Job titles: the complex to the downright hilarious

Job titles have long been the basis of determining a person’s status and role within a business. I have noticed a considerable change in this over the last few years and have found job titles to be quite ambiguous, especially in the HR arena.

Understanding broad job titles

Job titles mean different things to different businesses, which can become quite confusing for everyone involved. HR Business Partner and HR Director are the two broadest areas as there are so many different levels in each role. I find that base salary and reporting lines are the best way to understand exactly where the role operates within a business.

‘Outside the box’ job titles

We live in a world where people no longer want traditional job titles and are trying to be innovative regarding titles. I feel that job titles should reflect the culture of a business and its people. A couple of businesses we have recently worked with have totally nailed this approach and continue to lead by example. During a recent conversation with a senior HR Director, they talked about people within your business being your differentiator and if you want them to ‘think outside the box’ then why give them an ‘inside the box’ job title. An interesting approach and one I’m sure will resonate with some of you.

Plain funny job titles

However, some companies have taken this to the extreme and I have uncovered some hilarious titles! Some of these titles give no clue as to what the job entails, although there seems to be quite a few around making people happy…whatever that means ??.

Here is a list of some of the strange ones I came across:

·        Director of Making People Happy and Content 

·        Creator of Happiness

·        Commissioner for Happiness and Purpose Fulfilment

·        Chief Happiness Hacker

·        Happiness Wrangler

·        Snake Milker

·        Bacon Critic

·        Wizard of Light Bulb Moments 

·        Recruitment Wizard

·        Sourcing Ninja

It appears there are no limits to the levels of creativity we can now reach with job titles. What’s the funniest title you have seen recently?

If you want to have a chat, you can contact me at [email protected].

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