I’m fascinated by the importance of titles to some people. When I worked at a Fortune 200 in marketing and sales, most of my direct reports and colleagues fixated on levels. Why not? It was associated with pay, benefits, status, and gravitas. At Sprint, I was initially pleased to have an exciting job with a supportive boss and healthcare benefits within a specific geographic location, only a 15-minute drive from my house with limited global travel to spend time with my soon-to-be husband. And Miss Boo, my Bouvier des Flanders. My previous consulting career required two weeks of business trips to Europe and Asia. Global business travel seems glamorous but stifles your personal life and, in my case, limits pet ownership.
Consulting Perspective on Job Titles
Perhaps my background created a different mindset. My first career position after graduating with an MBA in marketing research was a UX consultant before that term became trendy. My introduction to clients was “this is Monique,” not “this is Monique who’s a Consultant II.” Then five years later, as a co-owner of a marketing research company, I was again “Monique” with no mention of the title. My hiring was as a result of being a business partner of a Ph.D. in mathematical psychology. In his case, the title was “Dr.,” which indeed carried more clout than mine. This professor’s academic research and corporate career experience was the foundation for corporations and institutions hiring us as consumer behavior research consultants for media positioning for television and print. Our client base included political campaigns, Brown-Forman, Coca-Cola, General Motors, S.C. Johnson, and the U.S. Army.
In a private business environment, we all wore many hats, but we hired outside the company for expertise in accounting and legal. We didn’t ask what level someone achieved. We vetted based upon standard titles like “accountant” or “attorney” backed up by recommendations and referrals.
Job Applicant – Weird & Wacky Titles
The career job site Indeed provided an analysis of weird and wacky job titles. Are you one of these people, or do you have a colleague sporting any of these top distinctions?
- Ninja
- Rockstar
- Genius
- Hero
- Guru
Oh, wait, that last one is part of my corporate name! It turns out I’m part of weird and wacky if applied to a corporate name. Nothing like a generic kindergarten name such as a company rebranded as “Alphabet.” In my defense, mine provides additional context as “Resumé Tech Guru,” which points to something I do versus knowing my ABCs. Intrigued, I decided to find out who else has a “guru” moniker on LinkedIn. It appears I’m not an island since I uncovered the following within profile headlines or job titles:
● Tech specific: Cloud guru, IT guru, kubernetes guru, startup guru
● Not tech specific: Donut guru, exit plan guru, head guru, pelvic guru
Did you have a difficult time determining what some of these gurus do? Who amongst this group do you want to hire or hang out with or avoid? The point being, having a distinct title on your resume or LinkedIn can work for or against you.
Personal Branding – Your Title
What is your current position? How would you describe it to a friend? Director. VP. CIO. Odds are you don’t explain it as I’m a “rockstar technologist.” Catching the drift?
In the review of my clients’ requests, their #1 priority is to stand out and make an impression for internal or external career advancement. Bob McIntosh, CPRW, is a career trainer who leads more than 25 job search workshops and webinars at MassHire Lowell Career Center in Massachusetts. Recently he offered persuasive advice for your LinkedIn profile, “Similar to your résumé, a headline will tell hiring authorities your title as well as your major strengths. It is more general and includes more areas of expertise. One benefit I see with the profile headline is it allows more characters to work with than the résumé. You have 120 characters or slightly more than 16 words. If you want to include a short branding statement, this could be a nice touch.”
I call myself a “career coach” on LinkedIn because people aren’t looking for a “career consultant,” which is what I consider myself for personal branding, career search strategies, skills analysis, résumé writing, and LinkedIn makeovers. Once you found me, you might think, yes, that’s what I need, a career consultant. It’s the same for recruiters, executive search firms, and hiring teams. They are looking for the baseline of “Engineering Director,” and upon seeing it, look at the foundation of your industry and vertical expertise, skills, and leadership.
It’s the start of a new year. As a technology leader, you know if you made your 2019 numbers or if your current role provides fulfillment. If not, maybe it’s time to move on. Not as a “Rockstar” but as your best persona for hire.
Cheers to 2020! Here’s to landing your dream job. You deserve it!
