Why Are We Defined By Our Job Titles?

 

Why is it that in society people are known, introduced and essentially defined by their job and job title?

How come one of the first questions you ask or are asked when meeting someone is: “So, what do you do?” Is it because it’s an easy conversation starter or something else? Maybe its because we spend at least a third of our weekdays at this job.

I also see this in meetings as well. People love telling their job title. It’s almost like an ego booster. Are people so insecure they need to flaunt their job titles around to prove to others they are important and should be respected?

At the same time it kind of sucks for someone in my position, being at the bottom of the food chain. The moment I say my job title I see the level respect people once had for me when I first walked in diminish. Because of this, any input I provide is taken with a ‘grain of salt.’

Why is our society so caught up in job titles and status that it seems to be the most important thing?

An alternative question to ask someone is to ask what that person likes doing for fun or in their spare time. That I think truly defines someone. Work is not something everyone likes to do so finding out with people do in their spare time is a good way to actually get to know them.

An alternative to stating one’s job titles in meetings is to simply state what team you work on to ensure all people are equally respected. People in lower positions can still provide valuable input but other individuals already have the ‘this person is new and therefore doesn’t know anything’ glasses on it will blow right past them.