Yeah they were, and it does lift a couple of eyebrows at parties when I'm asked what I do. But the PC-answer is just "IT security consultant". But we in the business might just as well describe ourselves as copywriters, based on you much time I spend in open-office writing reports based on your findings during the test.
The report is the most important thing of any assignment, as that is often all that you leave behind for the customer once you're done. So in a sense, that's what they pay you for.