Why be a bartender when you can be a Drinks Dissemination Officer? And why modestly refer to yourself an 'admin assistant' on LinkedIn if you can add the word 'ninja' or 'genius' to your title for instant kudos?  We've searched the world to find some of the most outlandish job titles that genuinely appear on CVs or recruitment adverts, with each perfect for transforming even the most mundane of roles into something far more interesting. Read on to see some of the most unbelievable – yet totally real – job titles out there. 

A cleaning company based in Phoenix, Arizona recently advertised on Indeed.com for a Customer Happiness Expert. Bosses were looking for a 'rockstar part-time customer happiness expert', with the role entailing everything from answering the phones to providing weekly reports. It's not all cheery though, with the ability to 'de-escalate situations' also required. 

When recruiting for a customer service role recently, a retirement home in Knoxville, Tennessee opted to give it the grandiose title of 'Hallway Ambassador'. Advertised on job site Lensa, the perfect candidate would be able to "provide support to internal team members, residents, their families and guests". An admirable job, no doubt, although we're not really sure where the hallway comes into it...

'Field Nourishment Consultant' is, in essence, a puffed-up way of saying 'waiter'. According to the Daily Mail, Field Nourishment Consultant features on a list of the 'most pretentious' job titles seen in genuine recruitment ads. As well as sounding ridiculous, it also takes a lot longer to say than 'waiter'. Our food will go cold in that time! 

According to Career Trend, the last few years have seen more people choosing to stay at home and manage their household, with the more sophisticated title of 'domestic engineer' replacing 'housewife' or 'househusband'. Salary.com estimates the role is worth about $158,000 ($119k) per year, which accounts for duties such as cooking, cleaning, budgeting, childcare, and diary management.

Before you scoff, the title of Director of First Impressions – also known as the receptionist – is a legitimate role you could land at American publishing company Houghton Mifflin Harcourt. In fairness, a receptionist’s job is to create a positive first impression for visitors, so it’s not too much of a stretch. But can you imagine having it on your email signature...?

During a study into unlikely job titles, American research company OnePoll uncovered a bizarre new way to refer to labourers. According to their findings, an unnamed building firm rebranded the job to Mortar Logistics Engineer to "keep up with the times". Fans of kids TV show Bob the Builder will undoubtedly be left wondering if Bob the Mortar Logistics Engineer has quite the same ring to it. 

Refuse collectors of the world rejoice: your job title has had a rebrand. Well, in some businesses it has, at least. Organisations such as Smart Solution Recruitment in Pontefract, England are currently advertising for Recycling Operatives. Successful candidates will be responsible for the “segregation of non-recyclable and recyclable materials”, with full training and PPE provided. 

The cynics out there might say that it would require more than just an upgrade of the job title to make the prospect of cleaning toilets appealing. However, the title of Sanitation Consultant might fool some people into thinking the role is a bit more desirable. We're not convinced.

Popping the word 'evangelist' at the end of a job title seems to be increasingly popular, despite the potentially negative connotations of the word. In essence, a Crayon Evangelist is a professional who lives and breathes graphic design. The phrase first entered the mainstream in a 2001 interview with a member of the team at Massachussetts-based software company InteQ Corp. And yes, she did admit to using actual crayons as part of her design process.

Granted, you might technically be unfamiliar with what a Mobile Sustenance Facilitator does. However, don't let the fussy title put you off: it's actually just another way to refer to a fast food worker. After all, 'sustenance' means food, a 'facilitator' makes things happen, and 'mobile' means it can move. And voila – pretentious job title done. So over-the-top is the title in fact that the Guardian newspaper even used it in a quiz of the "most ridiculous job titles" in 2013. 

The holder of this very genuine role was tasked with keeping colleagues in-check and on-schedule. Formerly known as the Senior VP of Human Resources, the Project Meanie at software company InsightShare LLC, based in Massachusetts, described herself as being like “one of those little Chihuahuas that bark their heads off”. We can only imagine how popular she was with her colleagues...

'Penguinologist' is neither an official nor scientific term, yet it was used on a BBC Breakfast report to describe Dr Tom Hart, an expert in the field of all things penguin. The bird-brained genius is a research fellow at Oxford University and works in its Department of Zoology, and is often called upon in the news to discuss penguins and Antarctica. ​

Job titles don't come more bizarre than Head of Potatoes, which was spotted on the credits of an episode of Gordon Ramsay’s Ultimate Cookery Course. After a Reddit user helped it to go viral, the title-holder gave an interview explaining what, exactly, her job entails. Sarah Durdin Robertson revealed that she's actually a producer for foodie TV shows. Want in on the action yourself? She says you must love food, be able to write a good recipe, and also be confident enough to help shy (or otherwise) TV chefs shine in front of the camera. 

The job title Transparent Wall Technician was first heard on Irish radio station Today FM back in 2017, when it was used as an amusing way to refer to a window cleaner. On closer investigation, however, someone from Luton in England actually has the title displayed on their LinkedIn profile. This suggests that at least one person out there is using it as a way to genuinely refer to themselves, which is equal parts impressive and baffling.

Work in finance or accounting? Admittedly, it might be tricky to make your role sound glamorous. However, add the word 'ninja' to the end of your job title and be prepared to feel the benefit. An Accounting Ninja, for example, is in charge of balancing the books and crunching the numbers. In essence, they're an accountant, but don't tell them that.

The lowliest job in a kitchen setting is generally that of the pot washer. But if that title was upgraded to Gastronomical Hygiene Technician then perhaps navigating mountains of dirty pots and pans every day might be slightly more tolerable.

The Half Brothers brewing company in Grand Forks, North Dakota presumably had a similar thought process back in 2017, when it was offering $9 (£6.75) an hour for a Gastronomical Hygiene Technician. The role was suited for someone who was “willing to work in a hot, humid environment and be on your feet for eight-hour shifts”. 

Sure, a person who works in a store isn’t really a Jedi in the literal sense of the word. After all, as Star Wars fanatics know, a Jedi is a “devotee to the ways of the Jedi Order” and a lightsaber-wielding guardian of peace and justice. While selling clothes in Zara isn’t quite the same as defending the galaxy, it could be argued that those who are excellent at selling products wield a certain power. Following this logic, the fact that some retail chains refer to their staff as Retail Jedis makes total sense. Well, kind of. May the Force be with them either way. 

Let's spare a moment for the traffic wardens and officers out there, who quite possibly have one of the most reviled jobs in the world. In some instances, the much-loathed role has been rebranded to that of Civil Enforcement Officer (CEO). Admittedly, it's not much of an improvement – there's just something about the word 'enforcement', isn't there? – but it's definitely a step in the right direction. According to the UK's National Careers Service, a CEO needs to be “flexible, understanding and be able to understand people’s reactions”. We're not sure that sounds like any traffic warden we've ever encountered, to be honest.

While we strongly suspect that every workplace has a 'chief chatter' – that one colleague who simply won't stop talking – the job role of Chief Chatter actually exists, too. A tad on the twee side, it's the name given to someone who manages a call centre. (No, we're not sure what's wrong with 'call centre manager', either.)  Recruitment agency Coburg Banks compiled a list of the most bizarre job titles it had spotted on CVs, and Chief Chatter managed to score a very respectable sixth place. Now that's something to talk about.

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