How important is a job title?

[Lottielovescake]

I’ve been asked to interview for a very niche job, close to home and with great pay. I’m currently looking for a very similar role and may have to commute further to get one of those roles. This one is around the corner! But... it doesn’t have the fancy job title that I actually want. Does that matter? It’s great experience, doing almost exactly the same job day to day as the one I’m searching for and with the same pay. How important is the job title? If I want to move on, it won’t look as good on my CV I suppose. Any advice?

But no, I actually don't care what my title is. I never have.

@GOODCAT yes you’re right about the perception of the role, that’s exactly what I mean. You can of course elaborate in an interview but I wouldn’t lie on an application and that could make it more difficult to move on. Plus the kudos of the job title I want is lost, I’d have to explain what my job was to family/ friends rather than saying my title that I’ve worked towards. Perhaps that really doesn’t matter much though!

Waste disposal executive - dustman

"Plus the kudos of the job title I want is lost, I’d have to explain what my job was to family/ friends rather than saying my title that I’ve worked towards"

Really? You want kudos amongst your family and friends?

There's really no reason for an employer to avoid hiring into a role unless they're breaking the law. That would put me off straight away.

But then I'm not the type who cares enough about showing off to my family or to start a post in it!

Education Centre Nourishment Consultant - dinner lady

@denverRegina that’s very judgemental.

Actually those two points were separate. I’d lose the kudos of the title I worked towards (within by my professional field) plus I’d also have to explain my job to all my family/ friends who know I’ve been studying for something specific. That may not matter to some people, that’s why I’m asking on an anonymous thread on Mumsnet to gauge if I’m being daft or not.

I’m not showing off to my family, that really is a daft thing to say.

My family don't know my job title - so that wouldn't be a problem! Why not tell your parents the "job title that you want" rather than the one that the organisation have given to the role? How would they know any different?

I've always massaged the job title on my CVs so that they better reflect the role that I'm actually doing, to put them into generic/recognised terms; my employer has a habit of giving strange non-meaningful titles to roles

I’d have to explain what my job was to family/ friends rather than saying my title that I’ve worked towards.

I would just say the job title that people would understand. When people ask what you do, they don’t mean what is your specific job title.

@KFleming

I’d have to explain what my job was to family/ friends rather than saying my title that I’ve worked towards.

I would just say the job title that people would understand. When people ask what you do, they don’t mean what is your specific job title.

Agree. That part is a non-issue.

If it's the same remit and pay, plus the commute is massively reduced, I'm not sure I would let the title put me off, although I do understand your concerns. To give a very linear example, going back to a HR Assistant where you've been HR Manager or Director would take some explaining on your CV to show it was the more senior position. If the role requires your qualifications though and they've just given it a made up name, I wouldn't worry too much. Maybe you could put your qualifications on your email signature so people know you are qualified to do the job by its usual name?

In short, I wouldn't write a good opportunity off, but I would think of a clever way to explain it on my CV and once in, would make a case again after my probation to tweak the title, either to the usual job name or something I thought more suitable. They might say no but worth a try.

The job title would really matter to me. Like previous people have said, it's a reflection of your seniority, status, ability. Lying on your CV in future could really backfire.
If you don't like the existing title and they can't change it to what you want, is there a compromise you can suggest - something similar but not quite the same?
In all honesty I would (and have!) turn down a job if the job title was wrong.

Maybe the person was made redundant so they have to replace the title?

"Lying on your CV in future could really backfire."

It's not really lying if she puts a description of her job rather than a job title.

"To give a very linear example, going back to a HR Assistant where you've been HR Manager or Director would take some explaining on your CV to show it was the more senior position."

Yes, but if you went from Director to Manager, couldn't you explain that at the new company, the people who would be Director elsewhere are all called Managers? Surely, recruiters know that some companies have 'vanity' job titles that make every job sound grander than it actually is.

@Vikingintraining I really understand where you’re coming from!

I wouldn’t ever change the job title in future job hunts- suprised how many are saying they would!

There’s a perfectly valid reason for the job title as it is, no one has been made redundant and nothing illegal.

I think I really need to reflect on what’s more important because the short commute is very appealing too!!

gwenhwyfar yes, that's what I mean, i suppose unless it's a very set system of ranks like the forces or, say medicine, there is usually some variance across organisations. Plus on the CV, OP give a description of duties that really emphasises the director level work she would have done

I'm now being made redundant as my job title doesn't match our new structure and my role seems more jr than it actually is. I'd ask if they can change the job title - I've been burned by not

It’s not medicine but there is an assumed progress path. This job title isn’t either the more senior or the more junior one - it’s a totally different title. They admitted they’d made it up! I’m hoping that anyone reading it would look to the description/ pay to decipher the seniority level.... but I don’t know if they would in reality.

@Strawberrysaxifrage

gwenhwyfar yes, that's what I mean, i suppose unless it's a very set system of ranks like the forces or, say medicine, there is usually some variance across organisations. Plus on the CV, OP give a description of duties that really emphasises the director level work she would have done

Yes, exactly. I've actually had job titles that were 'more' than what I was doing because that was necessary to justify a pay rise. I wouldn't put the exaggerated job title on my CV because it doesn't reflect what I do.

I'm some areas it matters, others not so much.
I've asked my for my job description to be changed twice my last two jobs and they were completely ok about it.

I actually have this issue. I have a job title that reflects what I do, but it's a job title and role that exists in another field but a role that doesn't usually exists in my field (in fact we have sites around the world and some of the other sites are quite resistant to adopting this role). So on linkedin I get regular offers of a job in the other field (based on my job title but which I am not qualified at all) or job titles in my own field based on a job title I had 2 promotions ago which I'm almost but not entirely qualified for. Ironically I never get job offers for another non-technical role that I am qualified for. At the moment I'm happy in my current role so it doesn't matter yet but some of my ex-colleagues have had issues moving on because there's not an obvious next step from our (admittedly already reasonably senior) role.

I’m a director. However, in a larger organisation my role would be a “head of”. It was important for me to be “director of” where I am so that I can get a “head of” role in a larger organisation as being “head of” in a smaller organisation would suggest I wasn’t senior enough for a “head of” in a larger org. Confused enough???

I get it @Nataliafalka, have a similar thing myself. You need to be "Head of Kittens" in my organisation /industry before you can be "Global Chief Kitten Officer". And my friend is currently trying to move and she's finding it hard to explain that her role as Kitten Director is effectively the same thing. I got round it by being called Head of Kitten Research or similar...

They are important and I would think twice about taking the job. People recruit via titles and people search for jobs by titles. Jobs do vary but a title says a great deal on a CV.

I think it you put your job title on CV as it is with the job title it would normally be in brackets afterwards on your CV then I think that would be fine and likely get you interviews where you can then explain.