A woman revealed a list of “problematic cheat codes” to help advance your career at the office with minimum effort.
Courtney Johnson, who is known as @courtney..johnson on TikTok, posted a video in which she shares ways to advance their careers with little effort. She refers to them as “problematic cheat codes.”
@courtney..johnson #greenscreen ♬ original sound – courtney johnson
Johnson’s first tip, for those who want a bit of alone time at work, is to “fill your calendar with fake meetings or ‘work blocks.’” Her second tip? “I don’t care if you wear glasses or not but psychology has consistently demonstrated when people see photos of others wearing glasses, they assume they’re smarter,” Johnson says in the video.
If you work in person: “Always have a jar of candy on your desk.” On the other hand, if you work remotely, “always write down people’s kids and dog names and ask by name how their kids and dogs are doing,” Johnson says. And finally, “If you can Google it, don’t ask it.” Why? “Because you will look stupid,” she concludes.
The Daily Dot reached out to Johnson via Instagram DM and TikTok for comment. The video has amassed more than 755,000 since it was posted on July 19.
Many commenters cheered Johnson for her list and said they use the same hacks. However, not everyone agreed all of them are good ideas.
“I do all these things and they really work,” one user wrote.
“Currently doing all of this and winning without effort,” a second agreed.
“As a remote worker, just answering the unscheduled teams call goes as far as the jar of candy these days lol,” wrote user It’sFine.
“Not just kids and dogs, remember an obscure thing about someone and bring it up. This works outside of work too,” wrote isthissanto.
Johnson isn’t the only TikToker to go viral after sharing her career hacks. Users have started conversations by sharing corporate PSAs and tips for how to not look lazy while working from home.
Update 4:19pm CT, July 31, 2023: During an interview with the Daily Dot, Johnson revealed how she’s worked as a marketing consultant for 10 years.
“I learned these from pattern recognition, then testing them on my own,” she shared via Instagram direct message. “I try to identify common traits and habits of successful people around me. Then I test and verify the tricks. It’s been a niche hobby of mine for years.”
The content creator claimed that her tips work well for her industry but it’s not a guarantee for every single one. However, she did give a piece of advice: be your biggest cheerleader.
“No one is coming to discover you,” she said. “You have to stick your next out and publicly promote yourself consistently throughout your entire career. You are your biggest cheerleader. You got this!”
