Fresh college grad lends a phone charger to an older woman at the airport, earns the mentorship of a lifetime: ‘It’s wild how small things can snowball into something way bigger.’

Author image for Elna McHilderson
Elna McHilderson • Managing Editor
Jul 26, 2025 6:00 PM EDT

We know it's not easy out there right now when it comes to job hunting. It's a dog eat dog world. Your career is important to you, but that's you and everyone else… You're not the only one reaching out to that job that's a "perfect" fit for you. You have to work your way up the latter, as they say in the corporate world. That sounds all slimy and soulless and that's just not who you are. So what can you do to make your way up in your career? 

 

Might we suggest this innovative thing called *~*kindness*~*? For real, being kind can get you a long way, even within your career! Just take this guy who was just looking for a place to charge his phone in the airport and ended up making a friend who would go on to become his biggest mentor!

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  • You know how airports can get, almost all of the charging ports and outlets were taken. This guy went on the hunt to charge his phone and found the last port. When he went to plug in, an older woman came up to him with the same problem. She needed to charge her phone but he was taking the last port. He had a double charger and offered to split with her. Sitting there they chatted and became friends! Which, as you can guess, helped him very much in his post-grad job hunting. 

  • Cheezburger Image 10533699328
    via Unsplash+ (and Getty Images)

    The image does not depict the actual subjects of the story. Subjects are models.

  • "I lent my charger to someone at the airport... and it landed me a mentorship I never saw coming."

    Last month, I was stuck at the airport during a long layover. My phone was down to 7%, and every charging station in sight was either taken or broken. I finally found an outlet tucked behind a row
    via ImprovementFirm6976
  • of seats and was just about to plug in when I heard someone behind me sigh and say, "You too, huh?" It was a woman about my mom's age, clearly flustered, holding her de d phone like it
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  • betrayed her. I had a dual- port charger, so I told her, "If you've got a cable, we can share." She smiled, pulled out her cord, and we both sat on the floor like it was normal behavior.
    via ImprovementFirm6976
  • Cheezburger Image 10533707776
    via Unsplash+ (and Steve Johnson)

    The image does not depict the actual subjects of the story. Subjects are models.

  • We started chatting to pass the time turns out she was a senior executive at a tech startup, flying home from a conference. I mentioned I'd just finished my degree in digital marketing and was hunting for entry-level roles. She asked a few
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  • questions, gave me some advice, and then handed me her business card. Didn't think much of it until I emailed her a thank- you the next day. She
    via ImprovementFirm6976
  • replied saying she'd enjoyed the conversation and offered to set up a virtual coffee chat. Long story short, we've been talking weekly since, and she's now mentoring me through my job search.
    via ImprovementFirm6976
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    via Unsplash+ (and Curated Lifestyle)

    The image does not depict the actual subjects of the story. Subjects are models.

  • She's even connected me to a couple of hiring managers. All that just because I had an extra port and didn't mind sharing a charger.
    via ImprovementFirm6976
  • It's wild how small things can snowball into something way bigger.
    via ImprovementFirm6976

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