What to call a position when the role is varied

[Celest]

So I own a Chocolate shop, still new, there's a long way to go and many more years of learning.

 

I'm going into more rounds of trying to hire staff and dealing with job postings and position titles etc.

 

My question is. What are some of the best position titles you've come across (and worst). Or if you've ever experienced having to hire, what was your process for determining a position title. I want something that sort of encompasses the position and intrigues a candidate enough to look into the job description, but isn't either non representative of the scope of the job, or is just to fluffy and lame.

 

For me a Chocolatier's Assistant, baker, supervisor etc are easy to use and understand. My problem is the front of house, retail staff side. I sell chocolate, but I also have an espresso machine and serve drinks. I expect someone to serve customers, but when no one is in, I need them to do the other odd jobs around the shop, like packaging chocolate and cleaning up.   That being said, sure I could call them a Chocolate Shop Team member.... but when looking at each position as a whole, how will I determine internally which "Chocolate Shop Team Member" I'm talking about.

 

That being said, if I post something like barista, there is a certain expectation of what a barista is. I'm thinking a candidate will make assumptions about it, like that it's short term, paid minimally, and they can just come and go as they like.

 

Anybody have any thoughts on this, or am I just overthinking it way too much.

[heidih]

Why clutch to a term. An honest explanation such as you wrote "  I expect someone to serve customers, but when no one is in, I need them to do the other odd jobs around the shop, like packaging chocolate and cleaning up. "  In my experince people would rather know up front what you really want instead of trekking to a useless interview.

[blue_dolphin]

35 minutes ago, heidih said:

Why clutch to a term

On a lot of online listing sites, a job title is a required field. 
Edited to add that a lot of job seekers search or filter listings based on that field as well, so it can affect the applicant pool. 

This is of no help to the OP, but personally, I always wanted the word “Supreme” included in my job title. Thought it sounded so much better than “Director” 😉

Edited November 28, 2022 by blue_dolphin (log)

[Anna N]

Retail Sales Clerk 

That is what the position is from the description you have given. Your company name (Shade Tree Chocolate Studio Ltd.) should be sufficient to indicate the nature of your business. You can expand your description from there.

 

[Duvel]

Senior specialist confectionery & caffeinated beverages 

[Anna N]

41 minutes ago, Duvel said:

Senior specialist confectionery & caffeinated beverages 

Aspirational?

[Duvel]

16 minutes ago, Anna N said:

Aspirational?

You need to get those young guys motivated … 

[Celest]

You guys are cracking me up with some of your suggestions

 

Maybe it should be "Doer of all the shop things"..... and customer service

[liuzhou]

Dogsbody

[SusieQ]

56 minutes ago, liuzhou said:

Dogsbody

 

Now there's a good old-fashioned word that I haven't heard in a long time. 

[heidih]

11 minutes ago, SusieQ said:

 

Now there's a good old-fashioned word that I haven't heard in a long time. 

Another antiquated term would be "girl Friday" but not PC now.  Like secretary/admin assistant - but used to lead to growth and responsibility. "Do necessary tasks and figure things out". " an adaptable person with drive.

[Celest]

I'm in oilfield country, and a term used here is "shop dog" (that mostly refers to someone who is in a shop where there are mechanics). I

 

I was thinking about the term Jack of all Trades, and though about Jill, but again, not PC nor gender non specific.

 

Never heard of the term dogsbody @liuzhou I see in your profile is says from China, is that a common term used in China?

 

@heidih Girl Friday, how long ago would that term have been used?  I haven't heard it either, but I'm a late 70's baby (and Canadian)

[gfweb]

18 hours ago, liuzhou said:

Dogsbody

I was searching for that mentally.

 

All I could recall was dog's breakfast

[Celest]

On 11/28/2022 at 12:14 PM, blue_dolphin said:

On a lot of online listing sites, a job title is a required field. 
Edited to add that a lot of job seekers search or filter listings based on that field as well, so it can affect the applicant pool. 

This is of no help to the OP, but personally, I always wanted the word “Supreme” included in my job title. Thought it sounded so much better than “Director” 😉

 

 

Supreme makes me laugh..... I've actually started calling myself the Chocolate Gatekeeper, as I didn't want to be refered to as the Chocolate Lady. I also figured that if I was the Gatekeeper, it would be a matter of treat me with respect and you get chocolate  be a jerk, and no chocolate for you!  ( was headed into an oilfield trade show when I came up with that term and didn't want a whole bunch of men calling me the chocolate lady )

[Celest]

2 minutes ago, gfweb said:

I was searching for that mentally.

 

All I could recall was dog's breakfast

hahhahahahahah assuming it means the same to you as it does to me..... I have a feeling that calling someone Dog's Breakfast as a position title would negativally impact my chances of finding a good employee! hahahahah

[Anna N]

If you are seriously looking for a term to use in order to hire staff then you need something recognizable by someone seeking such a position. Otherwise have fun. 

[heidih]

7 minutes ago, Celest said:

 

@heidih Girl Friday, how long ago would that term have been used?  I haven't heard it either, but I'm a late 70's baby (and Canadian)

Into the 70's in newspaper classified job listings. Not a putdown then. General front of house also able to fulful simple barista role sounds like what you want. Withyur oart of the country barista could be vague. Here with SB on every corner we know they aso stock amd clean but...

[TicTac]

Whenever I interview people, one question I like to ask them is "what's more important to you, a title or making more money" (more often than not, revenue generating roles).  99% of the time, if the person says title - they are not the right fit.

 

At the end of the day, if someone is caught up in job titles, they are more concerned about their ego than they are in helping the company succeed.

 

In your vertical, you could come up with something totally creative and unconventional; which is what I would most likely do.

 

 

[Tropicalsenior]

2 hours ago, Celest said:

I was thinking about the term Jack of all Trades,

If you're thinking of that why not advertise for a General Factorum

 

"an employee who does all kinds of work.

"he was employed as the general factotum"

[chromedome]

2 hours ago, Celest said:

 

Never heard of the term dogsbody @liuzhou I see in your profile is says from China, is that a common term used in China?

 

Clearly you haven't watched Rowan Atkinson as Blackadder (he refers to his sidekick, Baldric, as his dogsbody). Definition is here:

https://dictionary.cambridge.org/dictionary/english/dogsbody

 

Good luck to you on your enterprise. You're just about smack between my ex's maternal family (Fort St. John) and paternal family (Edmonton).

[JeanneCake]

OMG I'm not the owner, I'm the dogsbody 😄😆🤣

 

 

[pastrygirl]

On 11/28/2022 at 10:01 AM, Celest said:

That being said, if I post something like barista, there is a certain expectation of what a barista is. I'm thinking a candidate will make assumptions about it, like that it's short term, paid minimally, and they can just come and go as they like.

 

Are baristas that flighty?

 

My expectation of 'barista' is that their primary duty is to make espresso drinks.  A professional coffee nerd might not want to box chocolates, so I agree that might not be the best term if the job is much more varied than just coffee.

[liuzhou]

4 hours ago, Celest said:

Never heard of the term dogsbody @liuzhou I see in your profile is says from China, is that a common term used in China?

 

I live in China, but I'm not Chinese; I'm British. No one knows the term 'dogsbody' here.

The word was coined by sailors and took on currency in the 1920s.

 

Quote

2.2 A junior person, esp. one to whom a variety of menial tasks is given; a drudge, a general utility person. colloq.
.

.

1922 T. E. Lawrence Lett. (1938) 365 I'll have got used to being a dog's body.    1925 Fraser & Gibbons Soldier & Sailor Words 80 Dogsbody, a Midshipman. A humorous semi-sarcastic colloquialism for any junior officer, R.N. E.g., ‘He's only a dogsbody sub’.    1928 Daily Express 3 Apr. 13/2 A midshipman is known‥in the service as a ‘snottie’.‥ If he is a junior midshipman he is also a ‘dog's body’. I defy anyone to be accurate and sentimental about a snottie who is a dog's body.    1932 H. Simpson Boomerang ix. 184 His post of dog's-body‥left him no leisure at all.    1934 M. Hodge Wind & Rain ii. i. 57 Oh, no. I don't understand anything! I'm just ‘a dog's body’.    1942 M. Dickens One Pair of Feet vii. 116 People who told me I should be a house-parlourmaid ‘on Privates [sc. private wards]’ had over-estimated. I was Dogsbody.    1950 L. A. G. Strong Which I Never v. 169 As Assistant Stage Manager and general dog's body, she was grossly overworked and supremely happy.    1955 H. Spring These Lovers fled Away vii. 205 My status was never defined. I was everybody's dog's-body.    Ibid. xvii. 481 Introduced to a secretary whose dog's-body she was to be.    1967 Listener 14 Sept. 332/3, I was a sort of general dogsbody to begin with—assistant stage-manager, and what have you.

 

Girl Friday is from the 1940s, first used in Time Magazine.

 

Edited November 30, 2022 by liuzhou (log)

[FauxPas]

Shop Generalist or Shop Multitasker. Maybe kinder versions of 'dogsbody'?  🙂

 

[gfweb]

5 hours ago, TicTac said:

Whenever I interview people, one question I like to ask them is "what's more important to you, a title or making more money" (more often than not, revenue generating roles).  99% of the time, if the person says title - they are not the right fit.

 

At the end of the day, if someone is caught up in job titles, they are more concerned about their ego than they are in helping the company succeed.

 

 

 

 

That's only a revealing question if you get them to explain their choice.  Otherwise it is just another bad interview tactic. 

 

Maybe they want increased responsibility more than money.