Does Your Job Title Really Matter?

By David May, Director

Having a job title that inaccurately describes your skillset may have more consequences than you think.

At a time where an increasing number of people are throwing the words “sustainability” and “ESG specialist” into their resume/LinkedIn profile (when in reality they have no related skills of note), it makes me wonder – do job titles mean anything?

There are many examples however ESG and Sustainability is an easy one to unpack. Every company wants to show that they care about this matter, creating multiple jobs in a market where the skills aren’t there yet as it is a “new” area of expertise. Many people want to work in Sustainability, however, so jobseekers may throw keywords onto their resume and/or LinkedIn profile to look appropriate, when in reality, they don’t have those skills nor that job title.

Why job titles matter

Internally a job title can give you relativity in the pecking order. Yes, a job title can help people understand what you do and a job title can help you impress your friends at the next barbecue, but it’s pretty important that your job title really does reflect what you do and what your skills are.

Job titles do have a significant impact externally and will, to a degree, impact how your clients, your customers and anyone else who’s looking at your profile regards you. On a tool such as LinkedIn, it is important to mention your key skills but it is also advisable that these are accurate.

• Career progression: Job titles can help employees understand their career progression within a firm. Clear job titles provide a roadmap for advancement
• Employee motivation: Clear job titles can help motivate employees to work towards specific career goals.
• The algorithms that headhunters and recruiters employ consider role-based keywords and also rank trending keywords highly. As an example, including Sustainability and ESG on your profile will lead you to better rankings in search results as this is a popular topic. On closer inspection or at initial interview, however, it will become pretty evident that any over-exaggerated skills are lacking. However, due to lack of alternatives that person has already got to interview and may get lucky by landing a job that generally pays pretty well. Whether they can actually do it or not is another question.

When they don’t matter

When they used to reflect seniority and experience that is not there. In the past two or three years, there has been a rise in senior titles being given to employees who, in my opinion, don’t have the correct depth of skills or experience to reflect the title. Instead, my belief is that this trend is reflecting the lack of alternative labour in the market and is taking meaning away from the weight of titles. Can you really be a “Senior Specialist” with two years’ experience?

When the job is still a “bad job”. Job titles don’t mask bad or wrong jobs, and therefore don’t make people happy. What makes people happy is the actual work that they do, the people they work with and their ability to have an impact and make meaningful contributions.

Negative impact of misappropriated titles

It might seem obvious but having a job title that suggests skills you don’t have will have negative repercussions. 

Someone in their first job might think it’s ‘cool’ to have a really serious title to impress their friends but really it doesn’t mean a great deal. Someone with a passing interest in Sustainability or jumping onto ESG might like to call themselves a specialist but ultimately if they don’t have relevant skills, it will not help their career or their employer (present or future).

• Incorrect job titles can act a little like “imposter syndrome” where people feel inhibited to do their job because they don’t believe they’re in the right role and this is stressful for everybody.
• Incorrect job titles can also have a negative impact on future opportunities: inaccurate job titles on a resume could confuse potential employers, making it harder for the person to qualify for roles that match their skills and experience.
• Employers, crucially, are negatively impacted because they are not able to achieve the goals that they set out. Using ESG as an example again, having hired someone without the skills  and experience required to make critical decisions will lead businesses to not have the impact their shareholders are hoping for.  

Positive impact of misappropriated titles

I was trying to think of the plus side of having the wrong job title and couldn’t think of too many. Research has suggested, however:

• Visibility and Opportunity: Sometimes, an inflated job title might attract more attention and opportunities. It could lead to being considered for roles that might not have been an option with a more accurate job title.
• Confidence and Perception: For some, an impressive job title might boost confidence and influence how they perceive themselves, potentially affecting their performance positively.

Takeaway

In conclusion, if you are rocking a job title that doesn’t reflect your skills, you will probably end up in a role that doesn’t suit you or make you happy.  

As with life you will be happiest if you don’t pretend to be something that you’re not. So have a look at your profile, make sure your job title is true and accurate, and review your “skills” and make sure they reflect not just what you want to do but what you actually do and what you know.

Topically, imagine being the “Customer Communications /  Media Liaison Manager” at Optus. Based on their glacial response last week I imagine this gig is their first such role, but perhaps their resumes told a different story?

Risk mitigation is a vital part of the recruitment process, and also a career. To learn more about this and its impact on executive search, reach out to me, David May on 0493 660 013 or david@lawsondelaney.com.au.

Lawson Delaney is a leading executive search and professional recruitment firm based in Melbourne. We specialise in recruiting CEOs and leadership teams, and accountants of all seniorities for Accounting firms.