Manager of Blinking Lights

Early in my technology career, I once had a really long job title. I don't remember the full title, but it was something like Manager of Software, Infrastructure and Technology Systems. My team managed all technology at the company, including desktops and devices, networks and servers, the phone system, and more. I used to joke that if there were blinking lights involved, it was something that we managed.

After a major, mission critical upgrade, one of the VPs wrote to me and said: "Shawn, there are doers and there are people who talk about doing. I appreciate your being among the former."

I'm sure he didn't know my actual title, or at least could not remember it. To him, the title was inconsequential.

Keyword Stuffing

There seems to be an ongoing temptation to stuff as many keywords into a job title as possible. This occurs for a couple of reasons:

  • Fear of leaving something out. Because, you know, a person only performs the things that are in his or her job title. Not true, because the "other duties as assigned" clause found in virtually every job description means the person typically performs more tasks than any job title would ever be able to suggest.
  • Fear of paying someone for an expensive title. My real job title above, if compared to peers, would probably have been something like "I.T. Manager". But like a lot of organizations, the company placed little real value on qualified employees. A job like "I.T. Manager" is easily researched and compared while a long title with lots of keywords will be much more difficult to find. Salary surveys are ignored and the position is just paid what the company thinks it can get away with.

In the end, keyword stuffing does everyone a disservice.

Are Job Titles Important?

A position is given a job title. A person is given a position. While this provides a kind of identity within an organization (and sometimes within an industry), the position itself is a complex thing.

A role is a set of authorities or responsibilities granted to a person or group. Understanding the roles involved in a position is far more important than a job title.

However, mistaking roles for job titles is a common malpractice -- a job position typically incorporates multiple roles.

So are job titles even important?

  • Yes, in the sense that a job title provides a brief description of a position. While Number 1, Number 2, and so on works for criminal organizations depicted in movies, it's hardly useful to a normal enterprise. Additionally, some positions may be important from a regulatory or compliance standpoint. (In such cases, the title is more or less standardized.)
  • Yes, in the sense that job titles may be used to perform salary surveys and ensure that compensation is competitive.
  • Yes, in the sense that a job title may be used as a marker of career advancement.

However, if a person fills a role as part of a position, then the title of the role may be used just as effectively as a job title. For example, the Director of I.T. may be the Change Manager or the Release and Deployment Manager for the organization.