Hi! I’m Claire Francis, Chief Creative Commissioner of claireshegoes.com.
How does that sound? Strange? Exciting? Could you automatically tell what I do, or were you confused? Some of today’s job titles are alternately eye-catching and corny, and I wanted dive in and explore this trend.
Martial Artists need not apply
As I began looking up these new workplace words, I was glad to learn that I’m not the only one who’s noticed a difference in how today’s professionals refer to themselves. Friends mentioned people who go by things such as Imagineer. One of my cousins mentioned an Office Ninja, which I suppose shouldn’t be confused with a Creative Ninja.
While some job titles leave no mystery about a person’s duties, others sound like they’re straight out of another dimension. The first time I saw the term “UX Designer,” I ignored it. I thought it referred to something I’m not interested in – computer programming. However, I was completely surprised to learn that “UX” stood for “user experience.” Funny how a definition can make a job a lot easier to relate to than its label ever could.
Wizards and gurus and what the heck?
How about Chief Ideation Officer? My immediate question was, what, exactly, is “ideation? According to this, it ”comprises all the processes involved in taking an idea from its initial conception through to its realization.” Therefore, a Chief Ideation Officer or CIO is a person who oversees this process. Goodness knows, the title sounds a lot more professional than, say, Idea Wizard.
In spite of the popularity of new jobs and their clever labels, a friend shared an idea that I couldn’t ignore. “[These titles] aren’t transferrable to other companies.” At first I almost disagreed, but she does have a point. How many companies need a Director of Ethical Hacking? Another friend admits to referring to herself as a Social Media Thingy – because the term “guru” is grossly (and erroneously) overused in her industry – plus she finds that it gets a lot of attention on her LinkedIn profile.
Seriously, though
Maybe that’s a part of the appeal – because some titles are downright chuckle-worthy. Still, it’s important to stay grounded when you come across these new labels. While we live in the age of personal branding, these new names can’t change the things that make someone a valuable employee. And as far as industrial sales headhunter Henry Goldbrick is concerned, an employee would do well to think twice about putting that novel job title on their resume, anyway.
In the end, a clever handle can’t help a person’s professional skills – and it might just hamper the chances of landing a another job.
So what’s your take? What are some of the most unusual job titles you’ve come across? Share your thoughts in the comments section below.