Have you ever wished you could spend a few hours talking with a casino manager, restaurant general manager, or hotel director about what really matters in career growth? Last weekend, I had that chance.

After a long day of workshops and networking at a hospitality conference in Ottawa, I escaped to the quiet edge of a lake to unwind. The waves were calm, the sky was clear, and I was ready for nothing but stillness. Then a man settled into the chair beside me, resting a leather portfolio on his lap. Embossed across the top of the ivory paper inside was the logo of a large casino. My quiet evening instantly turned into a golden opportunity for conversation.

The recruiter in me—the career coach who writes for Gecko Hospitality—took over. I started some polite small talk, testing whether he was too busy or would enjoy a bit of company. He smiled, put his papers aside, lifted his drink, and soon began venting about the frustrations of modern management.

A Casino Executive Who Climbed the Ranks

My new acquaintance turned out to be an executive at a large casino. What made his story fascinating was his journey: he had started as a cook, then moved up to restaurant manager, restaurant owner, floor manager at a casino, and finally, to the second-highest position in his organization.

He was one of the last of a generation that rose through experience rather than degrees. “You can still fast-track your career without a business degree,” he told me, “but it’s getting harder every year.”

He admitted that he still values experience over education, but he made a strong point—self-taught professionals tend to learn too slowly. They often fail to invest time in building what he called career capital. He said, “I’ve read résumés that look impressive, but when I interview the person, they can’t tell me what conferences they’ve attended, what books they’ve read, or what training they’ve pursued.”

In his early days, managers upgraded their skills in their own time and paid for their own professional development. “Now,” he said with a shrug, “too many candidates want the company to pay for their education and give them time off to complete it.”

He wasn’t bitter—just realistic. In many organizations, hiring a formally educated candidate is simply more cost-effective than training someone who hasn’t shown the initiative to develop themselves.

Investing in Career Capital

As a career coach, I’ve always encouraged professionals to move up the ladder regardless of their formal education. His comments echoed something I’ve been saying for years: if you want to be taken seriously, you must live the life of a manager.

That means attending industry conferences, subscribing to trade publications, joining associations, and taking courses—even if you pay out of pocket. Networking, continual learning, and professional involvement are all visible signs of commitment.

My new colleague agreed, but he added something even more practical: when you write your résumé, you must clearly show how you’ve increased profits or saved the company money. He said it’s the one thing hiring executives truly notice.

The Casino Manager’s Résumé

He confessed that he’s bored by most résumés. “They all list the same responsibilities—staffing, training, budgets, customer service. What I’m looking for is someone who can solve my problems,” he said.

When I asked whether he valued professional portfolios, his answer was immediate: “They’re a great idea—but I’ve almost never seen one.” Then he laughed and offered a piece of cautionary advice: never include anything that identifies where the materials came from. “If you share another company’s reports or manuals to impress me,” he warned, “I’ll assume you’ll share mine next time you’re job hunting.”

It was a reminder that integrity is just as valuable as expertise. A recruiter can open doors for you—but character keeps them open.

Perception, HR, and the Interview Trap

We also discussed how often interviews fail because managers don’t understand the HR professional sitting across from them. “Qualified candidates lose out every day,” he said, “because they talk too much, assume too much, or misread the interviewer’s reactions.”

Perception matters. HR professionals are trained to listen not only to what you say, but how you say it—how you handle feedback, when you pause, and whether you can discuss business challenges without ego or defensiveness. “Too many candidates,” he said, “mistake politeness for weakness. They don’t realize that sometimes the interviewer is just giving them enough space to hang themselves with their own words.”

We agreed that small missteps—talking over the interviewer, sharing too much, or trying to appear overly friendly—can derail even a strong application.

Lessons for Aspiring Managers

Our lakeside talk lasted nearly two hours, and by the end, I realized I’d gained far more than casual insight. His candor reinforced a pattern I’ve seen repeatedly across restaurants, hotels, and casinos:

• Management success is rooted in career capital, not titles.

• Résumés that show profit and savings stand out over lists of duties.

• Integrity is as important as intelligence.

• Continuous learning isn’t optional—it’s the foundation of credibility.

• Perception in the interview is often what decides the final offer.

He finished his drink, thanked me for listening, and glanced back toward the casino reports in his lap. “It’s good to talk to someone who gets it,” he said.

I thanked him too, realizing that his words summed up a truth every manager should remember: you don’t get promoted because you want it—you get promoted because you’ve proven you can deliver value.

The lake went quiet again, and as I watched the ripples fade, I knew I’d be sharing this story. Because the best lessons in hospitality don’t always come from seminars—they come from conversations.