Dutch motoring organisation ANWB has been accused of posting an incomprehensible jobs ad on Twitter by looking for a ‘replenisher’ who would be ‘supplying all channels’ according to ‘shelf availability’.

Only the last words provided a clue to the actual job – that of vakkenvuller or shelf stacker.

While the ANWB is not alone in using English job titles which also suggest something more glamorous, it has hastily adapted the ad in the face of general derision.

Dus @werkenbijanwb plaatst deze ónbegrijpelijke vacature voor vakkenvuller, vol met bullshit jargon, waarvan de link niet eens werkt én is vervolgens de leukste thuis als mensen daar terechte kritiek op hebben. Shame on you @ANWB pic.twitter.com/BxR28tKi0h

— Rik ten Wolde (@riktenwolde) September 26, 2020

ANWB press officer Markus van Tol admitted the ad ‘could raise eyebrows. But on the other hand, he said, this is what this function is called in retail. ‘Some functions are called what they are called, there’s nothing you can do about it,’ he told the AD.

Recruiter Floor Nobels told the paper people were right to criticise. ‘It’s a lot of mumbo jumbo. A function title like that is not going to make people say to someone: “Hey, weren’t you looking for a job as a shelf stacker?” That advantage is lost.’

Unusual titles

Unusual job titles are a trend, particularly among startups, Maarten Naaijkens of jobs board Nationale Vacturebank told the paper. ‘They buff up the job title of something that is quite a simple job and hope to draw attention to it that way. But it’s doubtful that will attract the right person for the job,’ he said. ‘And this one probably got all the wrong type of attention.’

However strange to Dutch ears, English obtuse job titles are probably here to stay, Nobels said. ‘Five years a client of mine wanted a ‘customer journey specialist’. That term had not been in use before then but now it’s quite common.’

Meanwhile, the ANWB ad has reappeared. The organisation still want a ‘replenisher’ but the job description now reads, in Dutch that ‘you take care that all products in the ANWB shops and our web shop are available to our customers’.