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Person Discloses That They Have Faked Their Way To The Top, Wonders Whether This Is Morally Wrong
Let’s be honest – most of us have made our resume look a little bit better than it is in reality. And I don’t mean fake job experience, but some skills that our desired position requires. However, what we write on a resume is one thing; the other thing is to actually prove that you are capable of doing this job and not just saying that you can do it. Or there’s another option, ‘fake it till you make it’, but sometimes faking it lasts longer than expected.
On that note, a person opened up that they are not good at their job at all, but have managed to get 7 promotions in a decade and make it to the top by simply exaggerating, bluffing and faking it.
More info: TikTok
RELATED:
‘Fake it till you make it’ is a good motivational quote, but that part where you finally make it should arrive later
Image credits: krakenimages (not the actual photo)
This person opens up that over 10 years ago, they got a job in the tech industry, because a family friend worked at the company and specifically vouched for them
Image credits: Jason Goodman (not the actual photo)
However, over this time, they have been promoted 7 times and are now head of a department despite saying that they have zero knowledge about business and are basically clueless
Image credits: Cytonn Photography (not the actual photo)
They note that day to day, they do the bare minimum, take long lunches and exaggerate small tasks
Image credits: everybodyhasasecret
But now, they’ve started wondering if they are taking opportunities from people who actually deserve it and whether it’s morally wrong
Recently, a person opened up that despite being clueless in the industry, by befriending people higher up in the business, they’ve faked their way to the top in the company. The person shared their secret on the podcast Everybody Has a Secret, which is hosted by Annabelle Lee and is all about spilling untold real-life stories. This story went viral on TikTok and received over 1.2M views.
So to begin with, the person emphasizes that about 10 years ago, they got a job in the tech industry at a company where their family friend worked. They opened up, saying that they have no relevant experience or qualifications for this position, have an irrelevant university degree and simply don’t care about this job. However, despite all that, after a decade in the company, they’ve been promoted 7 times.
They add that basically, by befriending people higher in the business and doing the bare minimum without even understanding the language that is used in meetings and their actual role, they have managed to make it to the top. However, after their friend who worked hard for years left the workplace, it shifted their focus and made them think that perhaps they are taking opportunities from people who deserve it and it’s morally wrong.
People online discussed that this story reminds them of every manager that they’ve had and that success is quite often about personality, charisma and who you know, rather than being productive or multitasking. “The old saying, it’s not what you know but who you know,” one person wrote. “Nah this is just playing the game well, kudos,” another added.
Image credits: Hunters Race (not the actual photo)
So let’s talk a little bit more about this phrase: ‘It’s who you know, not what you know’. Well, apparently it’s true – whether it’s good or bad news. Investopedia notes that who you know might be as important as what you know when it comes to gaining professional opportunities.
“What you know” is still important, because our ability to handle new events improves with the amount of knowledge we acquire in school or previous experiences. However, remember to keep “who you know” in mind. Consider a scenario in which a prestigious corporation is hiring for a new position and there are just two candidates left.
Although one candidate might have more relevant work experience and a stronger educational background, the other candidate might have been referred by a respected person within the organization. So it’s not easy to guess who might have a higher chance.
Now, let’s look a little bit at statistics regarding this matter. As per Apollo Technical, the likelihood of employment for referred employees is four times higher than that of non-referred ones. Additionally, a survey discovered that just 25% of workers found through job boards remain for more than two years, compared to over 45% of workers suggested by colleagues, who stay for more than four years.
So while it may look like people who are clueless in their positions despite being on top are taking opportunities from others, as it turns out – it’s really more important who you know, rather than what you know. But what do you think about this confession? Share your thoughts below!
People online discussed that most managers are like this
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What do you think ?
April W 11 months ago
My BS detector is firing off. This sounds like a troll - everything is so cliche. It feels like she’s writing about a man (or men in general) and just changed it to woman / first person to see what sort of comments she would receive. Maybe hoping for a bunch of “men do this all the time” “women underestimate themselves” to validate her own perceptions?
Donkey boi 11 months ago
This is actually pretty standard in the corporate world. If the powers that be like you, they promote the incompetent until they find a place in management. Often you don't need the lower level knowledge to manage. For Example, when i worked for an insurance loss adjusters, my boss didn't know how to write or submit a report to an insurer, didn't know how to correctly repudiate a claim, and wouldn't know how to negotiate a fair settlement. Even though that used to be his job! What he can do, is recognise other peoples skills and allocate workloads really well.
Sonja 11 months ago (edited)
We currently have a department manager who knows nothing about what we do and couldn't survive a day in the trenches. Still he's the best boss we ever had. He stays out of the way, merely tells us the goals he gets from the C level and let's us do our thing. In the two months since that absolute fob started his job we got more done than ever. Because he has no idea what good quality looks like in our job he completely trusts us and just repeats what my teamlead tells him. His former job? He was a sleazy, used-car salesman who could sell you a Ford as a Ferrari. He's a total faker. But he's good at keeping the meddlers out of our hair. He's lazy AF. He does absolutely nothing, then presents the results from other people's work. He does give praise to the team though and names the people responsible to upper management, but he pretends he actively delegated assignments to people he'd chosen, while they simply picked up his slack or it wouldn't get done. I know it first hand because I was one of them. Several people who did the work, including me, got raises and promotions because of him though so there's that.
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April W 11 months ago
My BS detector is firing off. This sounds like a troll - everything is so cliche. It feels like she’s writing about a man (or men in general) and just changed it to woman / first person to see what sort of comments she would receive. Maybe hoping for a bunch of “men do this all the time” “women underestimate themselves” to validate her own perceptions?
Donkey boi 11 months ago
This is actually pretty standard in the corporate world. If the powers that be like you, they promote the incompetent until they find a place in management. Often you don't need the lower level knowledge to manage. For Example, when i worked for an insurance loss adjusters, my boss didn't know how to write or submit a report to an insurer, didn't know how to correctly repudiate a claim, and wouldn't know how to negotiate a fair settlement. Even though that used to be his job! What he can do, is recognise other peoples skills and allocate workloads really well.
Sonja 11 months ago (edited)
We currently have a department manager who knows nothing about what we do and couldn't survive a day in the trenches. Still he's the best boss we ever had. He stays out of the way, merely tells us the goals he gets from the C level and let's us do our thing. In the two months since that absolute fob started his job we got more done than ever. Because he has no idea what good quality looks like in our job he completely trusts us and just repeats what my teamlead tells him. His former job? He was a sleazy, used-car salesman who could sell you a Ford as a Ferrari. He's a total faker. But he's good at keeping the meddlers out of our hair. He's lazy AF. He does absolutely nothing, then presents the results from other people's work. He does give praise to the team though and names the people responsible to upper management, but he pretends he actively delegated assignments to people he'd chosen, while they simply picked up his slack or it wouldn't get done. I know it first hand because I was one of them. Several people who did the work, including me, got raises and promotions because of him though so there's that.
Load More Replies...
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