Job titles matter and here is how to ask for the right one
Parent Post
“Don’t worry about titles.
“Don’t worry about titles. Titles don’t really matter.”
A lot of startups want to look cool with these lines. But it may not be a great idea.
Unlike large companies, startups do not have a very well defined career growth framework for employees and having titles is a way to fix it.
How to ask for
How to ask for a title change
Once you’ve done your research, made your notes, and come up with a proposal for a new title, set up a meeting with your manager. Here’s your agenda:
- Let them know you want to talk about your career growth and specifically your title.
- Tell them how much you’ve enjoyed the current role and how much you’ve learned and grown.
- 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 new role, and ask if making this change would be something that could be considered.
- Reassure them that this is a forward-thinking request, and that you’re not actively looking for other job opportunities (assuming that’s actually the case).
- Let them know that you don’t expect a decision immediately, and that you’ll send over a copy of your notes and research. You want to give them time to be sure the title is aligned with the company’s goals and growth as well.
Get the right title
Get the right title
Titles aren’t arbitrary.
Titles show off years of growth and hard work and have the ability to steer your career in the right direction. They’re tied to compensation, they outline the steps that lie ahead, and they make you more (or less) attractive as you search for jobs.
What happens when you
What happens when you make a job switch?
If you are working for a startup, chances are that you may not go through many title changes (even though your responsibilities may have increased).
What happens when you apply to other companies?
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.
How to figure out
How to figure out the right title
If you’re getting the feeling that what you’re consistently working on has moved beyond your title, it may be time to do some digging. Start by researching different roles in your industry and field. As you do that, take notes:
- What job titles come up a lot? Having a job title that’s “familiar” to recruiters can be a big help in a job search.
- What are the different levels of job titles (associate, assistant, senior)? You might even want to make a little org chart for yourself to understand where you fall among these levels.
- What responsibilities in these descriptions match your current role? Which titles most closely represent what you’re doing?
- Develop a forward-thinking mindset. Do you see any job titles that look like what you want to do, even if it’s not what you do now? If so, you can work backward from there: figure out what the level below that is, or find people in that role and see what their previous title was.