Exhibit A: the recent appointment offered by Envirowaste. For someone, on a salary of £20,000 per year, to be their ‘hidden gem finder’.
Now, are they looking for someone to scour fields with a metal detector? An Indiana Jones wannabe exploring unchartered lands? Or perhaps a job seeker prepared to spend all their time on eBay, looking for that ‘special something’?
No. What the job entails is turning over mound after mound of collected waste in the search for anything of any value or worth. The job description invites candidates with ‘an eye for detail’. A given. And also ‘a strong nose, with no squeamish tendencies’. Quite.
Which got us thinking…how many other job titles live up to the position’s actual duties? Are there more roles out there that sound like the bees’ knees, when they’re actually the dog’s breakfast?
Fancy being a chick sexer? It could mean working the security at Hugh Hefner’s place. It’s actually exactly what it says on the tin: it’s someone who determines the sex of chicks.
Someone, on their C.V., described themselves as a ‘Beverage Dissemination Officer’. Though it may suggest scientific analysis under laboratory conditions, it’s actually a bartender. Still, you have to admire the candidate’s ambition and sense of self.
Then there are the jobs that don’t wander into the realms of ambiguity, but fall into the realm of ‘rock-star-type-roles’. Like ‘Space Travel Agent’, which, again, is absolutely accurate. This is the job title of the guy who books trips on Virgin Galactic. Out of this world!
Coming back to ‘odd jobs’; apparently, there’s a designated role entitled ‘Cheese Sprayer’. The job of this guy or gal is to spray popcorn with cheese or butter, by hand. Here’s one that’s definitely accurate…would you like to train to be a ‘Pornography Historian’?
Wacky jobs and titles aside, there’s also a trend for jobseekers to apply trendy words to familiar roles. Digital marketing job, in particular, seem more prone than others to have ‘ninjas’ or ‘gurus’ working in the field. And no more are you an advertising assistant - you’re now a ‘Brand Defender’!
Using overblown terms like this may see a C.V. stand out from the many that recruiters have to wade through, but it may not be for the reasons the jobseeker intends. Raising a smile is one thing, but if it smacks of pretention or a lack of professionalism, the applicant may fail to raise an interview.
In the digital world, these terms won’t be the ones recruiters search for, which again, sets the jobseeker at a disadvantage. And if a title is too ambiguous, don’t assume the recruiter will spend their precious time working out what the job actually entails – when the job market is as competitive as it is, it’s far easier for them to just pick up the next application.
Are job titles all that important? They can demonstrate competence, and hierarchy. They can be the alternative to a pay rise, in recognition of great service. They can also be what you’re judged upon, so take heed.