Whether in an introduction, business card or email signature, your job title affects how other people interact with you. Negotiating with your company for a better job title can be a boost for your career and help you fulfill your duties with greater ease. As with any negotiation, winning a better job title is about showing the decision maker a win-win situation that makes life easier for everyone. In addition to getting more respect, a more powerful job title can make future job hunts easier and increase your starting salary at new jobs.
Step 1
Make your case when you're offered a job. At this point, your new company is excited to have you aboard and may have more leeway when accommodating your request. When already in a job, choose an opportune time such as a performance review or after a large success to make your case for a new job title.
Step 2
Demonstrate specific cases where the new title will help you get your job done with excellence. For example, to move from account representative to account manager, you could show where customers were hesitant to come to you with problems, thinking you couldn't help them yourself. Give your boss a problem that she can solve by changing your job title.
Step 3
Show the match between your responsibilities and those implied by the job title you want. Specialists and technicians are seen by many to be low-level grunts. Explain that your duties better match someone who is a manager, strategist or expert. If already in a job, show how your daily responsibilities have grown since you originally received your job title.
Step 4
Write a mini-resume citing specific achievements in detail. Use this as the boost to push an indecisive boss over the edge to giving you the title you want. Remind him why he decided to make you the job offer or why he wants to keep you as an employee. Cite specific numbers and give feedback from customers or other employees when possible.
