What's in a job title?

Have you ever felt like your job title did not do justice to what your actual position was within a company?  Or seen someone else's job title and felt it was not descriptive enough?  In my position I see everything from Director of First Impressions to CIO (Chief Idea Officer) to Head Cheese for a CEO.  While being creative in some industries can be good, in the world of insurance it is always best to say what you mean and mean what you say.

The problem with a job title is that it means different things to different people.  If you were to ask Monster you would receive one answer, while CareerBuilder would offer another answer, someone at Indeed or Linked In would provide another perspective, a third party recruiter would have a few thoughts, the HR/talent acquisition team at the employer would have an opinion, the hiring manager would like something completely different, the IT department would suggest particular key words in a specific order and font, and the job seeker would feel strongly about something that none of the aforementioned would understand.  So how do you decipher what is the best way to explain what your skill set is in just a title or two?  Or what your job is really seeking to fill?

This is a complicated question that oftentimes leads candidates to have multiple copies of their resume or online profiles.  Which I don't believe is necessarily a good thing.  It also can lead companies down the path of securing many resumes of people with a similar job title, but absolutely none of the skills they are seeking.  Over time we have counseled many companies and candidates to tweak things accordingly in their titles to make sure everyone is on the same page.  There are a few litmus tests you can apply to be guided in the right direction.

The first is securing some competitive intelligence.  Whether you are a hiring manager or a candidate, do some research into what others in the industry would call a particular position.  When I worked at a broker earlier in my career I was an Account Executive, but at the end of the day I was in sales.  I found over time that most other firms used the AE title to describe service instead of sales.  This hurt me when I was introducing myself to prospects as an AE because they were unaware of the fact that I was in sales.  We help clients all the time when deciding what title to use and/or NOT use based upon what we see in the market.

Next, determine the perception of the general public.  Will it help if a VP or AVP is added to a title?  Or perhaps the word "Senior" in front of an Account Manager or Account Executive title?  You can lean on my first point as a start.  Do other firms call an Account Manager with 5-7 years of experience a Sr. Account Manager to provide some oomph to the title?  If so, that might be something to consider adding to your repertoire to make sure you are attracting the right talent.  Also, think about how your team is structured internally.  If a senior level person is assigned to some indirect reports or higher level clients, it might make sense to add something to the title to show that line of demarcation both internally and externally.

Another easy question, but often overlooked, is how is the title going to fit on a business card or email signature line?  This may seem like a small detail, but if someone is an Assistant Vice President, Account Executive, Small Group Division that is a lot of information.  Would it be easier to simply call that person the AVP, Small Accounts?  In the day and age we live in with social media an exposure on sites like LinkedIn, these types of issues can help make a first impression.

Lastly, is there consistency over a period of time?  If you have had four different job titles for your four most recent employers, do you think that could be confusing to a prospective employer?  Or as a company if you have called someone doing customer service four different titles over the past four years, do you think that might be confusing to a job seeker?  This requires some long term planning, especially for companies.  Having a prescribed path that remains consistent can really help with this problem.  It can especially help with recruiting on the employer side as you can show candidates what the journey would be for advancement, career progression, and timing with each role.  Bigger companies tend to do a better job of this than smaller companies, but it can be a methodology used by all if it is a well thought our plan.

Have you ever been provided with a job title that didn't seem right?  Or hired a candidate that you really liked but didn't know what to call them?