“What’s in a name? That which we call a rose by any other name would smell as sweet.” – Romeo and Juliet

Well said Juliet. But does that hold true everywhere? Inspired by a recent LinkedIn question I am inclined to say, no, it doesnt.

The argument, about job titles, is that you should be defined by achievements and accolades. But, as we all know, it is often the case that ‘should’ does not equate to ‘is’ in reality. The reality is that a job title IS important as it is not so much about what you think of yourself, but what others think of you.

In some cases, having the appropriate job title will open doors in terms of cooperation from others. You might be asking for information or time or money etc which people deem ‘those of a certain level’ entitled to and not others. The title can also position you in an organisation for example if your title is ‘auditor’ people will understand why you are there. Again this is not to say that this is the correct behaviour, but it certainly is prevalent.

Conversely a title can also be a red flag. If you see a title such as ‘service manager’ and then you read the job description and has a scope that befits a ‘director of service’ then you quickly understand the organisation undervalues the role, is looking to under-compensate it or is looking to overload it. In any case its definitely time to head in the other direction.

It is also worth mentioning that for some, a recognition of achievement like a change of job title may well mean more than money or other benefits. Sometimes it’s not about ‘give me a stick to beat people with’ more a case of ‘give me a public pat on the back to show that you care about the huge effort I have given you’.

So it’s multi-faceted. It’s about your opinion and the opinion of others. But does it matter? Clearly it does. The key is to ensure that it is an accurate reflection of the role, that the role is clearly defined and that the title is not given without consideration and evidence to support the appointment otherwise the value is lost.