Slacker tip #7 - Play dumb
The biggest mistake you can make at a job is letting them know what you know. By this I mean, if you are hired to print invoices, then all you need to do to get paid is print invoices. Do not let them know that you are an English whiz or before long you’ll be printing invoices and proofreading company correspondence all while getting paid to be an invoice printer.
If you’re a slacker, then chances are that you are not this much of an over-achiever anyway. However, sometimes you can let them know you have other skills by accident. Say your department is having printing problems, and you really need to be able to use the printer because you need to print out the confirmation from Ticketmaster for the Shakira tickets you just bought online. After a few minutes of tinkering on you computer, you fix the printer problem for yourself and are retrieving your confirmation from the printer only to have the office busybody asking how you got something to print. Congratulations, you’ve just fucked yourself. You’re now going to get the pay of an office assistant, while also getting asked to do light IT work around the office.
In the event that you do end up outing yourself as multi-skilled, the best defense is always to play dumb. They ask, “How did you do that?” and you reply, “I dunno, I just pressed print” and that is that. If you have been an effective slacker up to this point then they will really believe that you do not know.
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