely have any fun.”
“Uh huh. Tell me about a time when you had to do something hard.”
Isaac was waiting for the three secret questions his brother told him about. Pete asking about doing something hard made Isaac think he should tell his story about showing initiative. He knew the story should show he could solve a problem on his own and it would be extra good if it somehow involved Trafalgar. He grinned before beginning.
“One time, my friend and me wanted to mini-golf but we didn’t have any money. So we came up with a creative solution. We knew the fence around the golf holes isn’t very high. First, we found some flashlights and borrowed a putter from my friend’s dad. Then we waited until closing and climbed right over the fence. Playing in the dark is almost as good as in the light.”
As Isaac told the story, the look on Pete’s face turned from mild interest to angry frustration. “I can’t believe you admitted that to my face. I hate when kids jump the fence. We need to build it higher.” Pete narrowed his eyes on Isaac. “I don’t think I can’t trust you. Sorry, but you’re not right for this place.”
Isaac’s mouth fell open in surprise. Pete walked away and acted interested in helping a customer. Isaac staggered out of the building and back to his bike. He rolled across the parking lot and down an adjoining street wearing a stunned expression. Trafalgar had been his number one target, like the company in Seattle where Nathan got a job. What had he done wrong? Pete must not understand business like Nathan did.
After a mile of slow pedaling, Isaac’s shock wore off a little. He noticed a snow cone stand sitting in the parking lot of a sporting good’s store. He remembered delicious snow cones enjoyed on hot summer days. Working at a snow cone stand would not be as great as Trafalgar, but it might come close. He pedaled over and waited for a line of customers to clear.
When Isaac walked up to the snow cone stand’s window, he found a girl about his age standing inside. She had honey-blonde hair like his sister’s and wore a Benson Boone concert T-shirt. When he looked closer, he could not decide if she was older or younger than him. Sometimes, it was hard to tell with girls.
“Can I talk to the manager?”
“What for?” the girl asked suspiciously.
“I’m looking for a job. I’m wondering if you need any help.”
“I’m the only one here, so I guess I’m kind of the manager. And my dad said we could maybe hire someone else so I don’t have to be here all the time.”
“Oh! Maybe you could hire me.”
“Have you made snow cones before?”
“Not really. But I’ve eaten a lot of them.”
“What’s your favorite flavor?”
“Blue raspberry. Oh wait, I take it back. Coconut.”
The girl inside the stand started a long monologue about what flavors were most popular, how you could mix them together, and the perfect amount of ice compared to syrup.
“If you were to work here this summer, what would you want to do next summer and the summer after that?”
Isaac was listening carefully. While the girl inside the stand did not seem to have a lot of experience hiring people, if she was in charge, she had to know about the three big questions. The one she just asked sounded like number three, which Nathan phrased as “What do you want to do in five years?” Isaac knew his answer was supposed to show ambition.
“I definitely want to be a manager.”
The girl frowned. “But I’m the manager. And there’s only room for one manager.” The girl waved at Isaac like she was swatting at a fly. “Anyway, I’ll probably get one of my cousins to help.”
Isaac got back on his bike feeling discouraged and surprised. What was he doing wrong? Had he not heard his brother correctly? He decided it was time to speak to someone who definitely needed an employee. He would return to the home with the Help Wanted sign out front.
Given that the split-level house was part of his neighborhood, Isaac had seen it many times. But this would be his first time talking to the owner. He left his bike near the curb and walked cautiously to the front door. When he rang the bell, an older woman answered holding an aluminum cane. Five dogs swirled behind her, yapping for attention. They ranged in size from a Yorkie to a Labrador Retriever.
“I saw your sign. Are you looking for help with your dogs?”
“Oh yes, I am. I hurt my hip and can’t walk like I used to. These dogs need their exercise. The big ones would walk for miles if you let them. Do you have dogs?”
“No, but I like all animals. I know I could be a good walker and go as far as you want.”
“And you live around here?”
“Down the street a little.”
The woman stared at Isaac, trying to place him. “Well, I suppose you would be alright for the job. Before I say yes, I should probably to ask if you have any disabilities or hang-ups. Anything wrong with you?”
Before her question, Isaac thought he had already landed the job. He tried not to look surprised or unprepared for it. In fact, he was prepared. This sounded a lot like secret question number one, which was about weaknesses. Isaac remembered what he was supposed to say so he could sound just like Nathan.
“Probably the only thing bad about me is I like to take my work home with me. I get kind of obsessed.”
The woman with the cane looked confused and then upset. “I don’t like hearing that at all. I don’t want you taking any of my dogs home. They’re precious to me.”
Isaac tried to interrupt and say, “No, no, I would never take any of the dogs home,” but the woman did not listen. She said, “I better look for someone else,” and then shut the door.
Isaac’s head sagged to his chest as he dragged himself to his bike. He was too sad and discouraged to ride it so he pushed it all the way home. He had struck out three times. How had he ever dared think he could be like his brother, Nathan? He was too embarrassed to face him and admit what happened. If he was lucky, Nathan would not notice he was gone or ask why.
Isaac left his bike in the garage and quietly slipped inside his house. As he crept toward his room, Nathan met him in the hallway and immediately noticed his unhappy face.
“Hey! What happened to you?”
Isaac felt cornered. There was no way he could hide the truth. In humiliation, he said, “I went looking for a job but I messed it all up. I thought I was ready for the questions but something went wrong. I probably shouldn’t go to business school.”
Nathan chuckled sympathetically. “It’s okay. Interviewing takes practice. I totally botched my first interview too.”
“You did?”
“Yeah, I was terrible. You’ve got to try lots and lots of times. The most important part of business is not giving up.”
“Oh. Then how about if I explain what I said and you tell me what I did wrong?”
“You don’t have to worry about it because I already found you a job. I did the interviewing for you.”
“When? Where?”
“Just now at the movie theater. I met one of my high school friends and she’s the manager there. She’s looking for summer help and I told her all about you. I told her you’d love working at the theater. What do you think?”
Isaac smiled ecstatically and said, “I like watching movies and making popcorn, so I’ll probably be perfect.”
“Then I think you can start next week.”
Isaac celebrated with some fist pumps before growing thoughtful. “When you were talking to your friend about me, did you tell her about my weaknesses and my five-year plan?”
“I didn’t have to.”
“Why not?”
Nathan smirked and replied, “Remember how I just said the most important part of business is not giving up? Well, scratch that. The truly most important rule of business is this: It’s not what you know, it’s who you know.”
“And I know you,” Isaac said proudly.
“Right. You know me.”
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