What’s in a Name?

The first time, more than a decade ago, I heard that a company had a “chief happiness officer,” I remember thinking, “What is this, some kind of joke?”

Receptionist... or director of first impressions?

Source: Tima Miroshnichenko / Pexels

Well, as time has gone on, what first seemed stranger than fiction has, in fact, evolved into a quietly positive business trend.

Over the years, the chief happiness officer has been joined by a large number of creative, playful, odd-sounding job titles, including head of first impressions, director of storytelling, brand evangelist, genius, and digital overlord, among many others.

Multiple Purposes

First, some translations, so you start to see the method to the madness.

Chief happiness officer might focus on employee well-being and culture.

The head of first impressions could be the company receptionist.

The director of storytelling might lead social media.

A brand evangelist could be the chief marketing officer.

Genius might refer to a computer service technician.

The digital overlord (note the gaming tone) could be the website manager.

“Creative job titles serve multiple purposes beyond just sounding different,” notes Mark Baldwin, CEO of Baldwin Digital, who has studied this trend. “They can communicate company values, attract attention in crowded job markets, and even boost employee satisfaction.”

Character and Values

While an unusual-sounding job title may not fundamentally alter the nature of the work in a particular role, it can alter perceptions of it.

Take “receptionist” as an example, a position that traditionally is viewed as a lower-status role. “Head of first impressions” sends quite a different message. Think about it: The phrase is not inaccurate, and the initial impression one gets when first entering a workspace is indeed important and can be strongly influenced by the way one is greeted, as well as the physical surroundings.

When carefully and well selected, job titles make a positive statement about the character of an organization.

“Creative job titles can act as powerful tools for employer branding when implemented thoughtfully,” Baldwin says. “They communicate company values clearly. The most effective unusual titles add personality while maintaining professionalism.”

Bland Soup

I actually have a slightly humorous personal history with job titles myself.

When I entered the corporate world back in the Pleistocene Era (OK, it was the 1980s), job titles in corporate America were a little like thin, bland soup.

Back then, we were awash in a sea of dull, undescriptive names, an ocean of analysts, specialists, and technicians. There was a communications analyst (what exactly were they analyzing?). There was a service technician (it sounded like they might be repairing refrigerators, but, in fact, they were handling customer phone calls).

But my favorite unfortunate title was, truth be told, my own. For a time early in my career, the company I worked for had a campaign to boost morale by calling all employees “associates.” So for a while, until cooler heads prevailed, I was the associate director of associate communications.

No matter the company, all titles should be chosen judiciously and be organization-appropriate. I wouldn’t expect a white shoe law firm to have a digital overlord... nor would I want a solid accounting business to opt for a financial wizard over chief financial officer.

In the end, of course, a fun-sounding title is no panacea for a bad job. But it’s not inherently just a frivolous exercise either.

All job titles have meaning, especially to the people who hold them, and thus deserve to be thoughtfully selected. This is coming from the former associate director of associate communications.