Job Title Suggestions
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I had the official job title of "Senior Geoscience Advisor" once and I never figured out what that meant. I have no idea what your official title is, but I would leave it at that and explain what it is you actually do in the job description part.
CQ de W5ALT
Walt Fair, Jr., P. E. Comport Computing Specializing in Technical Engineering Software
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In an ideal world, that would work, but in reality, I think people are hitting the title first and jumping to conclusions. Even if they read the description, I think they have trouble getting over that first impression.
Well, in an ideal world I wouldn't want to work for a company that doesn't take the time to read what a prospective employee really can do. Of course, I haven't looked for a job since 1973, the jobs come looking for me no matter what my official title may be.
CQ de W5ALT
Walt Fair, Jr., P. E. Comport Computing Specializing in Technical Engineering Software
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I'm seriously thinking about looking for another job, but my current job title is making it annoyingly difficult to explain that yes, I am actually a programmer / developer and yes I've been doing it for the last 8 years. So I asked my current boss (tactfully) if I could change my job title to something that actually reflects what I do. She told me that I can't change my current title (it's part of the corporate job "ladder"), but I can hyphenate is and add whatever I want afterwards. For example: Title that doesn't suggest anything programming related - senior developer. So my question is, what would be a good title to stick on the end that might actually help communicate that I am actually a developer? As it is now, I'm largely a solo developer (hence the lack of suitable job titles) so I do everything and I feel my title should communicate so degree of seniority (hence not just "programmer" or "developer" or "code monkey"). Any suggestions (serious or otherwise)?
Aren't you supposed to put more than just what your job title is on your resume? ;) I think Senior Developer does kind of imply that you are in a senior position in your company. Unless they're trying to imply that you are a senior in the geriatric sense. They did the same thing where I work where all the developers, designers and hardware guys were are all titled as Development Engineer starting at associate up to senior principal engineer . But they do allow us to add to our titles (Within reason) to describe what we actually do on the business cards.
It was broke, so I fixed it.
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Aren't you supposed to put more than just what your job title is on your resume? ;) I think Senior Developer does kind of imply that you are in a senior position in your company. Unless they're trying to imply that you are a senior in the geriatric sense. They did the same thing where I work where all the developers, designers and hardware guys were are all titled as Development Engineer starting at associate up to senior principal engineer . But they do allow us to add to our titles (Within reason) to describe what we actually do on the business cards.
It was broke, so I fixed it.
S Houghtelin wrote:
Aren't you supposed to put more than just what your job title is on your resume? ;)
Indeed, and aren't people supposed to read more than the title before jumping to conclusions? If that was the case, I wouldn't be having this problem.
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S Houghtelin wrote:
Aren't you supposed to put more than just what your job title is on your resume? ;)
Indeed, and aren't people supposed to read more than the title before jumping to conclusions? If that was the case, I wouldn't be having this problem.
Wjousts wrote:
aren't people supposed to [Insert Proper Behavior Here] before jumping to conclusions?
If only it were so. But I do get your point. Maybe you can add that as your reason for looking for other work... "Seeking better job title" :laugh:
It was broke, so I fixed it.
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I'm seriously thinking about looking for another job, but my current job title is making it annoyingly difficult to explain that yes, I am actually a programmer / developer and yes I've been doing it for the last 8 years. So I asked my current boss (tactfully) if I could change my job title to something that actually reflects what I do. She told me that I can't change my current title (it's part of the corporate job "ladder"), but I can hyphenate is and add whatever I want afterwards. For example: Title that doesn't suggest anything programming related - senior developer. So my question is, what would be a good title to stick on the end that might actually help communicate that I am actually a developer? As it is now, I'm largely a solo developer (hence the lack of suitable job titles) so I do everything and I feel my title should communicate so degree of seniority (hence not just "programmer" or "developer" or "code monkey"). Any suggestions (serious or otherwise)?
I had an official title of Systems Alchemist several years back - I thought Architect was a bit mainstream and the connotation of producing gold from base metals (aka useful stuff from not much) was apt. Surprisingly they went along with it & put it on my business card :)
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I'm seriously thinking about looking for another job, but my current job title is making it annoyingly difficult to explain that yes, I am actually a programmer / developer and yes I've been doing it for the last 8 years. So I asked my current boss (tactfully) if I could change my job title to something that actually reflects what I do. She told me that I can't change my current title (it's part of the corporate job "ladder"), but I can hyphenate is and add whatever I want afterwards. For example: Title that doesn't suggest anything programming related - senior developer. So my question is, what would be a good title to stick on the end that might actually help communicate that I am actually a developer? As it is now, I'm largely a solo developer (hence the lack of suitable job titles) so I do everything and I feel my title should communicate so degree of seniority (hence not just "programmer" or "developer" or "code monkey"). Any suggestions (serious or otherwise)?
Maybe I am missing the point here, but if you are applying for another job, just call yourself what you like on your resume - senior developer, software engineer whatever. If you get interviewed etc. and they get references from your current employer, they ain't going to give a toss about the job title, if they even notice. I actually don't put job titles in my resume in the main, as it can lead to confusion - one company's software engineer is another company's junior developer is another company's dogs body - so I just tend to explain the role.
MVVM# - See how I did MVVM my way ___________________________________________ Man, you're a god. - walterhevedeich 26/05/2011 .\\axxx (That's an 'M')
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Maybe I am missing the point here, but if you are applying for another job, just call yourself what you like on your resume - senior developer, software engineer whatever. If you get interviewed etc. and they get references from your current employer, they ain't going to give a toss about the job title, if they even notice. I actually don't put job titles in my resume in the main, as it can lead to confusion - one company's software engineer is another company's junior developer is another company's dogs body - so I just tend to explain the role.
MVVM# - See how I did MVVM my way ___________________________________________ Man, you're a god. - walterhevedeich 26/05/2011 .\\axxx (That's an 'M')
_Maxxx_ wrote:
Maybe I am missing the point here, but if you are applying for another job, just call yourself what you like on your resume - senior developer, software engineer whatever.
If you get interviewed etc. and they get references from your current employer, they ain't going to give a toss about the job title, if they even notice.Well, they won't get references from my current employer as that would rather give the game away. But what they might do is make an offer, which I accept, and then check job titles and starting / ending salary with my current (soon to be previous) employer and get mighty annoyed if I said I was "chief guru of all things awesome" and they say "no, he was junior keyboard cleaner". That's the kind of BS that might see an offer immediately withdrawn. Certainly if I was hiring, I'd have some questions about that.
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_Maxxx_ wrote:
Maybe I am missing the point here, but if you are applying for another job, just call yourself what you like on your resume - senior developer, software engineer whatever.
If you get interviewed etc. and they get references from your current employer, they ain't going to give a toss about the job title, if they even notice.Well, they won't get references from my current employer as that would rather give the game away. But what they might do is make an offer, which I accept, and then check job titles and starting / ending salary with my current (soon to be previous) employer and get mighty annoyed if I said I was "chief guru of all things awesome" and they say "no, he was junior keyboard cleaner". That's the kind of BS that might see an offer immediately withdrawn. Certainly if I was hiring, I'd have some questions about that.
Wjousts wrote:
I was "chief guru of all things awesome" and they say "no, he was junior keyboard cleaner".
Sure, but the op said they had a job title that didn't reflect their position - and was corporate waffle. So, having got to interview it is easy to point out that one's official title is "Corporate DataWrangler, Level 5a" whereas the description you gave reflected more accurately your actual role.
Wjousts wrote:
Well, they won't get references from my current employer as that would rather give the game away.
I'd assume they would once an offer was in the pipeline - that's my point, they won't know your actual job title unless your current employer tells them - at which point they have satisfied themselves you are capable of doing the job (assuming you haven't lied about your abilities, of course)
Wjousts wrote:
hat's the kind of BS
It's not BS though if you do as I suggested. In all honesty, if your job title is bottle washer, but you are writing good code every day, I (as a potential employer) wouldn't give a hoot - but I would probably expect you to have pointed out the official title at interview - and explained why a bottle washer thinks they can do this job.
Wjousts wrote:
Certainly if I was hiring, I'd have some questions about that.
Yeah - you're taking it out of the context of the original question though
MVVM# - See how I did MVVM my way ___________________________________________ Man, you're a god. - walterhevedeich 26/05/2011 .\\axxx (That's an 'M')
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Wjousts wrote:
I was "chief guru of all things awesome" and they say "no, he was junior keyboard cleaner".
Sure, but the op said they had a job title that didn't reflect their position - and was corporate waffle. So, having got to interview it is easy to point out that one's official title is "Corporate DataWrangler, Level 5a" whereas the description you gave reflected more accurately your actual role.
Wjousts wrote:
Well, they won't get references from my current employer as that would rather give the game away.
I'd assume they would once an offer was in the pipeline - that's my point, they won't know your actual job title unless your current employer tells them - at which point they have satisfied themselves you are capable of doing the job (assuming you haven't lied about your abilities, of course)
Wjousts wrote:
hat's the kind of BS
It's not BS though if you do as I suggested. In all honesty, if your job title is bottle washer, but you are writing good code every day, I (as a potential employer) wouldn't give a hoot - but I would probably expect you to have pointed out the official title at interview - and explained why a bottle washer thinks they can do this job.
Wjousts wrote:
Certainly if I was hiring, I'd have some questions about that.
Yeah - you're taking it out of the context of the original question though
MVVM# - See how I did MVVM my way ___________________________________________ Man, you're a god. - walterhevedeich 26/05/2011 .\\axxx (That's an 'M')
_Maxxx_ wrote:
Yeah - you're taking it out of the context of the original question though
Since it's my question, I don't think so ;P I'm not just asking a hypothetical here. I've had two job offers already. The first one was fine, they offered me the same as what I'm currently earning, but the health insurance was terrible. To cover my whole family would have cost me somewhere in the region of an extra $8k / yr. So I turned it down. The second one had much better insurance and I was doing just fine, until I got to the CEO who claimed he'd only just be handed my resume, but he was a "quick study". He starts asking me about how I'd handle the learning curve and how he needs people who can "hit the ground running". With hindsight, I'm a little mad at myself for not handling it better because it's BS. I know the technologies they are using, and I should have been a little more forceful on that point. I aced the interview with their technical people and they seemed really excited. I really feel I got at least partially tripped up on my current job title because he didn't read the description. He'd convinced himself that he knew what I was all about (as most CEO types do, once they get an idea in their head, it's hard to dislodge) and nothing I said made a difference. Their HR guy did call be and told me that they were looking at around a salary that would have actually be slightly less than I was earning when I started my current job...8 years ago. It would have been a cut in the region of $25K/yr. Suddenly the crappy insurance at the other one looked great! The second one isn't completely dead. The HR guy said he'd "touch base" with me again in a couple of months time (after my bonus at my current job, which I'd also be giving up) to see if anything has changed. But to be completely honest, I've soured a little on the whole thing. If they'll low ball me that badly right from the start, I wonder how fair they'll be going forward.
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I'm seriously thinking about looking for another job, but my current job title is making it annoyingly difficult to explain that yes, I am actually a programmer / developer and yes I've been doing it for the last 8 years. So I asked my current boss (tactfully) if I could change my job title to something that actually reflects what I do. She told me that I can't change my current title (it's part of the corporate job "ladder"), but I can hyphenate is and add whatever I want afterwards. For example: Title that doesn't suggest anything programming related - senior developer. So my question is, what would be a good title to stick on the end that might actually help communicate that I am actually a developer? As it is now, I'm largely a solo developer (hence the lack of suitable job titles) so I do everything and I feel my title should communicate so degree of seniority (hence not just "programmer" or "developer" or "code monkey"). Any suggestions (serious or otherwise)?
What you put on your resume doesn't need to be what HR says your title is. I always put "Software Engineer". My official current title is "Web Developer", but I do nothing Webby at all, I do database and backend stuff. Soon I may be something like "Infrastructure Architect VI" (with no change in job duties), but I won't put that on a resume either.
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I'm seriously thinking about looking for another job, but my current job title is making it annoyingly difficult to explain that yes, I am actually a programmer / developer and yes I've been doing it for the last 8 years. So I asked my current boss (tactfully) if I could change my job title to something that actually reflects what I do. She told me that I can't change my current title (it's part of the corporate job "ladder"), but I can hyphenate is and add whatever I want afterwards. For example: Title that doesn't suggest anything programming related - senior developer. So my question is, what would be a good title to stick on the end that might actually help communicate that I am actually a developer? As it is now, I'm largely a solo developer (hence the lack of suitable job titles) so I do everything and I feel my title should communicate so degree of seniority (hence not just "programmer" or "developer" or "code monkey"). Any suggestions (serious or otherwise)?
Sycophant Emeritus, Programming
Will Rogers never met me.
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Oh Gosh ! how can some one be designated as Investigator , Heads up for bringing in and sure you deserve a change. I'm sure if you put down the papers they will designate you want ever you wish for, You know crazy managers , management do this very often. Until you raise your voice or heads up these things won't change. Good Luck to you, The best thing is to roll back your designation to Research Scientist II , I love it :) Thanks,
Ranjan.D
My title's currently Technical Architect, but I spend such a large percentage of my time helping out other team members/users with completely unrelated things that I introduce myself as Dogsbody. Possible Title Suggestion for you: Solution Architect and Developer.
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I'm seriously thinking about looking for another job, but my current job title is making it annoyingly difficult to explain that yes, I am actually a programmer / developer and yes I've been doing it for the last 8 years. So I asked my current boss (tactfully) if I could change my job title to something that actually reflects what I do. She told me that I can't change my current title (it's part of the corporate job "ladder"), but I can hyphenate is and add whatever I want afterwards. For example: Title that doesn't suggest anything programming related - senior developer. So my question is, what would be a good title to stick on the end that might actually help communicate that I am actually a developer? As it is now, I'm largely a solo developer (hence the lack of suitable job titles) so I do everything and I feel my title should communicate so degree of seniority (hence not just "programmer" or "developer" or "code monkey"). Any suggestions (serious or otherwise)?
My job title is The DSJB: Departmental Sh*t-Job Boy. I do all the stuff nobody else likes or wants to do. I do the user interfaces for our products, including writing the help (we lost our tech pubs person some time ago). I write the installers for our products. I administer our servers and our *cough* SourceSafe *cough* data bases. I maintain our automated build system, an incredible abomination of VBscript, compilers, third-party tools, homegrown applications, and one Windows service. I develop our inhouse debugging tools. Everyone else does the sexy stuff that actually does something with the equipment (we build commercial ink-jet printers).
Software Zen:
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I'm seriously thinking about looking for another job, but my current job title is making it annoyingly difficult to explain that yes, I am actually a programmer / developer and yes I've been doing it for the last 8 years. So I asked my current boss (tactfully) if I could change my job title to something that actually reflects what I do. She told me that I can't change my current title (it's part of the corporate job "ladder"), but I can hyphenate is and add whatever I want afterwards. For example: Title that doesn't suggest anything programming related - senior developer. So my question is, what would be a good title to stick on the end that might actually help communicate that I am actually a developer? As it is now, I'm largely a solo developer (hence the lack of suitable job titles) so I do everything and I feel my title should communicate so degree of seniority (hence not just "programmer" or "developer" or "code monkey"). Any suggestions (serious or otherwise)?
I can't think of a suffix-able title, other than "programmer" or "software engineer," that carries any heft, but perhaps one of those would do.
Apropos of nothing (and because everyone can use a laugh now and then), here are some job titles, actual and notional, that I have loved:
- Code Flogulator (an ornery SOB who had to maintain others' bad programs)
- Dogmatist-in-Chief (we assigned this to a manager who thought himself a programming genius...incorrectly)
- Right Reverend Senior Systems Analyst (we never argued with that guy)
- Under Deputy Junior Assistant Attendance Trainee, Probationary (For the new hire)
- Plenipotentiary High Exterminator (that's from Jack Vance)
- Subtraction Theorist (a friend adopted this one after he got his doctorate in mathematics)
- Galactic Commander (this one was actually used at a New Agey shop where employees picked their own titles)
...and the one I have long yearned to put on a big brass plate on my office door:
He Who Shall Not Be Bugged
(This message is programming you in ways you cannot detect. Be afraid.)
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Marco Alessandro Bertschi wrote:
The Super Guru programmer God who does magic things we don't understand
What a coincidence, that is my job title! ;)
"State acheived after eating too many chocolate-covered coconut bars - bountiful" Chris C-B
DeathByChocolate wrote:
The Super Guru programmer God who does magic things we don't understand for chocolate
I think you missed the important part.
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DeathByChocolate wrote:
The Super Guru programmer God who does magic things we don't understand for chocolate
I think you missed the important part.
peterchen wrote:
... for chocolate
:-O
"State acheived after eating too many chocolate-covered coconut bars - bountiful" Chris C-B
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I'm seriously thinking about looking for another job, but my current job title is making it annoyingly difficult to explain that yes, I am actually a programmer / developer and yes I've been doing it for the last 8 years. So I asked my current boss (tactfully) if I could change my job title to something that actually reflects what I do. She told me that I can't change my current title (it's part of the corporate job "ladder"), but I can hyphenate is and add whatever I want afterwards. For example: Title that doesn't suggest anything programming related - senior developer. So my question is, what would be a good title to stick on the end that might actually help communicate that I am actually a developer? As it is now, I'm largely a solo developer (hence the lack of suitable job titles) so I do everything and I feel my title should communicate so degree of seniority (hence not just "programmer" or "developer" or "code monkey"). Any suggestions (serious or otherwise)?
When my company wouldn't give me business cards with their "prefered" title to save money, I printed and passed out my own business cards with a title of: "Emperor of all Knowledge and Wisdom"...I soon receieved cards with my boring title. I was waffling between that and "King of Space and Time".
Joe V FIRST Robotics Team 704 Blog Me, Myself, and I SGP Robotics team and FIRST Robotics
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I'm seriously thinking about looking for another job, but my current job title is making it annoyingly difficult to explain that yes, I am actually a programmer / developer and yes I've been doing it for the last 8 years. So I asked my current boss (tactfully) if I could change my job title to something that actually reflects what I do. She told me that I can't change my current title (it's part of the corporate job "ladder"), but I can hyphenate is and add whatever I want afterwards. For example: Title that doesn't suggest anything programming related - senior developer. So my question is, what would be a good title to stick on the end that might actually help communicate that I am actually a developer? As it is now, I'm largely a solo developer (hence the lack of suitable job titles) so I do everything and I feel my title should communicate so degree of seniority (hence not just "programmer" or "developer" or "code monkey"). Any suggestions (serious or otherwise)?
I have a question: does it matter what you put down [on the resume] as your current title? If you want to be a Senior Code Monkey, can you not list that as the current title? Point being: do prospective employers get to call and check up on you at the current job while you're still working there? What is the point of the [checkbox] for "May we contact your current employer?"?
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I'm seriously thinking about looking for another job, but my current job title is making it annoyingly difficult to explain that yes, I am actually a programmer / developer and yes I've been doing it for the last 8 years. So I asked my current boss (tactfully) if I could change my job title to something that actually reflects what I do. She told me that I can't change my current title (it's part of the corporate job "ladder"), but I can hyphenate is and add whatever I want afterwards. For example: Title that doesn't suggest anything programming related - senior developer. So my question is, what would be a good title to stick on the end that might actually help communicate that I am actually a developer? As it is now, I'm largely a solo developer (hence the lack of suitable job titles) so I do everything and I feel my title should communicate so degree of seniority (hence not just "programmer" or "developer" or "code monkey"). Any suggestions (serious or otherwise)?
Most large corporations I worked for had it Programmer Analyst, appending Roman numerals or prepending Junior or Senior. The last large corporation I worked for decided to shake things up (to make us less employable elsewhere was the suspicion) and changed them to Associate Member Technical Staff, Junior Member Technical Staff, and Senior Member Technical Staff. I believe there was another one, but I forget what it was, simply Member Technical Staff? I preferred the places where I had R&D Programmer or Software Engineer. My current title is Manager of Software Application Design, which I think is too wordy and I would have preferred Development over Design. However, my desk plaque reads Universal Genius.
Psychosis at 10 Film at 11 Those who do not remember the past, are doomed to repeat it. Those who do not remember the past, cannot build upon it.