7 ms·
I will not comment on the technical part, as others already did it better than I could, but it just reminded me of an anecdote that reminds of the importance of
by aftoprokrustes 2y ago
I will not comment on the technical part, as others already did it better than I could, but it just reminded me of an anecdote that reminds of the importance of such trivial things as a period at the end of a sentence:
In Germany, where I work, it is usual at the end of employement to ask for a letter of recommendation ("Zeugnis") that lists the tasks performed, and how good the employee was. It is an important document, as it will typcally be required when applying for jobs. Obviously, no employee would accept a document explicitly stating "this guy is a lazy bastard, do not hire him", so there is a "Zeugnissprache", a "secret code" to disguise this information as praise. One part of this code is that a missing period in the last sentence means "please ignore everything said here, this guy is horrible".
How do I know? I let a lawyer check my Zeugnis after my last employment, and (I assume out of lack of care, as all my performance reviews were positive) the last sentence was missing the period.
- lisper 2y ago> One part of this code is that a missing period in the last sentence means "please ignore everything said here, this guy is horrible". Gee, what could possibly go wrong?
- mwigdahl 2y agoDid you check your performance reviews to see if they were missing periods also?
- pests 2y agoWhy would they need to keep it secret if its a review and internal-only?
- Biganon 2y agoSecret codes being used in recommandation letters are an urban legend. HR people have no incentive to create a secret code for them and their potential rivals, let alone teach it to new HR people while also keeping it secret. This legend comes from the fact that HR people cannot be too explicit about the fact that you've been a pain in the ass (you could probably sue if it's too transparent), so if they have nothing positive to say they will commend your punctuality or something equally as mundane. It's not secret codes, it's like... "bless their heart", but in HR talk. Plausible deniability if you want to sue, I guess. "But it's a good thing, your honor! They were always on time!"
- boxed 2y agoSo.. secret codes are a myth, and here are some examples of secret codes?
- Biganon 2y agoPlease refrain from willingly picking the naive interpretation when you've understood my point perfectly fine, it's against the rules of this website. ...sigh: Secret codes as in "watermark-level omission of characters" are a myth. Lingo and jargon do however exist, and convey meaning in a particularly subtle way. They are shared and taught by culture, not by a secret handbook passed down from generation to generation. See also dogwhistling. The goal is to protect the issuer, not to selflessly inform the recipient.
- HankB99 2y agoThis reminds me of the joke whose punch line is > You will be lucky to have this person work for you.
- angst_ridden 2y ago"I cannot recommend X too highly. X always served as an example to their colleagues. The quality of X's code was unequalled in our department, and X's work always merited special attention." (etc)
- doktrin 2y ago> I cannot recommend X too highly This isn't a veiled statement. It's outright dunking on the applicant.
- thedanbob 2y agoIt can be interpreted both ways: "I cannot recommend X too highly (because they suck)" vs "I cannot recommend X too highly (because whatever praise I give will be inadequate)"
- shellycharls9 2y ago[dead]
- meisenhus 2y ago[dead]