Your Line is What?
Certain job ads attract candidates who are barking up the wrong tree, whether it’s due to wishful thinking, careless reading, or a simple lack of understanding what the job is all about.
"We once had job [listings] for Java Server Architects—a very technical job. We were getting a lot of resumes from candidates who were not a fit,” says Heidi Golledge, co-founder and CEO of CareerBliss.com. “I called one of them to chat about why he applied. He said he had years of experience serving coffee at Denny's so he would consider himself a java server architect."
With anecdotal evidence like this as a starting point, CareerBliss pulled data on job ads that attracted candidates who misunderstood the job title or description, resulting in this list of the most commonly misunderstood jobs.
"Today's jobs are becoming more and more specific, especially in the tech and healthcare industries,” said Matt Miller, Co-founder and CTO of CareerBliss. “This can be great for candidates with experience in specialized fields, but can often be confusing for those who misinterpret a job title."
Click ahead to see what all the confusion is about.
Modeling Analysis Manager
Wrong interpretation: To some imaginative job hunters, this title conjures up a glamorous vision of managing fashion models (or even better: analyzing them), and so the Modeling Analysis Manager job listing has been a bit more popular of a listing than the job’s actual duties would suggest.
What the job really involves: It will come as disappointing news to some that “models” here refers to numerical and mathematical models. This is a financial job calling for someone who can work with data and algorithms to analyze portfolio risk.
Landscape Architect
Wrong interpretation: Often with this title, people only hear “landscape,” they tack their own “r” on the end and call it a day (this example is drawn from the experience of this writer, who by the way does not wear a hat with a “PRESS” card tucked in the brim). The misconception of this profession is that it means landscaper or gardener, someone who mows lawns, distributes mulch, and plants trees.
What the job really involves: In reality, this is a profession of designers who spend their work days at the drafting board or computer in a studio, deciding where to put which plants and other landscape elements.
Health Economist
Wrong interpretation: Job hopefuls tend to misconstrue this title as one in the fitness industry or in providing health care. Sure, “health economist” sounds like a title that could exist at a gym (if the candidate read no further than the job title). Perhaps the health economist crunches numbers to recommend the right number of crunches.
What the job really involves: Health economists deal with policies and health-impacting behaviors such as smoking that affect the healthcare industry. They work with statistics and databases, and provide analysis to help reduce waste of resources in the health care system.
Nuclear Sourcing Specialist
Wrong interpretation: Misguided applicants for this position seem to think this is a defense industry job.
What the job really involves: A nuclear sourcing specialist works in the field of nuclear energy. He or she spends the work day interacting with different departments, executing the sourcing process for a nuclear projects group, dealing with suppliers and project managers, responding to and negotiating bid requests.
Traffic Administrator
Wrong interpretation: Job candidates see the word “traffic” and think road work, city management, or highway patrol, envisioning a job giving speeding tickets or perhaps putting up signs indicating auto traffic regulations.
What the job really involves: A traffic administrator is stationed nowhere near the street and during a business day spent performing clerical tasks, word processing, bill processing, and record keeping.
Project Safety Engineer
Wrong interpretation: Some job applicants have misinterpreted this job title as one in the railroad industry, with “engineer” triggering visions of a guy driving the train wearing a stripey cap.
What the job really involves: In reality, this job is one with a different definition of engineer. A project safety engineer ensures the safe execution of construction or contracting projects. He or she makes safety requirements, and works on planning, permitting, design at project sites.
Journeyman Logistics Manager
Wrong interpretation: It’s probably the rather romantic-sounding term “journeyman” that threw people off, but candidates from all occupations seemed to think they qualified for this position. This job ad on CareerBliss drew candidates from across the board.
What the job really involves: A journeyman is a skilled tradesperson such as an electrician who is in the middle stage between apprenticeship and advanced experience levels. This particular journeyman job on CareerBliss was in the aerospace and aviation industry, calling for a professional who would provide engineering support, and develop and maintain airline systems, equipment, and components.
Landman
Wrong interpretation: Again with the “land” word confusing people. Job candidates tend to misunderstand this title as a construction or gardening position.
What the job really involves: A landman works within the petroleum or natural gas drilling industry. He or she works with contracts, lease negotiation, and interacting with landowners regarding drilling.
Biomedical Engineer
Wrong interpretation: In this job title, it’s “medical” that throws job seekers off the trail, as this listing attracted candidates from the healthcare industry.
What the job really involves: A biomedical engineer isn’t making the rounds in a hospital ward; he or she would be likely to spend the work day in a laboratory, working on research and development for new products.