We never know what someone is really going through in life — the responsibilities they have, the obstacles they’ve faced, the people they’ve lost.
A job applicant couldn’t hold back tears during an interview after the boss asked him a personal question.
The single dad took to TikTok to document the experience and candidly revealed the struggles he is currently facing. Kameron Wagner, a single dad in Michigan, posted a video of him riding in a car after the interview, still teary-eyed.
“They asked me a very personal question, and I lost it and I’m still crying about it,” he said.
The job interviewers told him his application looked great and began asking some deeper questions about himself. They asked who he looked up to and the one thing he regrets in life that he would reverse if he could.
“It kind of choked me up … I said, my daughter,” he shared, breaking down into tears. “I just start crying like this … These past few months have been so hard. I said, my daughter gets me by every day. I said, if it wasn’t for her, I wouldn’t be this nice of a person.”
He showed the interviewers a photo of his daughter, and they told him she was beautiful. To answer their question about what he regrets in life, he revealed that sometimes he struggles with patience and wishes he could take those impatient moments back. The job interviewers assured him it was OK to be vulnerable and admired his values.
“Everything is going to be okay. Let it out,” someone commented on his video. “It’s amazing how one simple question can shake you to the core. Then you fall apart. Heal and keep going. Be the pillar for your daughter.”
Wagner emphasized to the interviewers that he needed this job.
He transparently told the interviewers that he doesn’t have a job right now. He said in his current situation, he’s about to “lose everything.”
“I said, ‘I’m a very respectful person; I don’t drink,’” Wagner reiterated. “I said, ‘You guys can count on me every day.’”
In another video, he offered more context to his situation as he sat at home, revealing he only had $300 left in his account. He explained that he has bills coming up as well as grocery expenses for his daughter. He said he rarely feeds himself and will usually just eat his daughter’s leftovers. He then showed the single bedroom he and his daughter live in together, consisting of a bed, a TV, a mini-fridge, his daughter’s toys, a dilapidated dresser, and a picture of him and his daughter taped to the wall.
“I’ve been trying to start my life back over again,” Wagner shared. “This is all I have. I’m really, really trying my best, and I don’t have family; I have a brother. My moms passed away; my grandparents passed away. I’m just ashamed; I’m embarrassed. I hope I get that job.”
The fact is, Wagner is not alone in his plight. A recent study found that single parents are more likely to suffer financial hardships that force them to make sacrifices to ensure their children’s basic needs are met, including going without food. The stress of childcare and overwhelming bills means single parents in financial distress are more likely to suffer from “isolation, anxiety, depression, paranoia, and suicidal thoughts.”
He explained the job he is hoping to hear back from is a position for the City in the high 20s hourly range with bi-weekly pay, which would help him tremendously.
TikTokers in the comments sent their hopes and prayers that he lands the job, and they honored him for being strong enough to express his emotions. His experience and the way the job interviewers and viewers reacted to his transparency prove that there is strength and dignity in vulnerability.
Viewers showed their support for Wagner, uniting together to make a difference in his life.
The dad’s experience is unfortunately the reality for many other low-income or struggling families who have found themselves in a rough patch and are doing everything they can to push through.
His vulnerability and resilience exemplify a dad who truly wants the best for his daughter and will do whatever it takes. Sometimes, we just need that extra support from communities that care.
Commenters reached out, assuring him no one was casting judgment. They asked him for his Venmo and Cash App information and additionally asked him to set up a GoFundMe and an Amazon Wishlist for himself and his daughter so they could contribute to building a better life for them.
In an updated video, the dad and his daughter gleefully revealed all the gifts and household necessities the online community collectively sent to them. He expressed deep gratitude to everyone for showing so much compassion and support.
“Tough times don’t last; tough people do,” someone commented. “This is your minor setback for your major comeback. God bless you; you got this.”
Despite the violence and hate that surrounds us in the world, our communities are always pouring boundless love, hope, and support into each other. No matter how lost, stuck, or alone you might feel, trust that there are people who will come together to help those in need.
Francesca Duarte is a writer on YourTango’s news and entertainment team based in Orlando, FL. She covers lifestyle, human-interest, adventure, and spirituality topics.
