25 of readers' inflated job titles

Readers sent in a rich response to last week's Magazine piece about inflated job titles.

Here, they share some of their most important-sounding, obscure and sometimes downright bizarre titles, past and present.

<bold>1. </bold>My job title is <bold>director of life enrichment</bold>. It sounds:

Quite a responsibility - endeavouring to enrich the lives of an unknown population of an undisclosed number. And it's never an option when you have to pick from a list of occupations in the survey. I am not a social worker, a local government worker, a social-care provider or a teacher, although all of those could be considered with the job title. In reality I am responsible for planning, organising and implementing a programme of therapeutic activities and events for senior adults ranging in age from 73-101 and with a huge variety of interests, skills, abilities and functioning levels. <bold>Amy Laughlin, South Carolina, US</bold>

<bold>2. </bold>Back in the 80s the father of a college friend rejoiced in the title <bold>general manager, eastern hemisphere</bold> for a major multinational. <bold>Alison Wheeler, London, UK</bold>

<bold>3. </bold>I work at a law firm and one morning the receptionist had stepped away from her desk. Placed on the ledge was a sign that read "The <bold>director of first impressions</bold> has stepped away and shall return shortly." At first I thought, "who?" and then realised the sign referred to the receptionist. <bold>Justine Kaye, New York, US</bold>

<bold>4. </bold>I was impressed when a friend told me her husband was an <bold>environmental maintenance officer</bold>. I could have sworn I'd seen him emptying the bins on our street. <bold>Mrs C, Paris, France</bold>

<bold>5. </bold>I think the shortest job titles are the best.

All the other stuff is just fluff. Wannabes. <bold>Sarah, Toronto, Canada</bold>

<bold>6. </bold>I once saw an ad in the paper for a job entitled <bold>anti-social behaviour co-ordinator</bold>, working for the police. A very important and worthwhile job aiding the community I'm sure, but it does make you sound a bit like someone who actually organises the anti-social behaviour rather than someone who works to reduce it. <bold>Paul, Bristol, UK</bold>

<bold>7. </bold>Medical doctors actually have no right to use the title "doctor", as in ancient Greek it means "learned teacher". <bold>TB, Los Angeles, US</bold>

<bold>8. </bold>I'm a freelance graphic designer and for the last few months have been working on an e-commerce website in the unenviable role of <bold>back-end manager</bold>. Until the company involved comes up with a more high-falutin title, I intend to keep quiet about it. <bold>Adam Linley, Bury UK</bold>

<bold>9 and 10. </bold>One friend was appointed <bold>director of operational excellence</bold>. But the biscuit was taken by an ex-colleague recently, whose new job title is <bold>technical evangelist</bold>. That's certainly one way to describe him. <bold>Sam, Reading, UK</bold>

<bold>11. </bold>Job title inflation is nothing new. When I started work in a large company 30+ years ago, before PCs, they had a printed internal phone book. Some clerk in accounts or sales had the job title <bold>section leader - rest of the world</bold>. <bold>Richard Taylor, N Lincs, UK </bold>

<bold>12.</bold> A previous boss at a cafe used to refer to me as the <bold>underwater ceramic technician</bold> (aka dishwasher). <bold>Amy, UK</bold>

<bold>13. </bold>I used to be a <bold>media publications administrator</bold>... when I was 10. I was a paper-boy. <bold>Jason Laird, Brentford, UK</bold>

<bold>14.</bold> My favourite inflated job title is probably using the word <bold>reprographics</bold> for photocopier. I first heard it at school and have found it mildly amusing ever since. <bold>Richard, Woking, UK</bold>

<bold>15. </bold>A local business that deals with stopped-up toilets and does sewer line cleanings is cleverly named <bold>the drain surgeon. Ray Krueger Koplin, Colorado, US</bold>

<bold>16.</bold> A few years ago I saw a job advertised for a <bold>sandwich technician</bold>. On reading further I discovered the employer was none other than Subway. I didn't realise making sandwiches was so technical. <bold>Andrea Highfield, Stoke-on-Trent, UK</bold>

<bold>17.</bold> My window cleaner is now called a <bold>transparent-wall maintenance engineer. Paul Pearson, Shrewsbury, UK</bold>

<bold>18.</bold> A few years back I was working in an office. And there was a lady there who had the job title <bold>refreshments and nutritions supervisor</bold>. She of course, worked in the office canteen and served us our chips every day. <bold>Chris, Cheshire, UK</bold>

<bold>19.</bold> I was once called a <bold> textile masseur </bold>in the Royal Navy. I scrubbed decks. <bold>Johnny Grundy, Hong Kong </bold>

<bold>20.</bold> My brother used to work as a butcher's boy in a local well-known supermarket. He preferred to go by the title of <bold>meat distribution engineer. Martin Hoggle, London, UK</bold>

<bold>21.</bold> Whilst scouring the jobs section in my local paper in Canterbury, I saw an ad for <bold>eviction technicians</bold>. It took a second or two to realise the nightclub needed some bouncers. <bold>Matt, UK</bold>

<bold>22.</bold> My company no longer has cleaners, it has <bold> washroom operatives</bold>. And of course on my commute I no longer have to endure ticket collectors, as they are now <bold>revenue protection officers. Paul, London, UK</bold>

<bold>23.</bold> I used to work for a company called Ninja Theory making video games; my official job title, printed on my business cards was <bold>lead code ninja. </bold>It made applying for mortgages or insurance interesting. Handing my card over I would get some strange looks and was once asked, "So... What category would that come under in the drop-down list on the computer? Military?" <bold>John Lusty, Surrey</bold>

<bold>24. </bold>While working in Saudi Arabia I was visiting the Emir of Sabya - a village in the southern part of Saudi Arabia. There I met a person (from Pakistan). We shook hands and he said that his job title was <bold>chicken engineer</bold>. It took a lot of effort on my side not to laugh. It turned out that the Emir of Sabya owned a chicken farm, and that person was responsible for the farm. <bold>Handojo Sutjahjo, The Netherlands</bold>

<bold>25. </bold>It's not just now that we have long and difficult job titles. In Staffordshire the <bold>saggar maker's bottom knocker </bold>was a skilled job needed to ensure pottery was fired correctly. <bold>James Sherwood, Biddulph, Staffordshire</bold>