Strange job titles are becoming more and more common as companies, employees and recruitment agents increasingly look to make their job adverts and personal brands stand out in the digital marketplace.
The 2010s have been a weird time for the job market. Companies have been increasingly trying to pander to a dominantly millennial workforce that they cannot seem to quite figure out and numerous startup founders and executives have been trying to showcase their originality.
The result of this has been increasingly bizarre creative job titles that don’t seem to describe the actual work being done. These may appear funny on a business card, but on an optimized resume, they can seem out of place.
To provide an introduction to this phenomenon we’ve listed our top ten favorite examples of this trend. We’re also going to show how you can adjust your resume so that you don’t confuse recruiters with one of these creative monikers.
10. Happiness Hero
Bringing happiness to the world is a dream for many people. Luckily now you can, if your goal is to bring happiness to customers who are experiencing difficulties via email. That’s right, a Happiness Hero is a customer service operative but with a far more positive spin.
9. Word Wizard
When’s a writer, not a writer? When they’re a word wizard that’s when! Despite this exciting title, this is not a type of scribe who can actually do magic (unless stated otherwise by the company). However, if you do have supernatural abilities or attended Hogwarts, be sure to get it on your resume, as you might be just the employee the company was looking for.
8. Fashion Evangelist
If fashion is your religion then this former position at Tumblr might be a job suited to you. What does a fashion evangelist do? They do exactly the same as any online fashion editor, they collaborate with major brands, designers and bloggers to curate the best content.
7. Galactic Travel Agent
Whilst this job title sounds bizarre it’s actually 100% descriptive of the job on offer. This is because it’s from a position offered by Virgin Galactic, the fledgling space tourism company. The role of a Galactic Travel Agent is to lead people through the process of traveling on a once in a lifetime trip to space, so this is a job title that really fulfills its own hype for once.
6. Digital Prophet
No, your job is not to lead people to the land of digital milk and honey or present the 10 digital commandments. The digital prophet job title was first used by former AOL executive David Shing. What does it mean? Basically, it was a position focusing on seeking out new business and branding opportunities for tech companies.
5. Chief Troublemaker
This unusual entry is basically a reimagined CEO title. Many founders and CEOs of new upstart tech and lifestyle companies see themselves as disruptors and the Chief Troublemaker job title is the result.
4. Mother Repairer
While this job title sounds odd it is actually a good description of what the new hire must do. That said, people searching for a Mother Repairer are not actually looking for someone to heal their relationship with a parent. They are instead on the search for someone to repair a metal phonograph record matrice, which is also known as a “mother”.
3. King/Queen of Rigor
PR can be an inventive and imaginative sector, as demonstrated by our entry at number 3 from London Based consultancy V Unlimited. A King or Queen of Rigor is, in reality, a rather regal title for an Account Director within a public relations agency.
2. Digital Overlord
If your goal is to rule the digital galaxy then this would seem to be the job for you (or a Silicon Valley-based Darth Vader). However, in truth, a Digital Overlord is a somewhat original rebranding for a website manager.
1. Dream Alchemist
This job title has it all, it’s got fanciful optimism in its use of the word “dream” and “alchemist” to add a sense of mystique and magic. What does it mean? That itself is a little vague, however, it is sometimes used in the marketing and promotion industry, suggesting it will involve account management of some sort.
The Most Ridiculous Trendy Job Title Terms
Everyone loves a trend and it seems that recruiters are no different. Gone are terms like “executive”, “associate”, “specialist” and “expert” we’d become familiar with on job titles. In are the following increasingly common examples:
- Rockstar
- Ninja
- Evangelist
- Hero
- Genius
- Wizard
- Guru
- Superhero
What to Do If You Have an Unrecognizable Job Title
Whilst creative job titles are more likely to be shared on social media, they aren’t necessarily the most helpful if you’re trying to describe the work you do. This, of course, can cause problems when trying to actually explain to a company what you did in previous positions on your resume.
Confusing a hiring manager with your job title is the last thing you want a resume to do as it will waste time or try a recruiter’s patience, especially if they’re particularly busy. However, to avoid this fate, simply follow these top tips:
- Use your resume summary or objective statement to provide more context about your industry knowledge and skills
- Add a good amount of bullet points explaining the responsibilities you had in the job in question
- Provide plenty of detail about your expertise in your cover letter
- Draw attention away from the job title by emphasizing the name of the company or the dates of employment in the work experience section
- If your former or current job title was particularly outlandish, you could provide a short translation to a more recognizable example or adjust your title to one that fits your experience in the role
The most important thing your resume can do is look good and read well. If you’re looking for help getting your document right, try one of our professional templates and resume builder tool to give your application a professional edge.
