Want a promotion? Five tips for strategically asking for a better job title

A job title is not just a label to describe your responsibilities, but it is the key to accessing various growth opportunities. When you go for an interview, a hiring manager immediately assesses your work experience, skills, and past salary through the title mentioned on your resume.

Simply put, if your responsibilities and salary have changed, but your title hasn’t, you’re likely to miss out on some great job prospects. For example, a hiring manager would definitely place more value on someone with the title “content manager” than “content writer.” Sure, you can land a better position with time and experience, but it’s also important to ask for it at the right time.

So, if you’re wondering how to successfully ask for a higher title when negotiating your compensation package, here’s a list of things to remember:

1) Understand industry standards: Before you move forward with negotiations or present a proposal to the hiring manager, it’s important to do your research on job titles that align with the skills and responsibilities you plan to take on. For example, if you previously held the title of content writer and are now moving into the creative writing space, but you also have extensive writing experience, make sure this is reflected in your title. In this case, it could be “creative writer” or “creative director – writing.” For clarity, check out commonly used titles on platforms like Glassdoor or LinkedIn that are tied to the responsibilities you plan to take on.

2) Understand the company’s structure and culture: Every company has its own way of organizing its structures and aligning titles and roles with a specific set of responsibilities. For example, some organizations use “junior” and others use “associate” to denote entry-level positions. A similar thing happens with management roles: it’s common to find the words “manager” and “chief” used interchangeably. So, before suggesting a specific title, make sure it aligns with the type of hierarchical structure used in the organization. 3) Highlight your accomplishments to strengthen your case: To show that you deserve a senior position, highlight what you have accomplished so far. Highlight some of your notable achievements to gain their trust in your abilities. For example, mention that you managed a team of 6 people or helped the organization achieve some of its most successful projects. It is important for the manager to understand that you have what it takes to take on a better position in your field; or why your current position no longer aligns with the responsibilities you have been taking on lately. However, at this point, make sure to be direct but polite when communicating your accomplishments. 4) Explain how the organization can benefit: You need to frame the conversation around how the employer can benefit from this change. Start by explaining how an appropriate title can help strengthen the company’s image. For example, you can say that given your experience and extensive track record, a title like “senior analyst” can help gain the trust of clients and stakeholders, which in turn will further benefit the company. Clients would like to build long-term relationships, opening doors to better opportunities and higher profits for the company. By presenting this angle, you’ll be able to show the employer that you’re equally concerned about the company’s growth.

5) Show flexibility, agree on a mutual solution: Most importantly, you should approach the entire conversation with a great deal of flexibility and a willingness to accept a title that is acceptable to both parties. Say that while the title you suggest might be more appropriate, you are willing to accept an alternative that the employer feels might better describe your responsibilities.

For example, you might say that while you think a title like “department manager” might accurately reflect the level of experience or responsibilities expected, you don’t mind accepting a title like “team coordinator” if it aligns with the company’s hierarchical structure. Doing this will show that you’re not rigid or fixated on a specific title just because you want your resume to stand out.