I read a LinkedIn post from a former recruiter at Google who said she could spot "inflated titles" in under 30 seconds. It made me realize how common that whole game is. You're not alone, a lot of people get told their job was actually something else once they start talking to real industry folks. I think the key is to stop trying to sound fancy and just describe what you actually did each day, even if it sounds boring. That way you're not wasting time (and your own energy) on jobs you're not qualified for anyway. The Chicago recruiter did you a favor honestly, even though it probably hurt to hear.

Yeah, neat is overrated if it kills serviceability.

Did your friend have one of THOSE days too or was it just you liking the perfect deck?

That's an interesting thing about the plating, but I think you might be giving the front of house too much credit. It's more likely the dish itself just sells better now because the sauce smear and the slightly messy look makes it feel more approachable. People don't like feeling like they're eating a museum piece, so making it look a bit more natural probably helps. The server's comment just happened to line up with a change that was already working. Good on you for trying it, but the real change was in how people see the food, not in the server's feedback itself.

Sounds like you got a real good peek into the future of road trips, just with a few more rest stop detours than anyone asked for.