I am an inside sales representative for a medical device company. I work hard to build relationships over the phone to sell and consult on products with doctors. When I was hired, the president of the company specifically told me this was not a telemarketing job. Recently, I caught the president introducing our team as “the telemarketers.” This embarrassed and insulted me. HR agrees and will ask him to stop. I was going to ask this person for a letter of recommendation for medical school, but I don’t want to inflate his ego. Is this a sign I should go back to school asap or find another job?
To read the answer, click here: Dilemma of the Month: Job Title Woes
If you want a letter of recommendation from the company president, I’d reconsider having HR slap his hand over calling you a telemarketer. You’ll change from “a top performer” to a “crybaby” in the blink of an eye.
Given the short timeframe you’ll be there, please consider what’s really important and what to just let go.
Let it go. If you graduate from medical school, Doctor is a pretty nice title as far as they go.
Although a note for PhD holders: Herr Docktor Professor sounds a lot nicer than “not that kind of doctor”
Where exactly in the federal code is it written that our job title must match our job title. My official job title is “case manager” but I was hired to be an employment counselor, my function is employment counselor, my boss addresses me and introduces me as an employment counselor, and my business card shows me as an employment counselor. I refer to myself everywhere as an employment counselor. Am I missing something?
Job titles should mean something to the organization establishing them. The organization should decide what the job title is meant to convey: job function, job level, both, or something else. That meaning should be shared with employees. This is a very simple issue where confusion should be eliminated. Regardless of how job titles are supposed to work, I think you will find the president does not want to be titled as executive I and the vice president doesn’t want to be titled executive II. Job titles work as a shorthand both internally and externally to an organization. As such, they convey information and that information should be accurate!