What's in a Title?
Carter Parrish
I love to #CreateExperiences, #TellStories and #MakeDigitalMagic all backed by #GoodThinking
There are so many different titles and definitions of what a title actually means, what if there was no title? Would people work any differently? I have now been in the experiential marketing industry for over 10 years now (3 in Grassroots and 8 in experiential) and my point of view has begun to change. At the end of the day a title really is just a word at the end of your signature or on your business card. What if you were compensated for your "title" but you didn't actually list one? Do brands or other companies respond to you any differently based on your title?
The industry is at a time now where people are spread across different generations so I am sure there are different perspectives on this, but over the past few years the title for me has lost its value. If you love what you do, are great at what you do and are compensated accordingly, does it really matter what they call you? Me being a coordinator vs. a Senior Manager doesn't matter at all to me and it won't change how I work, but curious to hear people's perspectives on if that matters to you both as a client or a partner. Corporate America has trained everyone that you HAVE to move up in the company to be compensated for your work. If you are a Director vs Trainee your salary is affected accordingly. Why is that? Why should that be? Why can't we just pay people for their expertise, work ethic and quality of their work? At the end of the day a title is just a way to flex how important or experienced you may be, but I have certainly worked with people over the years that have titles way higher than they may deserve because they have worked the political system within companies. Good for them to know the system and be able to work their way up. It is not a knock on them for pushing for it if they feel it is deserved, but what I am getting at is can there just be a push for further compensation vs a promotion? Isn't that just a raise? I understand there are ranges of salary based on experience, and I am not saying a Trainee should be paid the same as a Director. I am just simply stating that the compensation of someone's work shouldn't be driven by a title. The ultimate question now is, if you didn't need a title to do your job, is working towards appropriate compensation better than a name? Maybe one day we will find out.
Production Director at MKTG
4 年It's so true that titles across different industries don't line up at all, so why should we think that they should fall back into place. An associate in one field does the same thing as directors in others, so without any standardization it will forever be confusing and seem broken. Unfortunately, most compensation adjustments only ever come with a change in titles, so people reach a senior position quickly. This happens specifically as a financial reward for doing an excellent job as a junior or midlevel position, but pushed them in and through roles quickly. In my opinion, do great work, become a true asset, and do right by the company. From there, they should want to invest further in you, regardless of one's title.