The Chileno Beach Lesson on Hiring
What a crowded Cabo parking lot can teach you about timing and landing the right role.
This past week while on vacation in Cabo, I kept hearing the same thing from locals: “You’ve got to go to Chileno Beach.” Fewer tourists, more locals, great water. One problem: the parking lot is chaos.
The first day, we circled forever. We’d watch people pack up, then race a line of cars for the same spot. After a while, we gave up and went to a different beach. Annoying, but interesting to watch how people handled a scarce resource.
The second time, we changed one thing: we went earlier. Same lot, same demand, different timing. Within seconds, we grabbed a prime spot at the front.
The parking lot is the job market. The spots are roles. The cars are candidates. Companies “open spots” when they’re ready to hire. Candidates start circling when they’re ready for a move. Your outcome has a lot less to do with how deserving you are and a lot more to do with timing, fit, and how you show up.
If you’re searching right now, it might feel like day one at Chileno: you circle, you try, you leave empty‑handed. That doesn’t mean there’s no space for you. It might mean you need to adjust your timing, your approach, or your expectations.
A few practical takeaways:
Show up earlier: start your search before you’re miserable or unemployed.
Be ready: dial in your resume, LinkedIn, and story so you can move fast when a spot opens.
Stay flexible: sometimes you take a “good enough” role as a temporary spot while you wait for a better one.
For hiring managers and recruiters, the same rules apply. Most of the people you want already have a spot. Your job isn’t to yank every parked car out of their space. Your job is to find the ones already in motion—or quietly thinking about moving—and help them make a clear decision.
Finding parking in a crowded lot and landing a job in a crowded market feel the same from the driver’s seat: slow and competitive. But with better timing, sharper prep, and a little patience, you usually end up exactly where you need to be.