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The Weirdest Job Titles Might Also Be the Most Unpopular

Few people over 12 want to be a ninja (unless they're actual ninjas).

 & Chandra Steele Senior Features Writer

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Are you a genius? An evangelist? A wrangler? A guru? Then have we got a job for you.

Resume.io analyzed over 10,000 job listings, noting offbeat job titles and where they are most popular. They added an extra line to their CV by surveying 1,000 Americans on how they feel about applying for jedi positions that are not located on Tatooine.

Tech jobs are the most likely to employ terms like the heretofore mentioned "genius," "evangelist," "wrangler," and "guru." But the quotable quirkiness isn’t limited to that field. In fact, if you come across “hacker” in a job description, chances are you’re looking at a listing for marketing (where you’ll find 74 percent of all such job titles).

“Champion” is a word you can expect to see pretty frequently when you’re looking for a job in the healthcare field, which was responsible for 73 percent of the listings with that word in the title. You might also come across “hero” if your searches are tailored to that area.

“Ninjas” are more commonly found in classrooms, with the word popping up in education listings more than any other type. 

These titles are undoubtedly meant to bestow a sense of privilege and power, but they often deter people from applying. Two-thirds of Resume.io respondents said they wouldn’t apply to be a “champion” or “genius.” A significant portion also would rather not be a “guru” (77 percent) or “evangelist” (86 percent). The most reviled title, though, is “hacker;” nearly 91 percent said that if they saw a job listing looking for a hacker, they would look elsewhere. 

infographic with statistics about job titles

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About Our Expert

Chandra Steele

Chandra Steele

Senior Features Writer

My Experience

My title is Senior Features Writer, which is a license to write about absolutely anything if I can connect it to technology (I can). I’ve been at PCMag since 2011 and have covered the surveillance state, vaccination cards, ghost guns, voting, ISIS, art, fashion, film, design, gender bias, and more. You might have seen me on TV talking about these topics or heard me on your commute home on the radio or a podcast. Or maybe you’ve just seen my Bernie meme

I strive to explain topics that you might come across in the news but not fully understand, such as NFTs and meme stocks. I’ve had the pleasure of talking tech with Jeff Goldblum, Ang Lee, and other celebrities who have brought a different perspective to it. I put great care into writing gift guides and am always touched by the notes I get from people who’ve used them to choose presents that have been well-received. Though I love that I get to write about the tech industry every day, it’s touched by gender, racial, and socioeconomic inequality and I try to bring these topics to light. 

Outside of PCMag, I write fiction, poetry, humor, and essays on culture.

My Areas of Expertise

  • Making incomprehensible tech news easy to understand
  • Expanding the boundaries of topics covered in the industry
  • Figuring out tips and tricks in apps and on devices and letting you know about them
  • Putting together gift guides for everyone in your life 

The Technology I Use

All that gadgets is gold for me: my iPhone 11 Pro, my fifth-generation iPad that I use only for streaming videos and music, my iPad mini 4 that I like to take with me whenever I carry a bag that can fit it, and my MacBook Pro. Why are they all different shades of gold, though? What’s going on, Apple? 

None of them quite live up to my two past loves: my LG Lotus LX600 phone and my Sony Walkman NW-E005 MP3 player. 

I've never given up wired earbuds so I was ahead of all those trend pieces. I use a Mangotek Lightning-to-3.5mm headphone jack adapter to connect them to my phone. 

I have had so many ebook readers, but I prefer paper to them all. Still, my Kindle Paperwhite is perfect for traveling or when I’m too impatient to wait for a book to be released in paperback.

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