To think that a lot of people who call themselves CEOs are pretentious?

[UpsyDaisy123]

Is it just me or does it come across as a bit pretentious when people who have set up small businesses of their own - which often are just bits on the side and/or don't employ anyone else - describe themselves as CEOs?

When I hear CEO I tend to think large multi-national company, not Joe Bloggs trying to make a bit of extra cash from his basement.

[KenDoddsDadsDog]

Absolutely . When I worked for BT people could set their own job title in a lot of areas. We had many CEOs in the directory.

[AyeAmarok]

YANBU, but just smile and nod, and let them be the legend of their own lunch time

[TalkinPeece]

Its a bloke thing
see the multiple past threads about how men need to willy waggle their letters and titles
but women do not
luckily, more and more businesses are cottoning on that we are the better bet

[JaxingJump]

What? How can people just call themselves a CEO unless they are the CEO of a company, in which case I have no issue with it. I've known a few CEOs over the years and they've all been just that.

[Obsidian77]

YA kind of NBU but what do you think they should have as a job title?

[TalkinPeece]

company with one shareholder and one director has a CEO ....

Look up "the taxpayers alliance" for willy waggling central

[JaxingJump]

And for the record 'women' are not a better bet. Some women are a better bet. Just like with men, I know plenty of pretty useless knobs who are women.

[StillDrivingMeBonkers]

Don't you think it's like a lot of people who announce they 'have their own business' or 'work from home' - shoving the Betterware/Avon catalogue through doors isn't really what most of us would call 'working for yourself'

[JaxingJump]

My personal favourite is people who work on a bank window thingy and say they 'work in banking'.

And that's enough sneering from me. If people want to be wanky then it's polite to smile and nod.

[UpsyDaisy123]

Obsidian, 'director' would surely be a better bet. Although in a lot of cases even that's a bit pretentious. Most would be best just to use a description of whatever it is they actually do, e.g. 'graphic designer,' 'marketing professional,' 'property investor.'

[lidoshuffle]

It's like some wannabes I know who describe themselves as "writers", "artists" etc. but actually are supported on their partner's income. I realise we are not defined by our jobs, but unless you can live on the money the artistic endeavour brings in, it's a hobby.

I could describe myself as a chorister or a ceramicist but in honesty, I'm an office wallah.

[TalkinPeece]

I am the director of my company.
It a legal status
but all the other stuff is just fluff

[DorisMcSweeney]

UpsyDaisy123 Director is not pretentious, it's a legal status. CEO however implies head of a major corporate entity.

[NotACleverName]

It's especially ridiculous when you see people describing themselves as CEO when it's a shitty MLM "business" they're running.

[wizzywig]

Willy wagler? Hee hee

[UpsyDaisy123]

I tend to think of a director as having someone else to actually direct but fair point about it being a legal status.

I have an ex who registered a company which is still basically just an empty shell after a couple of years and goes around calling himself the CEO of it. He even has a LinkedIn profile.

[User246810]

I'm a director but I don't use it in my job title, I'm a plain old manager!

[JaxingJump]

But do you manage people User?

I'm the director of my company. I own my own business and I work from home, for myself.

I tend to only tell people I work from home as it's usually relevant to their line of questioning (how I work full time with 3 v small children).

[AyeAmarok]

But Jax, if someone asked what you do, would you say "I'm a director", or would you say "I'm an accountant/baker/journalist/whatever", plus maybe an " and I have my own company"?

[DorisMcSweeney]

I have my own company of which I am the sole director and employee. So that makes me a director, a CEO, a CFO, a COO, a CIO, a CDO, and of course the Company Secretary.

I also put the bins out on a Tuesday morning

[AlexanderHamilton]

My dad has a limited company employing 30 people.

He's never called himself CEO - he is the Managing Director.

[Orlantina]

Director and responsible for everything..When people ring up and ask for the person in charge of marketing or accounts or advertising or bookings they always get the right person straightaway

[JanetBrown2015]

Yes, it's a bit silly. I just say I work for myself. I've nothing to prove.

Managing Director is often the better term if there are a few directors and one director in charge.

[Crumbs1]

My husband is a CEO but then he has a good few thousand employees. He didn't choose the title, it's just explains his position in a way others understand.