I’m en route to NYC to attend the Senior HR Executive Conference on Tuesday. Since I write for The Conference Board Review, I’m hoping to learn a few new things and incorporate those concepts & ideas into future columns.
I’ll be live-tweeting the event under @punkrockHR, and I look forward to meeting smart people with fancy HR titles. When I speak with VPs of HR, I often hear them say, “Sure, I’m a VP. Big deal. Titles don’t matter.”
Then they whip out their Corporate AMEX card and buy my dinner.
Hey, I’m not complaining. Unfortunately, when I speak with line managers and regular joes, I’m acutely aware that titles do matter. Titles have been used as a way to compensate workers when wages and benefits are low.
I’ve had the following titles — some on business cards, some in HRIS system, and some given to me by my bosses who just thought it sounded right. Ugh.
- HR Assistant
- Staffing Specialist
- Staffing Manager
- Recruiter
- Corporate Recruiter
- Interim HR Generalist
- HR Generalist
- HR Manager
- Regional HR Manager
- HR Advisor
- Interim HR Director
- HR Business Partner
Let me digress a moment, but who the heck uses HR Business Partner? I had that title for one day. I demanded that it must be removed from my HRIS profile. I argued that HR Business Partner is a state-of-being, not a title. What’s worse is that Human Resources Business Partner was abbreviated HRBP. Herrbbbbfffff. Ridiculous. Something is wrong when a job title is too long to fit into a computer system.
So what do you think about titles? Do they matter? What’s your title? Does it suck?
{ 47 comments… read them below or add one }
Job titles matter more in feudal systems. Unfortunately, they also are a proxy for “credibility.”
It’s human nature to want to label everything, therefore titles matter to most people. It’s one of those situations where you can remove “normal” titles and people will still attempt to perform a ranking. Even in environments where everyone is a “Team Member” or an “Associate” people rank others. Some companies have (much to my joy) tried to throw a wrench into human nature by assigning unusual titles which confuse and confound people, and amuse me.
I am lobbying for one of the following titles for myself:
Cube Commander
Vizeer of Vision
De-Shennaniganator
Racontuer of Justice
I have a dear friend, a Medical Technologist, Med Tech for short, who wants to be a Clinical Laboratory Scientist. And he wonders why I’m laughing.
I, on the other hand, have been in HR forever freakin’ ever, and understand that my title, Director of Human Resources, really means Corporate Mom. Long sigh.
We Americans define ourselves by what we do. “I’m a Financial Advisor” sounds a lot better than “I’m a whore for Wall Street.” I have a friend who used to work for a private airline company, so I’d ask her how the Escort Service was. I don’t think she appreciated that.
Anyway, titles do matter from an HR standpoint because if you need to replace people you’ve laid off, you sometimes have to modify the title so that you can hire the new person, e.g. “Software Engineer” versus “Software Architect.” What’s the difference? We don’t know!
My business card titles are usually something boring likes sales compensation analyst…manager…director
My HRIS titles for my compensation positions have been all over the place. I have been:
Project Manager
Sales Operations Analyst
Business Ops Analyst
Sales analyst
Sales Ops Supervisor
Sales Admininstration Manager
Sales Ops Manager
Director Internal Audit
Director Sales Operations
I have found that people who most often say that “titles to do not matter” are people who already have a big-ass title. Look, if a person cannot do their job and add value, a title will not save them. Conversely, if a person kicks ass in their job, the lack of a Big Title will not keep them from being in high demand; Everyone will want them! So, titles do not matter, however, titles do convey things, to not only the outside world, but also, to internal employees and colleagues…so they can matter.
In the end, maybe it is all about relevance to what one really does, and how transportable that is to other businesses. Maybe that is the test. For after all, some company’s hand out titles like candy. I remember, in my last job search, looking at HR roles at various banks (glad I never went there). These were like HR Clerk roles, in most places I have ever worked, and yet the banks gobbed out huge titles for their HR person in charge, such as “Executive Senior Vice President of Global Human Resources” (Small regional bank with 3 locations). The HR Supervisor at Target has more direct responsibility!
At my last job, we were allowed to choose our own title. We could also use different titles for different audiences.
Ali, in the medical field titles are standardized. A med tech at one hospital does the same job as a med tech at another one. To have a title of Scientist, you need a PhD.
In an effort to align our titles within our industry the company I work for has come up with a list of titles / job descriptions that cannot be found any where else within our industry.
In the end they want to reduce wages and bonuses and the employees are aware of their motives. We speak a lot about our desire to change the culture and moral in the company, but we cannot understand that you have to change the people who create the hate and discontent before you can change the culture.
Dishonesty abounds in corporate America, I do not think things will truly get better until we change out the current leadership in corporate America.
How do you get around a year without merit increases? You promote someone into a new title. Leads become supervisors (the non-exempt/exempt battle is another story), supervisors become asst managers, asst managers become managers, managers become asst directors, asst directors become directors, and directors become division directors. I’ll stop right here rather than wade into the mess of executive titles we maintain. Most of which require substantial butchering to get down to our 25 character system limit!!!!
@ Ali – Corporate Mom. LOLOL!
Titles do matter. They shouldn’t, but they do. How much it matters depends alot on the culture of an organization. I’ve been a “Director of HR” at my last two gigs. At my previous gig, “Director” meant “big dog”. At my current gig, “director” means, “you aren’t one of the chosen ones so we won’t call you a VP. And, you’re not a guy. only guys are VP’s.”. ARRGGHH.
In academe, titles convey whether or not you have tenure: Professor and Associate Professor are tenured; Assistant Professor is on the tenure-track, but not yet tenured (and doesn’t assist anyone). However, a Visiting Assistant Professor doesn’t have a hope in hell of tenure. Neither does a Lecturer. [These titles are U.S.; in British system, Lecturer means something else.]
I know this looks like self promotion, but I recently tried to imagine what the world will be like without titles. I highly recommend start-ups give it a shot. What’s the worst that could happen?
Deconstruction 1: Titles Complicate
http://bit.ly/8QVdKN
I do think titles are necessary to bring in order and some structure to the department, but it cna be interchangable.
However, you bring on a good point on HR Business Partner. Is this really a necessary position? What does it do? Is it the Ambassador of HR for that organization? A diplomat for business?
Ohhhhh this is so one of my pet hates and will join nelking on the shameless self promotion
(http://myhellisotherpeople.com/2009/04/06/whats-in-a-name/)
This is obsession with names is the biggest load of HR bollocks ever and is testimony to our professional neurosis and lack of self confidence. It doesn’t matter whether you are are a Personnel Officer or an HR Business Partner (otherwise known as professional identity disorder).
I have been called everything in my life (some of them none too pretty) but it has never changed what I do and what I deliver. Job titles do not make a difference, attitude and performance do.
Job titles DO matter because the majority of people put stock in them. Perception = reality. I think it’s stupid, but the bottom line is that if I’m applying for a job, I will be judged, in part, based on previous job titles. That’s life wearing big girl pants. I think that being a Generalist is more beneficial to me in the current market since I know a whole lot of Directors who were laid off and still haven’t found work. That said, non-HR people have NO idea what a Generalist is, and I constantly hear, “That’s a stupid title. Did you make it up?” Yet another one of those fun items that leads people to believe that HR is lame.
@Susanne – I feel your pain. I don’t think there will EVER be a woman VP at my company either. Until the rest of them die off anyway. It’s that very subtle brand of sexism that takes the form of “I see myself in that guy” mentoring that they refuse to acknowledge. (That said, my husband works for a very large corporation that promotes unqualified women to executive positions so they can pretend they’re an equal opportunity employer. Work is fun.)
@Ali – Thanks, I needed a laugh this morning. I keep saying to employees, “Do I look like your mommy?” but I guess I may as well just concede defeat in this battle.
The only other reason for job titles is for salary surveys, however flawed they may be.
ROFLMAO: “I’m a Financial Advisor” sounds a lot better than “I’m a whore for Wall Street.”
Ahhh… I had one Supervisor that was hell-bent on making me the “Director of Administration”… I just couldn’t be “DOA”… I truly believed it took a lot of credibility away. That was the only title I ever fought to change. Other than that, they are associated with something around HR… whether Manager, Consultant, Director, VP, Wrangler, Visionary or Grand Pubah… we are the Wranglers of the Oppressed, Depressed, Omnipresent and Ignored (WODOI)
I like when start-ups (with 2+ people) give themselves titles like CEO, CFO or CIO, etc. How about CMM, “Chief Mental Masturbator” — (that describes ALOT of positions though).
Looking internally at an organization I think job titles matter because they allow a company to determine structure and organizational set up (hierarchy’s etc).
Externally, I don’t think job titles matter. I have met someone with an HR Manager job title, but in looking closely at their resume they had only ever preformed work, I would say at an Entry HR Generalist level. On the recruiting front, job titles are not as important as the skills and experience a candidate claims to have.
I’ve had to give myself titles since I started here. Recruiter, Corporate Recruiter, Senior Corporate Recruiter, Manager of Recruitment & Employee Development (too long), and now Global Human Resources Manager (still long) but it sounds better and was my way of getting my boss to agree to a “title promotion” when there was not a way to have a promotion in actual position or pay.
Titles matter when you’re hiring – jobs are like a box of cereal, you expect the title on the box to describe what’s in the box. If I bought a box of something called Oat Puffs and found out the cereal was actually more like oat clusters, I’d be pissed.
I’ll give you an actual HR example – I had a company advertise (and offer me) a position under one title, but when I actually got the contract the title was different. The job description was more or less the same, but it was one of those vague job descriptions that companies create when they don’t really have a clear idea what they need you to do (that’s a whole different issue). So I accepted the offer partly because of what I thought the job was based on the original title, but then found out that the actual job was more like the second title, which was actually a completely different type of job, and one that I wasn’t nearly as well-suited for.
At any rate, yes, that was partly my fault for not asking better questions in the interview (though, as above, I’m not sure it would have mattered much, given that this particular company often doesn’t really create or stick to concrete job descriptions) – but the point is that titles can tell people an awful lot about what a job is all about – intentionally or not. There’s a lot of information packed into those 2 or 3 little worlds and those words should be chosen carefully.
My current company has all of 10 employees. Titles don’t matter internally. However, I get much better responses when I can myself “manager” externally than when I use the more role appropriate “operations assistant”.
But the titles I’ve had that I loved are “Salad Goddess” (from my days as a cook) and ” Vice President of Getting Shit Done”. Sadly, I don’t have business card for either.
OH and I forgot to mention my job title is: Employee Relations Officer… and yes it does suck. Some days I think it should be changed to people problem solver or rule enforcer….
I am an upstart start-up.
I am simply BZTAT and my only employee. I like the sound of the title “artist” too.
I’d love for someowne with a fancy title to whip out their Corporate AMEX card and buy my dinner. I’d be even happier if they bought a painting.
How about the semi-small organizations where you have all of the HR responsibilty, make all of the HR strategy decisions, and are still called the HR Coordinator? How messed up is that?
Today, I want to be called “Princess of HR Magic”. Cause i’m feeling all “lisa frank” today.
I like it when titles say where a person fits in an organization as they relate to everyone else. Fancy titles just for the sake of a title or in lieu of cash money make me sad.
If managers work hard for promotions and new titles that reflect their career success – why can’t we do the same? Whether it is HR, the career assistant, or any other person in the office?
When we started TR I told everyone they could make up their own title. THAT got interesting…
HR Business Partners are usually internal to departments. Meaning one would be under the HR division but work directly with teams in another division such as IT, Marketing, etc. They are more Generalists working directly to maintain a area within a corp. Also, you tend to see them in larger companies where there are a lot of employees.
Last year my boss changed my title to “Senior Editor,” prompting a prolonged discussion about whether or not changing my title from “Managing Editor” to “Senior Editor” constituted a promotion. She thought so; I thought “Senior Editor” sounded like I’d just slipped a rung. Ultimately I didn’t get a raise or any more prestige, just the same grind for bad pay and no benefits. Left the job six months later. Makes for a confusing resume.
Now I freelance, so I can call myself whatever I want.
For all intense and purposes I am the HR Manager of a Manufacturing Plant….My Title: HR/Safety Supervisor. So that way everyone can feel like they can tell me what to do (Heck, he is just a supervisor) and no one knows exactly what I do with my time.
@eftcomms: I’m glad you enjoyed my comment. I probably shouldn’t mention that I interviewed for a financial advisor job today? They’re not based in New York City though, and thus have kept away from trouble/Wall Street.
People notice when your title changes.
In an effort to “align” job duties and titles across the business units of our company, my title changed. I had a “functional title” that included the coveting VP letters. I was not an actual officer of the company, but everyone in my role had VP behind our titles because it made us look good to our external clients.
In the re-alignment, the job duties stayed the same, but the VP was dropped and our titles changed. I didn’t think much of it, the VP didn’t mean anything really. No extra money, no clout within the company, just smoke for our clients.
My job didn’t change, my salary didn’t change, my bonus plan didn’t change.
Within the first week of changing my title on my email signature and no longer having that “VP” attached to me, I started getting condolence calls. People thought I had been demoted.
Compensation plans need to categorize employees buy some label — but here is some practical advice for entrepreneurs. Leave the title off your card. If you are making a group sales proposal the guy/gal with the loftiest title becomes the center of attention. Worse yet if you are president-CEO, you leave no wiggle room because anything you say is company policy and the rest of your team, perhaps smarter subject matter experts, become irrelevant.
We have some really rediculous titles given to a$% kissers in our org. A 23 yr old who has no spine, no opinion and no brains- is given the title of Director,Special Projects! What the f^&* are these special projects that she works on, no one knows! In all practicality she’s an executive assistant to the CEO! Argghh!
@akabruno Credibility is key in that observation, yo.
@Puf I would also call you, “Bust-a-mover.”
@Ali That’s hilarious.
@econopete You’ve got it.
@salescomp Man those titles suck.
@Dale How cynical. That’s why you’re great.
@Suz Scientist = PhD in my old big pharma world, too.
@JohnC Your company sucks. Hard.
@HR Mark Wow, you sound like a very savvy HR business partner! You’re hired.
@Susanne Director can also mean, “Chump.” Oh no, wait, that’s interim director. I had that title.
@elle Another reminder that academia can be more bureaucratic than global corporate marketplaces.
@nelking You are brilliant and I adore you.
@Tracy Tran I was an ambassador of bullshit.
@TheHRD Thank you for the plug — and I’ll call you my friend.
@H.Aria When I told people that I was an HR Generalist, I always had to qualify it. “I get shit done.” “I hire people.” “I fire people.” It was always a struggle to describe my role.
@Randi DOA Hahahahahhahahahahhaha.
@MattyMat I am a Chief Cat Wrangler. That’s a fact.
@HRCanuck Titles matter in the external marketplace when you have a short-sighted HR professional or recruiter who thinks she/he understands titles in your industry and field. It matters quite a bit, actually.
@BZ I wish I still had a corporate amex card.
@Dave “King.” Just keep it simple.
@Ian Your story is a good one. Thanks for sharing. That’s exactly the point of this post.
@Just Vikki Salad Goddess. So hilarious.
@teresa Queen of everything. That’s what you are.
@Jasmine Hard to argue against that!
@Amanda Ha!
@Trey HRBP at my company meant everyone was less important than this director.
@Amy I support your freelance career 100%.
@Dan I know you’re concerned about safety. I know it.
@Donlyn Boo. That story sucks. I’m so sorry.
@Charles I think that’s really good advice. Or ditch business cards. That works, too.
@Aspiring Someone is on a roll, tonight. Grrrrrr!
Banks have a proliferation of VPs because of the history of branch banking. In order to “sign” certain legal documents, you must be an officer of the company, e.g a VP. As branch banking took hold, you had all these small banks where the bank manager winds up being a VP of some sort in the bigger conglomerate. That conglomerate also has corp-wide functions of some sort, and to maintain parity in titles (e.g. someone who has 2 levels below them.. the typical branch bank manager scenario.. they supervise the supervisors who supervise the leaf nodes), fairly low level folks (in the usual non-banking corporate scheme) wind up as VPs (maybe Assistant VPs?) Now that you have something that is really at the next level above team leader who is a VP, what are you going to do with the remaining 6 or 7 layers… Asst VP, VP, First VP, Senior VP, Directors, Managing Directors, C level
At my last job, I was a Senior Accountant. Anyone in the Finance field instantly recognizes that title. But a few months before I left, they decided to get cute with their titles, and I was promoted to “Advisor”. No one knows what the heck that means, and it really hurt me in my next job hunt. Thanks for the promotion dillweeds.
My pre-hr career was working for a movie theatre chain. I was a manager, had responsibility for running the business and the title fit. Sometimes, when people asked what I did, I told them I was in the movie business. Director? Producer? Nope, I said. I’m an Exhibitionist!
Interesting post, Laurie. My company has about 2200 employees at my property alone. I currently hold the title of Employee + Labor Relations Representative, but our department is restructuring and titles will be changing. My role will include more engagement initiatives (Rah rah, go team!) and less administrative duties. My boss has asked me to come up with a new title for myself and my counterpart. Management is leaning towards the dreaded Business Partner title, so I have to put a stop to this! The problem is, I don’t really care what the title is. Should I just look at this as a chance to improve my business card cred? It’s hard to feel like this process is a little self-absorbing. Anyone have suggestions for a super sweet and overly important-sounding new title?
Generally I don’t find HR titles matter much. Sometimes level does by more often that not they don’t. The one title you want to avoid like the plague in my company is “Special Projects”. Level (professional, manager, director, vp) or function doesn’t matter. When you get that title it means dead-man/woman walking…
Organizations that have thrived on hierarchy need/love/live by their job titles. But for smaller organizations that are flatter and empower everyone, titles really don’t matter. And I see more organizations getting flatter.
As for myself? Five to 10 years ago, I had titles that *sounded* more important than the one I have today, but to me, they were just 2 or 3 words thrown together. I predict that, in the future, names will carry greater weight than titles. That’s the power and potential of social networking.
When I started with Cool Works, I got to make my own title and the logic was this. I was on the west coast and everyone else was a director, hence, Director of West Coast Operations. However, I got tired of explaining what that meant and I had clients beyond the west coast so I changed it. Now I have the following title – Employer Support and Community Manager. I love it. It’s simple and it’s what I do.
My company uses HR Business Partner (and the HRBP abbreviation) too, and I don’t think it’s a good title either. Business Partner is used in other areas of the company as well, along with ones like Senior Business Partner, Business Process Consultant, Process Owner, Coordinator, Senior Coordinator, and so on. It seems like you have to be pretty high up before someone (on the outside, at least) can actually tell what you do from your title.
@Jim I thought everyone at the bank was a VP?
@JK Advisor = bad title.
@Glen LOL.
@Ryan HR Generalist would work for you — and it’s better than representative which = entry level.
@Michelle We’re all dead men walking in HR.
@Rick Titles that sound more important than they really are?? Just as sad.
@Kari That title rocks.
@Tim Exactly.
I’m a Human Resources Business Partner and I also agree that it’s a terrible title. Most people have no idea what my actual job is when they see it on my business card. In reality, I’m part Employee Relations Manager, part OD Consultant. Oh, and I’m given most of the tasks that no one else in the HR department wants to take responsibility of. HR Manager may be better, though it’s equally non-descriptive. Any way you look at it, It’s definitely not the title I dreamed of having when I entered this field.
What about EEFS – I am serious – employee engagement field services … not to be mistaken as ELFS…