There are so many people out there that are genuinely professional bullsh*ters. It’s sad to say, but a lot of them succeed.This rule surely has to have a draw back.

27 comments

  2. I’ve worked with a couple, work with one now. Knows all the lingo but has barely any technical chops. Enough to pass an interview, but after that it’s like you say ‘fake it till you make it’. Definitely made it though, earns about £250k a year. Brown nosing and gift of the gab > what you know.

  3. “Fake it ’till you make it” works pretty well, you know – especially for things like studying or getting ahead at work. The “faking it” is nothing more than building habits.

    It’s not universal. Pretending that you’re rich or can afford to be an arrogant bell is enforcing some habits that are likely to take you *away* from your goal.

  4. What comes to mind is people who buy expensive cars, holidays, etc entirely on credit that they don’t have the funds to pay off. So on social media and to their friends they always look like they’re ahead with the newest phone etc, but really they’re up to their eyeballs in debt and digging deeper the whole time. You can’t fake your way into that luxury lifestyle without some serious consequences coming for you down the line.

  5. Pretty much everywhere. “You can fool all of the people some of time; you can fool some of the people all of the time, but you can’t fool all the people all the time.” An actual Abraham Lincoln quote, I didn’t see it on twitter though.

  6. When I employed someone for their expertise in a subject field and also their training ability to increase site skills.

    Unfortunately they’d only just started the course they were waiting on the results for and knew less than me and it was clear to everybody. She didn’t last the probation period.

  7. Depends on the environment I guess.

    I’d say it eventually falls apart when you have to make actual decisions that impact real, money making ventures, at least in IT.

    You can get a hell of a long way just playing the game in middle management. I’ve seen people do it for years.

    In summary, if you talk loudly and often in corporate speak, without actually saying anything of value, you’re half the way there.

    Pad your days out with meetings, make sure you type loudly at your desk to let everyone know how hard you work. Dress professionally, and talk to directors about ‘important’ things. Base your entire identity around shit takeaway coffee.

    Eventually you will be moved either sideways, or upwards, because people secretly despise you and just want you out of earshot. But go too far, and you’ll realise you’re way in above your head, unable to make the big decisions, and you’re fucked.

  8. In my experience, faking being sociable but you didn’t sleep enough and your ability to fake being outgoing is the first thing to go.

    I think anything that’s trying to hide a long-standing problem (eg personality, time-keeping, disorganisation) you’ve had will be tough to flawlessly keep up. Maybe you can outrun it for long enough that it goes away though.

  9. >It’s sad to say, but a lot of them succeed.

    Why is that “sad to say”? What’s bad about people having the confidence and belief in themselves to be ambitious?

    I have put myself forward for promotions and job hopping a lot and I’ve grown into the roles well over time and have gotten to a very strong salary position as a result. If I had the attitude of “I don”t know how to do that so I shouldn’t apply” I wouldn’t have gotten anywhere…

  10. “Fake it till you make it” was always my Uncle’s policy, which is probably why he got struck off the medical register in the end

  12. When someone screams “Is there a doctor onboard at 30,000 ft in the air and your wife shouts, my husband is a doctor… then you realise you aren’t her husband, you are her brother whos just got out of prison for stealing medical equipment”

  15. Fails usually in highly regulated environments, where certification, documentation etc are important. Or in very technical subjects where expert knowledge is important, but usually weeded out in interviews.

    Even in specialist areas, a degree of faking it is definitely possible if you’re managing a very competent team who just want to get on with their jobs without interference.

  17. I work in a profession which absolutely requires foreign language skills. Overheard my boss ages ago talking about a girl they’d interviewed who absolutely crumbled when they tested her German.

  18. I bullshit my way through everything. The key is knowing about the subject before attempting it, many people fail when asked something simple but give either a wrong or complex answer.

  20. I always assumed that you can’t “make it” if you are still “faking it”. To me it describes a journey, where the goal is to no longer need to fake it.

  24. Evolutionarily overconfidence came about because it often works out. If both “players” in the game make the risk calculation accurately, neither will take the risk. But if you have that risk taking inclination then it’s basically a freebie, as no one else is fighting for it. The drawback is that sometimes it doesn’t work. But on average it’s a good enough trait to have that it remains prevalent within certain thresholds

  27. When the country finds out you’ve partied your way through lockdown?

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