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From Nannies To Lab Researchers To Car Mechanics, Folks Online Are Opening Up About Their 30 ‘Behind-The-Scenes’ Work Secrets
Every year, thousands and millions of people submit their resumes, pass (or fail) interviews, and get new jobs. Their success largely depends on how the new work team will turn out, how entitled or not the boss will be and, of course, on the level of wages. But sometimes these aren't the main success factors.
There are various professional secrets at almost every job, and knowing them in advance greatly facilitates your workflow. So we do think that this compilation of random professional behind-the-scenes secrets may very well be incredibly useful for you.
This post may include affiliate links.
#1
I'm a nanny. And no, your child will never say their first word in front of me without you around. Your child will never take their first step without you around. Your child will never hold their bottle by themselves for the first time, crawl, pull themselves up, or achieve any other milestone for their first time when you're not around. I will only ever say "You should keep an eye out, I think they're going to .... for the first time soon!" I always do my best to allow parents to experience that First Time on their time (even if it wasn't actually the first time).
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#2
If your hotel charges a cancellation fee within X days, Don't call and cancel within X days. Call and change the date to something distant and then cancel shortly after. It's obviously gaming the policy, but it's an obviously game-able policy.
DennyS (denzoren) 1 year ago
Oh wow, I never thought of this one. I have too much anxiety to even try this. lol
#3
Everyone who did night shift at the lab I worked in slept for the majority of the shift. We were there at night in case any samples turned up, which was usually twice in a 12 hour shift from 6pm to 6am. There was an old unused office with a mattress under the desk, you'd bring your own sleeping bag, we all kept it secret because who the f**k doesn't want to make 120k a year while sleeping...
In part, any professional secret can be called know-how of a sort. Some of them can be disclosed, and others are an absolute secret, because they could become a real game-changer in the industry. Moreover, this has always been the case regardless of in what sphere and in what epoch. For example, in the Middle Ages, the ability of Venetian glassblowers to create mirrors was such a unique skill that divulging a professional secret to anyone, even for the biggest money, was punishable not only by exclusion from the corporation, but even by death. Fortunately, our times are not so bloodthirsty...
#4
Entry Mercedes vehicles such as the GLB have a Nissan engine.
Edit: I’m referring to the A220, GLA, and GLB.
The downvotes make me think Mercedes owners are hella mad lol. I sold them for many years. I changed industry for a reason.
Glengoolie Blue 1 year ago
My 2008 Nisan has never been in the shop for anything and it's as tight as the day I bought it. I'd buy any car with a Nissan engine.
#5
Absolutely no one, and especially nothing cares about your package when you ship it. Fragile? Hah! Orientation arrows? Pffffft. Even if you managed to somehow get the dozens of human hands that touch you package to care; the conveyor belts don’t give a fuuuuuuuuuck.
The safety of your package is entirely up to how well it’s packaged.
Karl Eric Sanzenbacher 1 year ago
eBay seller here - Anything (and I mean ANYTHING) that is breakable always ships box in box, with plenty of padding in BOTH boxes.
#6
The dirt underneath the concrete or asphalt is usually more important than the thickness of the structure topping it, well-prepped subgrade is king if you want to minimize concrete cracking, asphalt flex, and structural movement.
It’s a secret because nobody gives a damn about dirt and no matter how often I explain how our subgrade in an area is f****d I always hear “what if we make the concrete thicker?”.
DarkJuggler 1 year ago
If you make the concrete thicker and place it on bad subgrade then it will.probably fail more quickly
Of course, today, in the era of pervasive social networks, thematic forums, YouTube and TikTok, it can be incredibly difficult to keep a secret without divulging it. However, excellence in any position is made up of so many complementary little things that knowing any of them makes you more competitive. Remember Tony Romo's first season on TV, when he successfully predicted what combinations the team would play just from his own experience and deep understanding of football? It was impressive, wasn't it? But this is not magic, just a set of skills and professional secrets.
#7
As a social worker, there will NEVER be a time when you "finish" all your work, because the field just doesn't work like that. So clock out when you go home - don't do any work. You'll survive a lot longer in this field and be able to help a lot more people if you, yourself, are taken care of.
David H 1 year ago
It also doesnt help that most systems are still paper heavy, rather than digital which would take less time and less errors, and that in the past 30 years Social Worker training has been so gutted and the licensing standards lowered, we send them out half trained and poorly equipt for their job, because we had a shortage and some idiots thought the solution was pumping out more social workers in bulk through gutting the profession
#8
The Catholic Church is running out of priests in the US and has to import their priests from abroad, not many want to enter priesthood these days. The Catholic churches pedophile problem is/was much worse then you probably thought.
Boris Long-Johnson 1 year ago
People wanting to enter the priesthood isn’t the issue - it’s the priesthood wanting to enter people!
#9
If Im out of a beer/wine/grocery item, Im out; I know this for a fact. I just go “look in the back” to shut you up.
David 1 year ago (edited)
At many stores / certain times this is not true. But when I ask I ask politely with realistic expectations. "There is no (item) on the shelf, is there any chance there is some more in the back?" If they say no I accept that. But there have been other times where the answer was "We just got a shipment in, let me go check" followed by me getting item. Also true of cold items like dairy / creamer. The cooler shelves you see are often just the edge with back stock stored in the walk in cooler behind it. Often they just have to go open another case and refill the shelf. Something they do anyway but sometimes they were too busy to get to it yet. TLDR: Ask nicely, accept whatever answer you get.
"In fact, the personality of any of us is a unique set of habits, knowledge and skills, and the professional aspect is no more than one facet of our personality," says Alexei Shkurat, founder and CEO of Peach art studio, who was asked by Bored Panda for a comment. "The very sets of hard and soft skills that personal development coaches love to talk about. And the fact is that it is much more difficult to develop the latter than the former."
"What is the use for collections of professional advice on a variety of topics - that you will never guess whether this knowledge will be useful to you, and whether it will be useful at all. It was only Phileas Fogg, the character in Around the World in 80 Days, who took a random set of items, and they invariably helped him each day. With an ordinary person, this does not happen - but sometimes, who knows - perhaps this random knowledge will help you in your work or in life in general."
#10
We decide what influencers say and most of it is exaggeration or lies. You cant trust a single sponsored post by 99% of influencers
#11
Nanny here. you have no secrets. Your child tells me everything you do.
If mommy and daddy fought over daddy’s friend, we know.
If daddy sleeps on the couch, we know.
If you have something negative to say about us and you say it in front of your kids, besides being a d**k move on your part, your kid will tell us.
If you’re pregnant and want to wait till youre further along don’t leave c**p out on the counters or tell your kids because, you guessed it, we know.
#12
Most oncologists with terminal cancer will forego palliative chemotherapy.
Nupraptor 1 year ago
This one strikes me as "No s***." You're terminal and chemotherapy is one of the most miserable things you can do to yourself. Better to spend what time you have left with your family and friends, doing the things you love than to spend it puking up every single thing you swallow, laying in bed with aching bones as your hair falls out in clumps.
Of course, human memory is not unlimited, and we cannot remember absolutely everything that we read. But anyway, we believe that some of the facts and tips read today may be of great use for you. Or at least you just enjoy reading, so please feel free to scroll this list to the very end and who knows, maybe unveil some of your own professional secrets in the comments below - to make this selection even more educational for everybody.
#13
Take a *deeeep* breath before opening the cathouse door, shovel two shovelfuls of lion dung and catpiss-soaked bedding into the wheelbarrow, sprint out the door before you run out of breath, make sure you're 10 feet away from the door, inhale again, run back in, repeat.
You puke **instantly** if you inhale in there...
source: New zoo intern 🤮🤮
#14
Some actors really deserve the roles they get. Some really, really don’t. What’s most disappointing is watching auditions knowing they’re giving the best performance you’ve watched so far but knowing they’re not famous enough to get the role.
Lil Miss Hobbit 1 year ago
This really stinks. Some directors will actually choose unknown actors on purpose though.
#15
you can go to home depot, walk into the break room, grab a spare apron, write your name on it, and walk out with anything you want. staff isn't notified of new hires. just say you're taking s**t for curbside pickup. You can probably only do it once per location, but go nuts. also, staff is specifically instructed not to stop shoplifters.
home depot is anti-union and a s****y place to work, so f**k them.
Billy Harrelson 1 year ago
It's not that Home Depot is anti-union that they have the policy of not stopping shoplifters. Every retail outlet has this policy. They say it's to protect YOU, but I'm reality it's to protect their backsides from lawsuits in case someone were to get a little overzealous in stopping a shoplifter. It's why you automatically lose your job in most places if you do decide to stop the shoplifter.
#16
If you ask a Barkeeper to make you a strong drink they’ll say „sure thing“ - and make you a standard one.
Unless you’re a well tipping regular.
#17
In animated shows in the US, even ones for adults, people riding bikes must always have helmets and people in cars must have seatbelts on if the car is moving. There's a department called Standards and Practices whose whole job is to prevent "imitatable violence" or other acts that children could imitate and be hurt from. This includes removing things like climbing into a washing machine (Lilo and Stitch on Disney+) or leaving the park with a stranger (early Sesame Street episodes.) Blood is a huge one, as are most body fluids - dogs can pee, but you can't show urine, and puke has to be a certain color or it won't pass. Fire is also one for preschool shows, apparently.
Lil Miss Hobbit 1 year ago
Actually makes sense. I had a friend dive off the couch onto her head because she wanted to be an Olympic diver when she grew up.🤷♀️
#18
Almost no plastic actually gets recycled. It ends up in landfills after sitting on barges because the market value is s**t.
#19
Politics is a lot less mean on the inside. I'm friends with many other staffers from the other party and most members get along/work together way more than the media wants you to think.
Oh, and if you think offices don't talk to each other, they do.
David H 1 year ago
I work in politics, and all the local Republican and Democrat leaders have each others private numbers, many are friends (except the month leading up to elections). They all run in the same circles. I remember when I was an intern in DC, there is a softball league of all the think tanks, and I remember when the Koch Institute (Charles Koch's private think tank) played against Center for American Progress (One of the most left-wing places), and not only were many of the people on both sides friends, but they would tease each other before the game (the Koch people burned a petagram with a picture of Charles Koch saying "Praise Satan" as a joke, and CAP people made s shrine to Marx and put incense in front of it kneeling as a joke. All before the game. Joking about how the other side views each other.) They are all friends, even the politicians. People in the know say AOC and Matt Gaetz are friends behind the scenes, they are caught meeting and talking all the time
#20
When a guest is told their room that they booked has had to be taken offline due to a maintenance issue and they have been found a room in another hotel close by means the hotel f****d up and overbooked the hotel or the room has bed bugs.
#21
Sometimes thermostats in offices are only there to make the occupants feel good. They appear to change the temperature but on the back end of the system they are locked out or limited to 1 or 2 degrees. This placebo keeps people happy because they have some control over their environment. Other times, the unit is just broken.
Jerry Wyant 1 year ago
I used to work in a place where the temps were controlled remotely off-site. Our thermostats would allow us only +/- 2 degrees. We revolted when we had a viciously cold spell and called to complain about the office temps. Their response of "Well, it's 68 here, so what's the problem?" enraged us all. Yes, Karen, it may be 68 there in San Diego, but it's friggin 47 degrees in our office right now. Fix it or we are going to start burning furniture to keep warm!!
#22
People really DO listen to the recordings of your phone calls that “may be recorded for quality assurance and training purposes.” There’s an entire industry surrounding aggregating and analyzing the data from those calls and how they went from a compliance and QC perspective.
#23
That product you purchased a few months ago that's been on backorder that you called about the other day?
Uh...it's not still on backorder. Well, it is, but we had to reorder it because it came in the other day and no one put your name on it and it got sold. Sorry.
ScrapieChick 1 year ago
I worked in handling and logistics for years, that's bad stock management, not all companies work that way.
#24
Hospitals are f*****g disgusting
David Clarke 1 year ago
You want to go into the labs (I worked many all Iver the country as a field engeneer). I've seen public toilets and portal loos cleaner than them!
#25
One of my funniest secrets as a teacher is using a 'magic word' that makes all my students immediately stop making noise and pay attention to me. That word is 'cookies'! When I say it, everyone instantly freezes and looks at me expecting me to get a tasty snack out of my bag. Of course, I don't always get cookies, but it helps me keep control in class and make learning more interesting and fun.
#26
Shutting down a nuclear plant is far easier than you think (or the movies have you believe). I know of a dozen ways I can shut down our plant -- none of which require access to the control room.
My favorite one was someone closing a 3/8" valve on the roof of a building, causing a plant trip.
The hard part is keeping a plant running! Everything is so finely balanced that it takes very little to shut it down.
PolymathNecromancer 1 year ago
Idk why the bad rap on these plants, honestly............. lessest of many evils imo
#27
I no longer work there, but I try to spread this info every time, because it helps the bottom-line.
AutoZone: Return-swaps (when you return an item you previously bought, for a different item) and warranty-swaps (a warranty item is damaged and swapped out for a new one) count as sales.
AutoZone's warranty policy covers ANY damage *taps a baseball bat against the counter* aside from general use wear and tear. *drops a hammer on the floor* Whoops, how clumsy of me.
All I'm saying is it would be a real shame if your used break pads got snapped in half, by accident. Something about Auto Zone break pads... They're the same as the ones in every other store, and at the dealership, but they somehow keep coming back snapped in half, just before they're worn down into the "red zone." Oh well, gotta honor the warranty.
So would you like a warranty on those break pads, sir or ma'm?
#28
When I fix your car there is no magic plunger to magically suck the dents out. I have to do lots of stuff.
Boris Long-Johnson 1 year ago
PDR is pretty magic - although usually rods to push rather than plungers to pull.
#29
Your mobile telco runs a lot of telemetry on their networks and already knows about the issue you're experiencing. It'll get fixed when it's worthwhile to do so.
Running a call centre and accepting coverage or speed complaints is a PR exercise and regulatory requirement. These complaints never make their way to engineering.
ScrapieChick 1 year ago
What annoys me more is the data usage charges. Your provider only has to pay for the initial connection not the amount of data you consume e.g. it costs them no more for you to spend 3 hours doom scrolling through social media (if you remain connected to the network) that it does for you to spend 30 seconds checking your bank balance. If this has changed I am happy to be corrected but you'll use a lot of data searching for info
#30
You would probably not eat out so much if you could see what is going on behind a wall in the kitchens of most food establishments.
What do you think ?
Petra Schaap 1 year ago
i work as a cleaner. "it doesnt have to be clean, it has to LOOK clean"
SkyBlueandBlack 1 year ago
Glad to know I've been cleaning like a pro since I was a teen!
Load More Replies...
John Smith 1 year ago
Bleaching ruins the enamel and can cause cancer. White teeth are NOT natural.
Load More Replies... Petra Schaap 1 year ago
i work as a cleaner. "it doesnt have to be clean, it has to LOOK clean"
SkyBlueandBlack 1 year ago
Glad to know I've been cleaning like a pro since I was a teen!
Load More Replies... John Smith 1 year ago
Bleaching ruins the enamel and can cause cancer. White teeth are NOT natural.
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