The Role of Job Titles in Organisations Today: Essential or Expendable?
As roles and organisations have changed, have job titles become obsolete?
There was a time when the outward signs of career success included a nice office, organisational clout, and, perhaps most important, a coveted job title.
But so much has changed in the world of work over the past few decades. Between flattened hierarchies, the rise of matrix organisations and an ongoing evolution of how people work together (open offices, coworking spaces, hybrid and virtual teams), the trappings of success aren’t what they used to be.
What about job titles? The argument can be made that they’ve lost their cachet and meaning. But perhaps they always should have demanded greater scrutiny.
In many organisations, vice president titles have long been doled out as readily as branded coffee mugs. Then there are the solopreneurs who anoint themselves “President and CEO” of their company in which they are the only employee. And what about the overly creative or even simply weird job titles that have appeared in recent years? “Actions and Repercussions Adviser” anyone?
Amid all the confusion and the liberties regularly taken with job titles, do they even still matter?
Spoiler alert: They do! And there are compelling reasons why.
Why are job titles important?
A job title is useful
Tom Bohinc, an EZRA Coach points out that job titles serve multiple purposes.
“We’re social beings and organisations are social beings, so job titles are a way to cue to one another what your role is and how you are to be perceived.”
Tom also says job titles can mean different things to different people.
“There are some who welcome the validation provided by a job title. For those with imposter syndrome, meanwhile, their job title can be a point of anxiety, as they don’t feel worthy of the title.”
For example, Dani Reiss, the CEO of clothing company Canada Goose, avoided listing his title on his business cards for years because he had ascended to the role at age 27—many years younger than most executives reach their organisation’s executive leadership ranks.
For those seeking a role outside of their organisation, their job title can capture both the role they held and their organisational level—and signify to a recruiter (or the automated software scanning résumés for keywords or phrases) that they are a qualified candidate.
A job title (hopefully) describes what you do
A job title will ideally describe what you do, though sometimes it won’t be as descriptive as it could be.
“A title really ought to represent the knowledge or experience you bring to the job,” says Tom, pointing out that many job titles, such as Analyst 1 or Assistant Administrator are instead tied to pay grades, which are associated more with HR system requirements than the jobs themselves.
Tanisha Tulloch, EZRA’s Chief People Officer, agrees.
“When I see super-long titles that are more than five words, I think they are trying to put too many things in the basket to describe just one job.”
A job title is the first line of your story
“You are telling a story with your work history. When describing your career or your professional experience, you must be truthful but also be prepared to explain your past jobs,” says Tanisha.
The job titles you have held will be the starting point of that story.
“You have to be a good narrator and good storyteller,” says Tom, who insists that how you describe a role may ultimately matter more than the job title above it.
“It’s not about making up a good story and not about giving the best TED Talk. It’s about conveying what’s essential. You need to make sure you’re telling it in a way that makes sense, regardless of your job title.”
Increasingly, Tanisha says, younger workers are viewing their careers—and the job titles that go with them—as only part of their stories.
“Today, you have a younger generation saying you won’t define who I am and what I do and when I work,” Tanisha says. “When people are deciding to separate themselves from work and own their whole selves and their personal lives, I can understand their reluctance to associate themselves exclusively with a job title. They view their job as just part of their larger narrative.”
Clarity and order
Job titles might, at times, be confusing, misleading, egocentric, anxiety-inducing or misleading. But we still need them to help bring clarity and order to the workplace.
If you are permitted to choose your own job title, our advice is to opt for one that is clear, honest, and phrased so that anyone reading your business card, résumé or LinkedIn profile will understand what you do and the value you add.
If, on the other hand, you find yourself with a job title that doesn’t quite fit your role, focus on how to best tell the story of what you do, what you contribute, and the impact you have.
After all, a great story is always better than a great title.
For more leadership and workplace insights, check out the EZRA Asks podcast on most major podcast platforms.