Today, I want to tell a story about a job I applied for a long time ago.
I had just graduated from the University of the West of England and decided to move into finance. Even though I had a business degree with finance modules, my background was in hospitality—a red flag for many employers.
Would this person be able to switch mindsets?
Is he proficient enough in Excel to handle daily data manipulation?
Does he have a strong enough foundation in accounting?
I was passionate, bright, and full of energy, with a clear talent for communication. But that career change, coming from hospitality, felt like a major obstacle. All I needed was someone crazy enough to schedule a face-to-face interview—an opportunity to convey so much more than my CV ever could.
After countless rejections, the recruiter finally managed to put me in front of a prospective employer. And then… I panicked. All my fears surfaced, and suddenly, I lost confidence in myself.
On the day of the interview, I showed up in dark blue jeans, a shirt, a tie, and a Bordeaux Scottish tartan blazer. Basically, the meme: “Tell me you’re Italian without telling me you’re Italian.” To add even more pressure, the department manager couldn’t make it that day, so my interviewer was the Group Controller—someone very senior. In my mind, he was going to rip me apart.
I still remember the moment he walked in. He scanned me in seconds, then smiled. I smiled back, partly because it was a warm gesture, but mostly because I was literally shaking from nerves. He opened with:
“The recruiter was very pushy. He insisted I had to give you a chance.”
My face froze. I kept smiling like an idiot, unsure where this was going. He asked me to talk about my previous experience. I started by explaining that I was originally from Naples but had spent most of my adulthood abroad, building a solid career in hospitality before deciding, at 29, to go back to school and switch careers.
He glanced at my CV and asked, “Why aren’t these experiences listed?”
I admitted, “Because my background wasn’t helping me, so I decided to omit it.”
He smiled again. It was the kind of smile a teacher gives when he realizes he has to throw out his lesson plan because his students haven’t grasped the basics. He picked up a pen and started adding notes to my CV, asking me to list all my experiences. His follow-up questions made me wonder if this was still a job interview or just an interrogation on why on earth I was applying for a finance role.
Long story short—he offered me the job.
As I was leaving, he smiled again, this time with an expression that said, “I see potential in you.” Then he told me: “I didn’t want to meet you. On paper, you were probably the tenth candidate on my list. And yet, here I am, offering you the job.”
Then he looked at my blazer and added:
“You came in dressed like this… and somehow, I’m hiring you.”
I grinned—like a kid who just convinced his parents to buy him a toy he really wanted.
As he walked me to the exit, he said, “You start on Monday. And you don’t need to wear a tie.”
I left with an overwhelming sense of relief and joy—so much so that I almost cried. That person saw my potential and decided to invest in me.
There are many ways to interpret this story, depending on your perspective. But for me, that moment was one of the first stepping stones on the path that eventually led me to create and lead Methodix. I treasure my emotions because I value them deeply. And I share this story in the hope that someone out there, waiting to be recognized for their worth, keeps searching.
