Shakespeare said, ‘A Rose by any other name, would smell as sweet.’ (There is even an IELTS question on it!)
And employers have been known to ‘promote’ a person to a ‘new’ position, to avoid increasing pay.
In immigration, the job title is like the rose. It doesn’t matter too much what the title is, the reality is the job and the tasks carried out.
If the work actually done ‘is sweet’, i.e. the tasks are comparable to those in ANZSCO, then you have met a major requirement of the Skilled Migrant Category for a residence visa for New Zealand. But if the work actually done, does not meet the tasks in ANZSCO then you have a huge problem. Keeping with the floral analogy, just calling onion weed a rose, will not make it smell any better.
Understanding ANZSCO is critical in identifying whether or not, a position will be deemed skilled employment by Immigration NZ (INZ). ANZSCO identifies a range of skill levels of which, only Skill levels 1, 2 and some 3, are considered to be skilled by INZ.
Do not make the mistake of looking at the contents, identifying a job title, which looks as if it could work, and claiming skilled migrant points for that position. Look at the tasks and the skill level and don’t aim too high.
In immigration you are not competing for an Olympic medal, you just need a pass. Claim the minimum you need to achieve your pass, as every point you claim must be verified. And ask yourself, what skill level does my salary suggest? Some industries are different, but for most jobs, if you are being paid under $50,000, you are probably not in a skill level 1 role and should even be cautious about claiming a position at skill level 2.
The job title can be useful in identifying what a job could be about, but it is the tasks identified in the position description which describe the work you do and how close it is to the ANZSCO equivalent.