The Olympics creates thousands of positions for temporary workers and volunteers, according to the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development.
Employees keep the facilities clean and athletes fed.
The Winter Games start next week.

The 2018 Olympics kick off Feb. 9 in Pyeongchang, South Korea, where about 2,900 athletes from around the world will face off in front of an expected 3 billion TV viewers. But the Olympians aren't the only ones you'll see on camera — there are scores of workers and volunteers making sure the international sports competition runs smoothly.

For every high-stakes ice skating performance, for example, there's a person who has to resurface the arena with a Zamboni. For every spectator-packed luge event at the Olympic Sliding Centre, there's a person who has to pick up all the trash. And for every hungry Shaun White, there's a person who has to cook his food.

The 2012 Olympics in London created 100,000 jobs, according to the Independent; other games have created up to 300,000. The gigs are often temporary and entry-level, but they're also entertaining from afar.

Take a look at some of the weirdest positions offered at past Olympics.

Bug catcher

In 2008, the New York Times was briefly obsessed with a woman it called "Ms. Bug Catcher," whose job it was to sit by the beach volleyball net and catch moths that liked the lights.

Zamboni driver

Minnesota resident Adam Stirn was recently tapped to be one of eight Americans in charge of keeping the hockey rinks in Pyeongchang nice and even.

"It’s all about keeping the players safe, giving them a quality sheet of ice," Stirn told KMSP earlier this month. "Hard, fast, that’s what they’re looking for, and that’s hopefully what we’ll be able to give them."

Head of IT

Michèle Hyron's official title at the 2016 Olympics in Rio de Janeiro was chief integrator, which meant she was involved in Wi-Fi, analytics, accreditation and data processing. She's been involved with the games for about a decade.

"What makes it different from any other project is that the Olympic Games are delivered and executed in the spotlight under the eyes of the world. That being said, in many ways it is like any other major IT project, where focus and discipline are the key criteria for success," she told ITProPortal in 2012. "The key is not to let the pressure get to you. We must always remain calm and focused on the end result."

Lifeguard

Reuters reported in 2016 that no Olympic swimmer has ever needed a lifeguard, but Brazilian law required them anyway for the games in Rio de Janeiro.

Buffet chef

In 2016, a team of cooks made 60,000 meals every day for athletes and staff, according to the Associated Press. Hungry Olympians could choose from Brazilian, Asian, international, halal and kosher buffets, as well as one that consisted just of pizza and pasta.

"People don't know how complex it is to put out safe food. We know that this is a very sensitive subject that could influence a result or an athlete's medal," food director Marcello Cordeiro told the AP at the time.

Sweat cleaner

A set of janitors at the 2012 Olympics in London had a very specific role: mopping up the sweat from badminton and volleyball players. And they were totally into it.

"We run through the cheerleaders, who shake their pompoms above our heads, make us feel like royalty," janitor Josh Kirk told the Wall Street Journal. "We walk to the center of the court and do a two-handed wave, which for cool, trendy 17- and 18-year-olds is quite embarrassing. But it's part of the job. You milk it a bit."

A New York Times investigation has shone a new light on companies that sell fake followers to social media users.
Many for-sale Twitter bots have been linked to stolen identities.
At least one journalist has faced professional consequences for buying Twitter followers.

There's no drug like online validation, but the addiction could cost you your career.

That's the message of a New York Times article published Sunday investigating Devumi, a company that's become famous for selling enterprising social media users YouTube views, LinkedIn connections and, most notably, scores of fake Twitter followers. For as little as $10, you can buy 500 Devumi-created followers that will happily retweet and like anything you share.

Getting automatic engagement on your Twitter posts may sound like a great idea. After all, more than 80 percent of human resources professionals told SHRM last year that they used social media to recruit new employees. Just imagine: A potential boss checks out your profile, gasps at the follower count and ends up so impressed with your influence that he DMs you a job offer on the spot.

But there are consequences to inflating your Twitter numbers with bots. Here are just a few reasons to avoid taking advantage of fake follower services.

It affects others.

The bots sold online are often stolen identities. This has been going on for years — back in 2014, The Verge unveiled the prevalence of fake accounts on Instagram. Spammers copy a real person's name, avatar and photos to make a shell profile they can then sell to users seeking more likes.

"It's reposting my real photos with the same captions. One of the captions mentioned my friend, and he was notified and told me," Instagram user Mario Moretto told The Verge at the time.

Not cool.

It could soon be illegal.

After the publication of the Times story, New York Attorney General Eric Schneiderman tweeted that he was launching an investigation into Devumi's practices of impersonation and deception.

Devumi insists the followers it sells are real, but Schneiderman has his doubts.

"The internet should be one of the greatest tools for democracy—but it’s increasingly being turned into an opaque, pay-to-play playground," he wrote. "The growing prevalence of bots means that real voices are too often drowned out in our public conversation. Those who can pay the most for followers can buy their way to apparent influence."

There could be consequences.

Buying fake followers is not only frowned upon — it could also hurt you professionally. The Chicago Sun-Times suspended its film critic, Richard Roeper, on Tuesday amid rumors that he purchased Twitter followers. Slate reported that editor-in-chief Chris Fusco released a statement saying the paper is looking into "issues relating to Rich Roeper’s Twitter account" and "will not be publishing any reviews or columns by Rich until this investigation is complete."

It’s risky.

It isn't hard for potential employers to figure out what percentage of your fans are legit. Sites like twitteraudit.com make it easy to see how valid someone’s inflated following is.

As of Tuesday night, for example, only about 58 percent of President Donald Trump's 47.2 million followers were thought to be real.

There are better way to get followers.

Pumping up your social media presence can be a good way to show employers you're internet-savvy, interested in your work and well-versed in networking with major players in the industry.

If you want more followers, Sprout has tips: Try tweeting more, scheduling your content to publish throughout the day and using hashtags to help people find your account. You'll be an (authentic) influencer in no time.

The Olympics aren’t just for athletes — here are 6 odd jobs you can get at the games