Some positions are easily recognizable and understood by most workers – Accounts Receivable Specialist, Purchaser, Warehouse Manager, HR Payroll Specialist, Receiving Clerk…
Other positions have many names, based on the organization’s preference, with similar duties –
Customer Service Representative, Customer Service Professional, Customer Experience Representative, Customer Solutions Representative, Client Service Representative…
And still others are hard to define as far as actual tasks, just based on the title – Account Development Analyst, Business Analyst, Project Manager, Solutions Consultant, Materials Logistics Specialist…
I like the idea presented in this article from Inc.com: The Case for Letting Employees Choose Their Own Creative Titles by Joe Reynolds. What is particularly intriguing in this article is the idea of removing the inherent hierarchy that titles normally provide. What title would you give yourself if given the chance?
Jobs that would peak my interest:
Crayola Crayon Color Namer
You-Tube Cat Video Reviewer
Lego Model Architect (I know this one is real and I’m jealous that I don’t qualify)
Explorer of New Ideas
Advanced Humor Coordinator
Empress of Elucidation
The potential downside of unusual titles would be the difficulty of comparison, say on payscale.com. Trying to put an ad for a new Keyboard Cowboy might prove problematic as well. The question then would be if the potential for a creative dynamic is the more important pay off than uniformity or ability for comparison.
© 2013 Practical Business | Reasonable Expectations
hHi Beth. Good Article! From Positive Promoter.
Thanks Janice! I think this idea about titles has hit a vein with people. (Or maybe I should use my mom’s picture to illustrate posts more often.)