Job Title Suggestions
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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:
delete this; -
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.
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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)?
Software Engineer, or Senior Software Engineer if you think your experience level justifies it. If you're not sure, stick to SW engineer -- better to have a too-low title and appear to be looking for an upgrade, than to claim to be a senior level engineer and not meet their expectations. You might miss out on an interview or two without a sufficiently lofty title, but you'll immediately fail the interview if your experience level can't justify the lofty title to them.
We can program with only 1's, but if all you've got are zeros, you've got nothing.
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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)?
Whenever somebody asks me what I do for a living, I do not answer with "I'm a computer programmer", even though that is one of the main activities that justifies my paycheck. For me, "computer programmer" conjures up an image of a sun-deprived subterranean creature -- a go-between who accepts requests from the computer ignorants and performs the necessary incantations over a computer keyboard to make it happen. In "the old days" it really was that mystical. The programmer was like a priest who took your petition to the Great Mainframe. After a ritual sacrifice of punch cards and green bar paper, your prayers might be answered with a result that you could use. I'd rather be seen as a team member who just happens to specialize in software. It's a lot like the film Oceans Eleven, where a team of specialists all work together to achieve a noble goal. (Their team also has a software specialist, albeit one with some ridiculous skills.) (Excerpted from my Computer Science Education Week essay: Why "programmer" is not in my job title[^])
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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 feel your pain; I work at a startup, so technically I am:
- Programmer in .NET and Crystal Reports
- Director of Design
- Director of QA
- Director of Customer Support
- SQL Server DBA
- IT Helpdesk
- Systems Administrator
Net effect, I don't have an official title. I don't care so much about that (most people know what I do), but if I were to look for another job, it'd be difficult to explain that in a nice corporatespeak title. So, I enjoy occasionally making up titles for my e-mail signatures (see below).
My advice: something simple that's roughly all-encompassing; in my role, I'd rock out with "Nonsense Title - Software Development".Senior Assistant VP Director of Byte Procurement II
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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 a handful of different jobs until now, and was a programmer in each of them. I didn't notice that the job title had any influence at all when I went for an interview. I'm a team leader atm, but I still tell everybody who asks I'm a programmer. Nobody in or outside the company seems to give a .
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I was a "Research Scientist II", which became a "Research Scientist" the last time they changed the job ladder (which annoyed me no end, because it looks like a demotion), then I got promoted (hooray) to "Senior Research Scientist", then they messed with the ladder again and my title got changed to the utterly stupid "Research Investigator". I told my boss that I hated that title (especially since I lost both "senior" and "scientist") unless it came with a badge and a gun. On the bright side, it gives me some cover to complain about my title without tipping them off that I'm thinking about leaving.
(?) -> Research Investigator - Senior Scientist
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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)?
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I once had: "Section leader who couldn't be bothered to think of a pretentious name for his section but who wanted a long job title to annoy the personnel department when the time came to have the business cards printed"
If you get an email telling you that you can catch Swine Flu from tinned pork then just delete it. It's Spam.
I've always tended to go the other way -- for a few years, I told people my job title was either "Chief Technowhiz" or "Staff Non-Technophobe"
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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)?
From some of your other posts in this thread, it sounds as if you feel you're being taken for granted. How about (one which I've had in the past) "Overseer of arcane systems"? I guess I'm kind of fortunate in that titles have never been meaningful to me. Call me whatever helps you to sleep better at night, just ensure I'm being compensated fairly.
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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
Normally all subcontractors are known as Software Consultants - that is their official title given by the agencies. Within the company they work for, some seek titles; others, like myself couldn't be bothered. The only time the title is required is when I produce documents. I normally put down Software Developer. In the 5 years that I've been there, nobody has noticed that that job title doesn't really exist in the company. Everyone else is an Engineer of some sort, a Technical Expert (in what?) or head of something. On the CV, I just put down Developer: it covers Programmer, Analyst, Analyst/Programmer, Software Engineer, Architect, Technical Lead, Consultant. After all, my job has been roughly the same whatever they've called me.
