Zsombor Tamás

I didn't take the usual route. In 2025 I wasn't in a good place. I was 23, I'd never had a real job, and at some point it became very clear to me: if I didn't change my life, nobody was going to do it for me.

So I changed it. I started working with a coach every week, I read a lot, and I got a job at McDonald's with one goal: to become a shift manager one day. I also go to evening high school alongside work, and I'll finish my diploma (the Hungarian érettségi) in 2028.

I changed more in that one year than in the ten before it. Today I have work I take seriously, I live with my wife and our cats, and I know what matters most to me: growing. Being a little better every day than the day before. I work on myself at least as hard as I work at my job, and I'm looking for a place where those two meet.

More detail on my LinkedIn profile.

What I heard most from colleagues was that I'm patient and kind. One of my managers once told me you could talk to me for hours. I think it comes down to four things.

• I actually listen.

  I don't just wait for the other person to finish; I want to know what's wrong. I've worked on this on purpose, and it's what I've been complimented on most. A lot of customers calm down just from feeling that someone is paying attention.

• I stay calm when others don't.

  At peak time, with a long queue, facing an upset guest. I don't take it personally when someone raises their voice. Most of the time, it isn't about me.

• I can tell what someone needs.

  A customer in a hurry needs speed. An unsure one needs patience and a clear explanation. An angry one first needs to be heard. I love psychology, I read about it a lot, and I use it at work every day.

• I learn whatever the job needs.

  At McDonald's, I always volunteered when there was something new to learn. By the end, I was setting up and closing the till on my own, even though that wasn't originally part of my role. At MediaMarkt, I learned how to look up stock and where to find things in the warehouse.

Once, a guest was very unhappy. He had accidentally placed his order at a different restaurant, we couldn't refund it, so he had to pay for the same food again. He was loud, and honestly, I understood why.

I could have just served him and got it over with. Instead, I asked where he was headed and what his plans were for the day. We started talking.

By the end, the same man was talking to me in a calm, friendly voice. I couldn't change what had happened: he didn't get his money back. But I could change how he felt walking out the door.

I've tried to put it the way I'd explain it to a new colleague on their first day.

For a long time, I wanted to please everyone. If someone asked me for something, I said yes, even when I shouldn't have. From the outside it looked like being helpful, but in the long run it isn't good for me or for the people I work with.

Now I'm learning to be more assertive while staying kind: how to say no, or disagree, without the other person feeling attacked. I'm working on this with my coach, and I read a lot about it.

I'm not there yet. But it gets better week by week.

Customer care work. In a store, at a service desk, or anywhere my job is to make sure the customer gets what they need and leaves feeling good.

My sessions with my coach showed me how much it's worth when someone really pays attention to you. In the long run, I want to give people that kind of value too: first to customers, and later maybe by training new colleagues. I don't know the exact path yet, and I'm fine with that.

I'm planning long-term. My wife and our cats are waiting at home, and one day we want a house of our own. So I'm looking for a place where I'd happily stay for years: somewhere I can grow, where people are valued, and where good work is recognized in more than just words.