What’s In A Name

What’s happened to job titles?

Once upon a time they were purely descriptive and about positioning within an internal structure but now it seems we are undertaking some bizarre word association game and trying to avoid telling others exactly what we actually do. I have over the last couple of years noticed that standard design industry job titles had been the subject of a steroid enhanced upgrade, but during this time of job searching, mass redundancies and alternative work processes, the incidence of nonsensical titles has shot off the scale.

I’m more than a little confused by the shift to elevated titles that were once the name tags of only a select senior few. It’s not yet reached that point where over the top cryptic terms are used to baffle and confuse such as the ridiculous Destination Counsellors for Travel Agents or Chimney Sweeps being referred to as Flueologists, but Project Managers now appear to be Design Managers, Senior Designers now Design Directors, Team Leaders are ridiculously called Managing Directors and Design Directors, Chief Creative Officers.

While I understand giving a client facing employee a title that gives comfort that the individual is of a caliber that engenders trust, authority or just basic competence the trend to ‘big up’ an individual beyond their capabilities or remit can only but lead to confusion and disappointment.
These vanity titles are all about a perceived stature amongst friends and acquaintances rather than helping to inform about the role and responsibilities. This status grab was highlighted in a recent survey of office workers with a shocking 70% saying they would take a better job title over an increase in salary.

Being a Manager, it seems, is no longer a definition for having a team underneath you, it can mean you manage a product or specialism, which is fine, but it now makes looking at the history on a CV somewhat of a guessing game. What’s in a name? That which we call a rose by any other name would smell as sweet… as old Bill Shakespeare wrote in Romeo and Juliet. Titles ultimately mean nothing, it’s achievement and capability that count.

So before I open up to my Problem Wrangler and send my CV to a Talent Delivery Specialist while looking for a new 9 to 5, I need to understand whether I’m now a Chief Enchilada or Grand Fromage.