Comments on: Job Titles 2.0: Brilliant, Bullshit, or Both?

By: juston

juston — Wed, 12 Oct 2011 00:35:56 +0000

How about principal interaction solution strategist….or PISS for short

By: Glen Lipka

Glen Lipka — Sat, 25 Jun 2011 15:46:33 +0000

My title is Mayor of Awesome Town. Im in charge of user experience design.

By: Business director job office

Business director job office — Wed, 22 Dec 2010 04:07:34 +0000

[...] Job Titles 2.0: Brilliant, Bullshit, or Both? | MarketingProfs 4 Apr 2007. 41 Responses to “Job Titles 2.0: Brilliant, Bullshit, or Both?”… No room on the card for chief cook and bottle-washer, however….. Doing the Unexpected: Proctor & Gamble Gets Into a New Game (8). By Ted Mininni Job Titles 2.0: Brilliant, Bullshit, or Both? | MarketingProfs [...]

By: Feminist appropriation: the truth of the matter

Feminist appropriation: the truth of the matter — Thu, 02 Dec 2010 14:06:29 +0000

[...] day companies make up bizarre job titles, celebrities re-invent themselves, and the world continues to [...]

By: David Wenger

David Wenger — Fri, 09 Apr 2010 14:40:15 +0000

Good timing on the article, with the recent WSJ article on tech startups beginning to hire “ninjas,” employees skilled in using multiple technology tools, much like the feudal Japanese warriors used throwing stars, knives and darts.

I interviewed one of our former students who is launching a company in San Francisco about this phenomenon.

I think this can be a good way to identify rapidly changing work processes and approaches without getting hung up with old-style titles, but you have to worry whether it gets a bit too precious and cute. If you want more:

http://bit.ly/dn418D

By: Rey

Rey — Tue, 23 Mar 2010 16:04:18 +0000

Ok here is one. 13 Years ago I worked for a Call Center. I did outbound calls when I first started trying to collect insurance information. I would always introduce myself as a Information Retrieval Services. When to one of my wifes corporate dinners and she introduced me as a “Dialer” to her coworkers. Hahaha so funny.
Even this day I dont know how to introduce my self. I have long past my work as a dialer over 12 years ago

Rey
Insurance Specialist Financial Advisor Manager etc… etc… etc..

By: Trish

Trish — Sun, 21 Mar 2010 21:53:13 +0000

Hi Ann

I’m a huge fan of Anu’s daily emails too, it’s nice to know that whatever else is going on there’s always one in the inbox that you want to read! I’ve recommended it to so many people over the years and it’s always received really well. I love the “thought of the day” at the end also.

We’ve just done business cards and I’m really pleased I read the above before I gave the ok on the final proof. Since it’s a new start up we went for the slightly more conservative titles of Webmaster and Project Manager – it’s a short run so as we evolve we can change the cards too

Trish

By: Jason Petty

Jason Petty — Sat, 05 Dec 2009 04:45:33 +0000

If you want to be taken seriously in business, then you need a title which reflects to your counterparts, what you do. Silly titles may not get your phone calls returned.
-Jason Petty
Vice President, Nefty Scrap Metal

By: Rodelio Lagahit

Rodelio Lagahit — Wed, 18 Nov 2009 22:17:20 +0000

“kewl”…. can’t wait to replicate!

By: Angela Lauria

Angela Lauria — Tue, 03 Nov 2009 19:31:21 +0000

I was the Director of Long Tail Marketing at Voxant (now Grab Networks) and had a Word of Mouth Marketing Manager reporting to me.

By: Geoff

Geoff — Sun, 30 Aug 2009 22:59:19 +0000

Awesome article and thread! I’ll be checking out some of those links right away.
I’m in the same quandry right now with respect to titles as I start with… heck, it’s hard to even define that. In general, I will be blogging, educating, and networking for http://www.indicee.com and we are stumped on a title.
There have been some great points raised throughout this thread and I hope to incorporate this body of knowledge into the process.
Thanks,

By: Laura

Laura — Wed, 10 Jun 2009 22:03:07 +0000

Isn’t the whole point that the title is going on your business cards and perhaps even your nameplate on your desk? My guess is that IF you’re in a company that encourages thinking beyond the boring, your office probably looks more on the creative side too. Like Spike said, you don’t have to eliminate yourself from consideration on your resume. Let the resume (and the HR paperwork) include the boring title and follow it with the more descriptive one. That way you keep the conservative key words for the search engines and show a little flair with the creative title!
Great discussion!!
Laura Porter
Director of Possibilities
(currently laid off and looking for a company that encourages creativity!)

By: Julie

Julie — Mon, 11 May 2009 23:54:06 +0000

My Title is Director of All Things Fun, Meaningful & Rewarding. I refuse to have something “generic”. It defines the organization I work for, and me. And yes, it fits on a card. I also let my team decide on their own titles. I’ve got Manager of Projects That Make an Impact. (We work in Corporate Philanthropy – and oversee corporate volunteers and grants!)
Thanks for great post and discussion!

By: matt

matt — Thu, 13 Nov 2008 11:29:51 +0000

I like, “Office Ninja.” That’s much more descriptive than plain-ol’ “Office Manager”
The way business is now, titles should probably be randomly queried from a list of accurate and descriptive titles/adjectives in a database!

By: Job Titles & Descriptions

Job Titles & Descriptions — Wed, 05 Nov 2008 20:27:04 +0000

Ann, that is an interesting article. This is very relavant to my website http://www.jobtitles.org and I would like to seek permission to use this article on my website with due credits and a link to your profile and this article on mpdailyfox.com !! Can I do that ?

By: Mark

Mark — Thu, 26 Jun 2008 20:02:46 +0000

Spike/aka Firestarter, I love the title! Motivating!
Mind if I use it?

By: graham

graham — Sat, 24 Nov 2007 08:16:09 +0000

I have, for many years, found corporate bull an amusing subject. If one took out all the bull from business meetings and discussions, you would be left with a lot of really unimportant and superficial stuff. I wrote an amusing "Corporate Speech Maker" entitled "Corporate Bull". You can find it here: http://www.designedpresentations.com/documents/corporate%20bull.pdf See my blog here: http://graham-mclusky.blogspot.com/ Its got nothing to do with corporate bull but we can always make an exception!

By: Steve Woodruff

Steve Woodruff — Tue, 17 Apr 2007 15:14:44 +0000

Well, I’ve straddled the fence on this one. For one side of my business (the more formal and traditional side), I have the traditional President and Founder thing; but for the creative marketing side, I’m the Chief Idea Officer. No room on the card for chief cook and bottle-washer, however…

By: Spike

Spike — Mon, 09 Apr 2007 13:59:53 +0000

Awww, Ann. Quit it. You’re making me blush. What’s a blog worth, anyway, if there’s no debate going on?
Harry – Thanks for the lesson. But when and if I ever look for another job, don’t worry, I’ll put down my job as “Director of Business Development” or whatever nonsense the title might be by then. Maybe this mentality by the headhunters can be the axis for a shift in thinking about PEOPLE instead of TITLES. One company we worked for – a professional placement company as a matter of fact – asked us to change their name and identity. And now, do you know what they call themselves instead of “Placement Officer,” etc? “Great People Finders.”

By: Ann Handley

Ann Handley — Mon, 09 Apr 2007 12:35:24 +0000

Who knew a post like this could inspire such debate? Neil and Spike — this means you. : ) Really interesting perspectives.. great points. I admit that I particularly like Stephen Denny’s comment — “If you’re Spike (hell, even if you’re a guy *named* Spike) at a company called Brains on Fire, my guess is being the EVP of Client Services might strike one as odd.”
And Denny — check out Word of the Day this week — words that sound risque but aren’t. Today: testaceous.
http://wordsmith.org/words/today.html

By: Khurt Williams

Khurt Williams — Sun, 08 Apr 2007 15:37:21 +0000

Titles are meaningless. I am an information security manager at a large pharmaceutical firm. I provide the information and tools they need to properly manage the security risks associated with their information technology assets. Yes, my title, Senior Advisor, is less than descriptive of the work.

By: Jeremiah Owyang

Jeremiah Owyang — Sat, 07 Apr 2007 19:07:49 +0000

As a social media consultant at PodTech.net (where Robert Scoble also works) I interface with a lot of these folks. You can see this list of role descriptions as well as a few of my favorites folks who do this type of role http://www.web-strategist.com/blog/2007/03/26/understanding-the-technology-evangelist-role-a-few-of-my-favorite-folks/

By: jaded

jaded — Sat, 07 Apr 2007 04:17:51 +0000

Well I think alot of people can take on my title of “Shapeshifter” or maybe Mystique!

By: Harry Joiner

Harry Joiner — Fri, 06 Apr 2007 23:37:53 +0000

I hate to be a spoil sport here, but …
If I were to work for a company other than my own (knowing what I now know about the RACKET that is recruiting), I would want my title to be EXACTLY that which is in the greatest demand now and in the future.
Here’s why: When candidates put themselves on Monster and LinkedIn, they are hoping to be found by recruiters, right? Well, all recruiters use document matching technology to find resumes.
So if you have internet marketing expertise and duties, but you call yourself an “Online Marketing Maven,” recruiters like me won’t find you.
And if by pure dumb luck we do stumble upon your resume, if you have a clever title, then recruiters won’t know exactly what it means.
The best way to get the job of your dreams is to work your way up into that EXACT same title in your current company.
The second best way is to work your way up to the most logical job that is just one step away.
For example: If your goal is to someday be a VP of Ecommerce with a Fortune 500 company, then first become the VP of Ecommerce for your S&P 5000 company.
If that’s not possible, then find out what title is the second in command of the VP of Ecommerce (most likely the Director of Internet Marketing). Then become that.
It’s kind of like what happens when an NFL team looks for a new Head Coach: The first candidates they consider are head coaches with other NFL teams. The second candidates they consider are Assistant Head Coaches for NFL teams — or maybe Head Coaches for major college teams.
They would never consider a candidate who calls himself the “Chief Football Evangelist” … unless that guy had a really great record. ;->
Likewise, if you want to be the First Chair Violinist with the Boston Pops, then work your way up through the Second Chair.
Exceptions happen, but most recruiters are looking for an OBVIOUS fit for their open job recs. That’s (one reason) why recruiting is a RACKET.
See http://www.28-Job-Search-Tips.com

By: David Polinchock

David Polinchock — Fri, 06 Apr 2007 20:57:08 +0000

I’ve been the Chief Experience Officer (CXO) for a number of years, so I’m not sure that it counts as a Web 2.0 title. And I agree with some of the comments here. Since I’ve mostly worked for myself and had my own titles, it has hurt me in the past on those occassions when I decided to get a “real” job. No one ever knew how to place me. But, a google search for chief experience officer now shows 37,000+ entries, so I guess it’s catching on and maybe if I look for a real job in the future, I’ll finally fit in!

By: Spike

Spike — Fri, 06 Apr 2007 17:11:06 +0000

I swear, it seems I do nothing but stir things up on here…I like it!
Neil, point taken on the resume screening.
I totally disagree with you on the “classic” angle. Titles are one of those things in a lot of companies just never think about . It’s an overlooked touchpoint. A wasted part of a brand identity.
Yes, we’re recruiting a Senior Web Designer. But when we find one, we’ll ask him or her what they WANT their inspired title to be.
(I used to be the “New Business Hound.” But now, I’m the Firestarter.) As an identity company, we want your identity to permeate every nook and cranny of your company. It’s not something that’s just left up to the PR and marketing departments. It’s what makes up the culture. If Director of Business Development makes some people all warm and fuzzy and helps them sleep at night, then that’s great for them. But when I think of my title, it helps me think of all of the ways I can be a Firestarter. To ignite passion in others. To gather kindling and fan flames with kindred spirits – sure for new business, but also for friends and colleagues. I define my title instead of it defining me.
Listen. Protocol sucks. And more people need to question why and how things are done. “That’s the way we’ve always done it” is a one way ticket to extinction.
And lastly, we do work with dry, corporate America-land. But we help it become a little bit less dry or corporate.

By: Neil J. Squillante

Neil J. Squillante — Fri, 06 Apr 2007 05:23:31 +0000

Spike, a nontraditional title could knock you out of contention during resume screening — especially if the resumes are sorted by someone told to look for certain terms. I’m not defending such a shallow review, but it’s a reality.
Second, people still listen to Beatles songs. Tiny Tim not so much. Traditional titles aren’t tired, they’re classics that have become part of the fabric of business. New titles can make the leap to classic status (e.g., business development), but most won’t.
According to your site, you’re recruiting a Senior Web Designer. That one made the leap. I think the jury is still out on Firestarter though.
Lastly, doesn’t your agency serve “dry corporate America-land”? Those are the best clients!

By: David Armano

David Armano — Fri, 06 Apr 2007 04:38:18 +0000

I’m totally changing my title to CTO “Chief Tweet Officer” in honor of all things Twitter.

By: Stephen Denny

Stephen Denny — Fri, 06 Apr 2007 00:44:49 +0000

Titles and business cards reflect a lot about your company culture and your own role within it. If you’re Spike (hell, even if you’re a guy *named* Spike) at a company called Brains on Fire, my guess is being the EVP of Client Services might strike one as odd. Being the Firestarter at IBM, likewise, would raise a few eyebrows.
If you’re transitioning between Brains and IBM, or vice versa, more than just titles will need to be re-thought, in all likelihood.
(I should check out the word of the day — sounds good. I think we should all put one unusual word in each blog post and hyperlink it to the dictionary. Think of how smart we’d all get. My last post’s favorite was “specious”).
Thanks –

By: David Reich

David Reich — Thu, 05 Apr 2007 20:37:04 +0000

Sometimes I feel like it should be “Mission Out-of-Control.”