What Not to Do Change Your Own Job Title - Coffee Break by Walrath

What Not to Do Change Your Own Job Title - Coffee Break by Walrath Welcome to another blog series! These blogs will be focusing on areas in which job seekers and employees commonly make mistakes. Stick around to make sure you know which missteps to avoid. Today well be covering changing your own job title. Doing this can be especially tempting to do if your title isnt one youre proud of. Well discuss why you should avoid doing so after the break. The Power of a Job Title Like it or not, job titles say a lot about a persons responsibilities. While it only is a word or two, a hiring manager will make many assumptions based on it. Thus grows the temptation to change it, improve perception. While it may make you look better immediately it could hurt your chances long term. Lets walk through an example. Consider an employee who has been in the same job for 2 years. They started out as an entry level employee. After 2 years theyve grown their skills and experience. Ultimately, they could be considered an experienced employee. However, their manager never changed the title. Once the candidate begins to search, they decide to change up the title for a more senior sounding one. Eventually, their old boss gets called to reference check. At this point they find out the candidate changed the title, which wont go over well. Weigh Your Options While the change may very well be deserved, it isnt the employees place to make it. So, what can be done? Well discuss a proactive and retroactive option. Ideally, there is a way to avoid this situation entirely. Most companies offer annual performance reviews. Many employees know this is a prime time to renegotiate salary. Its also a great opportunity to discuss your job title. If youve been a strong employee for the  year, and especially if youve taken on more responsibilities, this should be an easy decision for the hiring manager. If you are able to accomplish it, this is the ideal approach. Another option is to bring up the title change in your cover letter, or subsequent interview. Make it clear that your skills and qualifications arent typical of that title. Lastly, there is a case in which you could get away with changing the title. If your company has unique or exclusive titles that arent used elsewhere, you could change it to something more recognizable or typical. Changing  your title from First Impressions Manager to Secretary would be understood by a reasonable hiring manager. We hope this breakdown of what not to do helps you to avoid a conflict  in the future! If there are any specific topics or mistakes you think we should cover, please let us know!