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Talent Trade Tidbit - Title: What's In a Name?
How important is your job title, REALLY? The answer could be not a bit, or quite a lot, depending on who's looking. Tune in to learn when you shouldn't be bothered about a title, and conversely, when to get righteously indignant over it.
Transcript
Hi, this is Stephanie Maas, partner with Thinking Ahead Search Firm.
Speaker:Today I want to talk to you about title.
Speaker:What's in a name?
Speaker:I was recently working with a candidate who candidly, their experience was fantastic.
Speaker:It was a hundred million dollar a year producer.
Speaker:But, they have been with the same organization for a long time.
Speaker:They had not been advocating for themselves, so after 25 years in the business, they still had a VP title.
Speaker:When I presented this candidate to my client, candidly, they had a lot of heartburn, believing the candidate was as good as the candidate really was.
Speaker:They were used to seeing folks at that level with an SVP title.
Speaker:They were used to seeing a much higher salary.
Speaker:They said, gosh, you know, I just, it's just hard for us to think that somebody with this much experience still has that VP title.
Speaker:It got me thinking at the same time what I was trying to explain to the client was, Hey, look, when you stay with an organization a long time, the reality of it is you're probably gonna get underpaid in the market.
Speaker:It's just reality.
Speaker:That doesn't mean you bounce around every two years, but most people don't know how to continue to advocate for themselves when they stay with an organization.
Speaker:Same thing with title.
Speaker:Title is like that cost of living adjustment, the merit raise, whatever you want to call it.
Speaker:If you're just used to being a VP and you're winning tons of business and everything is coming up roses, a lot of us don't think about getting to that next level with a title.
Speaker:The flip side of that is, honestly, Who cares?
Speaker:I don't care what you call me.
Speaker:But if I can make a good living, if I'm representing the right organization, and I'm doing what I'm supposed to be doing, again, call me whatever you want to call me.
Speaker:Doesn't bother me.
Speaker:So, as also, as I was trying to work with the client to get them a little bit more open minded, I think it was a good reminder for candidates, look, there are just organizations that when it comes to title, they kind of fall in one of three categories.
Speaker:The first category is everyone gets a big one and it's fancy and ultimately doesn't mean anything, but it makes you feel good.
Speaker:There are other organizations that titles are honestly like getting into Fort Knox.
Speaker:It's the, you know, the criteria to get a certain title is just crazy and ridiculous.
Speaker:And at the end of the day, it still doesn't really mean much, but they at least try to create the aura that maybe it does.
Speaker:And then I have a set of organizations that their titles don't match anyone else's in the industry.
Speaker:To those organizations, I say, Hey, I appreciate your attempt to be creative, probably misplaced when it comes to being creative with titles.
Speaker:Nonetheless, here's where I want to go with this.
Speaker:I was recently talking with a candidate who was very frustrated over 20 years of experience, incredibly successful at what they do, and they felt like they were ready, especially when they looked around at their peers to elevate their title based on.
Speaker:All the criteria that they needed to become this title, it made sense, and yet their organization won't give it to them.
Speaker:So I did all the things I could to coach, to say, Hey, go to HR, find out, is there extra vacation that comes with the title?
Speaker:No.
Speaker:Is there extra pay?
Speaker:No.
Speaker:What are the hurdles that are preventing this person from getting a bump in title?
Speaker:And at the end of the day, it's just discretionary.
Speaker:And for whatever reason, that organization just said, Hey, here's a few more hoops to jump through.
Speaker:And then we'll consider putting you at that level.
Speaker:Candidly, that's what they did.
Speaker:It's hard for me to hold back in that conversation because what I really want to say is, are you serious?
Speaker:Over 20 years in the industry, just give it to them.
Speaker:It costs you nothing, but by you withholding it, it sends the message that you don't think they're valuable enough to you to give them that title.
Speaker:Absolutely ridiculous.
Speaker:By the way, I can't wait.
Speaker:To pull that person out, get them similar job, different organization, and a better title.
Speaker:In the meantime, when you have to replace that person, you can guarantee you will be giving whoever you hire the title that that other person wanted.
Speaker:Ridiculous.
Speaker:So my point in sharing all this is at the end of the day, Title, what does it really matter?
Speaker:Fundamentally, I think we can all agree it probably doesn't matter that much, but if you are finding it to be a hindrance, you may not even know because you're not out job searching.
Speaker:If you've had the same title, but are kicking it in your current organization, the next time you go for your review, it's probably something to look at as well.
