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The Job Title Debunked

It's easy to get attached to a job title or focus on rank in your job search process. After all, you've worked hard to get where you are and earn your stripes in the workplace.

Job titles have much less relevance to the quality of an opportunity and the responsibilities it holds than you might think.

One company’s senior manager could be another company’s VP. One company’s account executive might be a coordinator at a similar company. As recruiters, we’ve seen companies with no job titles, companies with unorthodox job titles (Creativity Czar and King Developer) and companies with very traditional job title classifications.

It also happens that hiring managers must sometimes come up with a job title on the spot to create and advertise a job requisition in a hurry. In their rush, they put much less consideration into the title than the job role and responsibilities. Another example of job title fluidity occurs when a position is brand new at a company. Management may still be trying to identify how the position will fit into the organization, which means the title is often just a work in progress.

What you rarely know when researching or applying for a job is exactly what the title means to the company and the employees who do the work. And you know, that’s not a tragedy because you can easily acquire the more important information: job responsibilities and required experience and education.

Our advice to IT professionals seeking work is to focus far less on the title and instead focus on responsibilities and experience. You want to align the skills you have and the accomplishments you’ve achieved to a job rather then looking to synch your current/most recent title with a future title.

Job Hunting By Skill: Five Tips from Harvey Nash

The challenge is that job searches are often easier to conduct by title. Here are some tips to avoid the title-search trap.

- Search By Skill. Focus on skills and keywords rather than job title defaults wherever possible—on job boards, social media sites, employer Web sites and even classifieds. Look at companies that hire from your skill set in high numbers.

- Network By Skill. User groups on sites like LinkedIn and Facebook and industry associations all hold forums and events by skill, experience and expertise. Get involved online and in groups that can help you learn about opportunities and skill needs at top employers. And remember, if someone asks you for your most recent title, give them a range. “My title was Director of Development but I have also served in VP roles at smaller firms and have served in management or senior management for the last 10 years.”

- Build an Accomplishments Top Ten. A resume is a content-rich document and it can sometimes be hard to remember key resume facts on-the-spot. So, take a few moments and build a professional top ten list for yourself - one that you can remember. What are your best workplace and on-the-job successes to date? What skills are you most proud of? Know them and be ready to speak to your accomplishments as you pound the pavement and network for a new role.

- Partner with a Pro. Partner with a recruiting firm or headhunter in order to expand your opportunity pool far beyond job titles and listed positions. We recruiters are seasoned experts at ferreting out opportunities by skill and experience. It never hurts to have a veteran recruiter on your side.

Finally, remember to be open to the fact that you might be a “senior” rather than a “vice” or a “manager” rather than a “director.” By letting go of title fixations, you can open yourself up to a wider pool of job opportunities. And let’s face it, at the end of the day the opportunity is what you want. The title you can work on once you have the job and have wowed your new employer with your skills.