Your job title doesn’t make sense, so share it instead

Elon Musk, the richest man in the newly created world, has a new job title worthy of his wealth. Although his empire spanned several industries, he shed the nickname CEO of just one of the companies under his control, opting for the title of “Technoking” at electric car maker Tesla.

For Musk, the duties of a Technoking do not seem different from those of a traditional CEO, as the billionaire industrialist will see his post’s previous mission remain intact, according to the the Wall Street newspaper. Former Tesla CFO Zach Kirkhorn will also make an equally unnecessary jump, changing his official designation to Tesla’s Master of Coin. (His actual work is not expected to change).

Musk and Kirkhorn gave each other silly titles because they are powerful men who call the shots, but other than a few clickable titles and laughs from Musk’s army of acolytes, the titles themselves mean nothing. And oddly enough, that’s true for most job titles.

“Technoking” teaches the rest of us a little lesson no matter what our vocation: Job titles rarely, if ever, explain your actual work. Since you won’t soon be waving a business card with an irreverent headline and conversation starter, when talking to someone about your job or even doing a job interview, it is better to underline what you do.

Titles don’t mean the same in different organizations

Being a senior vice president of sales in one faceless company doesn’t mean that your responsibilities will exactly mirror the duties of a senior vice president in another.

What you do for a living is a pretty hot topic of conversation. If this is something you really want to talk about, you’re going to have to delve into the specifics, not just offer a three-word answer like “I’m a lawyer.” Everyone has a vague idea of ​​what it means to be a lawyer, but the real details of a career are always different from person to person, even though they technically have the same job on paper.

Be more imaginative in your explanations

Of course, you don’t have to pass yourself off as a pseudo LinkedIn influencer who spits out corporate jargon, but feel free to explain what you’re doing with a little more color and panache. Because bBehind many bland job titles at least a few kind of goal. Of course, we work to pay the bills and keep our heads above water, but on occasion there may be something to share in a conversation that explains the larger purpose of your job.

As Gene Marks wrote in Contractor in 2018, job titles are fundamentally meaningless and typically used to boost one’s ego:

What do you say when people ask you what you do for a living? Are you a “small business owner”? An entrepreneur? “A” CEO? ” Don’t believe it. You are none of that. These are just headlines, designed to make people feel more important. It’s not really what you do.

Instead, consider spelling out what you’re doing in more detail. You don’t have to write a speech, but if you are an immigration lawyer, consider saying “I help undocumented people find legal resources so they can reunite with their families.” “, Or if you are a computer programmer, you can say,” I help create software that is the basis of popular apps and websites. »Your title is implicit in the synopsis that you propose. Whether you are a senior web designer or not, it makes little difference to who you are talking to.

Build a more interesting conversation

If you are unable to develop what you are doing, lead the conversation to a dead end; or worse, you run the risk of ranking at the best and appearing pretentious at the worst. You are unlikely to use the title of “Technoking” or Supreme Accounts Payable Emperor. soon, but luckily you have more to talk about beyond your title, Anyway.