Check out this post by Carolyn Menz, titled Recruiting for Gurus, Wizards, Ninjas, Rockstars and Evangelists.
I love how she starts:
Job titles can go through trends just like anything else.
When I started my job search I had an idea of the job titles I was looking for, but after scouring the job boards I learned there were titles I hadn’t heard of that I needed to focus on. I had been out of it for so long that I didn’t know about some newer titles.
Carolyn’s post has lists of the most popular job postings with those buzzwords in them. Read the lists if you think you are a Guru, etc.
However, let me share a thought.
It’s much, much better for someone else to call you a GURU than for you to call yourself a guru.
You saying it sounds conceited and unqualified (since you are biased).
But if someone else says it…. ? It’s different, right?
Way different.
Here’s how you can make the two concepts meet.
In an interview you can say something like “my peers usually say I’m the team Ninja because I _____.”
Or you can say “people in the industry have called me the guru of ______.”
This way you can say you are a ninja or guru with some credibility, since it’s what others are saying about you.
Worth a try?
