“Don’t worry about titles. Titles don’t really matter.” I can’t tell you how many times I’ve heard that before. When I first entered the startup world, I thought my opinion that titles do matter was my own ego speaking. Maybe I just wanted to look good and tout my fancy title like a badge of honor: “Look, Mom! Look what I got!”
Why titles matter
If recruiters or business owners are getting enough applications, they might only have time to scan your application and resume. They’re likely to notice the titles that closely match what they’re looking for.
- Hiring managers love to see growth over the years, and even if your responsibilities shifted, it can get lost if it’s all under one title.
Get the right title
Titles show off years of growth and hard work and have the ability to steer your career in the right direction.
How to figure out the right title
Do some digging and take notes
- What job titles come up a lot
- Have a job title that’s familiar to recruiters
- Different levels of job titles (e.g., associate, assistant, senior)
- Which titles most closely represent what you’re doing
How to ask for a title change
Set up a meeting with your manager
- Let them know you want to talk about your career growth and specifically your title
- Mention the responsibilities you held at the beginning and how they’ve shifted, and talk about what responsibilities you hold now
- Segue into the research you did, and mention how important your growth is to you
- Talk about how your current role and responsibilities translate well into the Marketing Specialist position, and ask if making this change would be something that could be considered
- Reassure them this is a forward-thinking request, and that you’re not actively looking for other job opportunities
