This is a slightly strange use to me. It also uses a common misspelling. It should be "per se"; I think it's Latin. It means "in itself", or "by itself". Some examples: - It's not winning the lottery per se that makes some people unhappy. It's the way it changes the people around them. - It's not the actual job per se that he likes, it's the people that he works with. - I don't dislike butter per se, just that particular butter.

US: There are a few Latin words and phrases that are used in English. "Per se" is one of those phrases. It means "in or by itself"/"without anything else." It's often used in legal writing. A lot of people misuse the phrase when they want to sound fancy or formal. (If they write "per say," they are probably using the phrase wrong and don't really know what it means - but they know it's formal sounding). In this case, the person has no idea what the phrase means. He/she has thrown it in because he/she thinks it makes him sound important. So the correct way for you to understand it is "I used to be the manager. And I really people to think I am smart."

Although it is often assumed the phrase is written 'Per say' it is actually written 'Per Se'. It is a Latin phrase meaning "by itself, in itself, of itself". https://readable.com/blog/how-to-correctly-use-per-se/