askST Jobs: What to do if your job title undersells your experience and skills?

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Q: My job title seems too junior for my scope of work. Could this impact my future career progression?

A: A disconnect between a job title and actual responsibilities can affect career mobility, particularly during the initial hiring stages, says Mr David Blasco, country director at recruitment firm Randstad Singapore.

“Automated applicant tracking systems often filter candidates based on job titles, potentially passing over those with junior designations despite (their) having the skills and experience for the role,” Mr Blasco notes.

His advice: Benchmark your scope of work against job descriptions for similar roles in organisations of a similar size and structure.

“Compare your role with similar positions to assess whether your responsibilities are significantly different from those of your peers, such as leading or supporting large-scale projects, size and seniority of the colleagues you manage, as well as your geographical or portfolio remit,” he says.

Mr Blasco adds that job titles can carry very different meanings across industries, even within the same sector.

Knowing where and why these differences exist can help you contextualise the norms surrounding job titles, especially for the benefit of hirers who are unaware of them.

One example is the term “executive”, which can refer to both junior staff and senior management, depending on the norms within an industry or a specific firm, says Mr Sunil Dutta, senior principal consultant for human resources and business support at recruitment firm Robert Walters Singapore.

Mr Dutta says sales roles can also have titles that do not appear to fit someone’s experience level.

For instance, a salesman could have an inflated title such as sales director, with only a few years of experience, even as a sales manager could have more experience dealing with more complex clients, he notes.

Norms surrounding titles can also differ largely between agency and in-house roles, such as in marketing, says Mr Blasco.

He adds that some organisations have maintained junior-sounding titles for staff with senior responsibilities to provide greater flexibility with structuring job roles and departments.

“This is especially true in companies with flatter hierarchies, where responsibilities expand more rapidly than title progression.”

Organisations may also retain junior titles alongside senior responsibilities as part of efforts to groom staff as future leaders.

“However, this approach carries certain risks. Employees in these roles may feel undervalued and become motivated to seek new opportunities that offer recognition, better job titles and higher pay,” Mr Blasco says.

There are, however, encouraging signs that companies have become less fixated on titles and are focusing more on actual tasks, responsibilities and achievements, according to both Mr Blasco and Mr Dutta.

The talent shortage in Singapore underscores the importance of employers looking beyond resumes and truly understanding candidates’ capabilities in detail by speaking to them directly, Mr Blasco notes.

To overcome the limitations of their titles, job seekers should focus more on their actual impact and scope, rather than their desire to have a more senior title, he says.

“In their resumes, candidates should highlight quantifiable achievements, projects managed and the specific initiatives they have led or supported.

“Additionally, (they should) consider including recommendations from senior stakeholders who can validate their expertise.”

Mr Blasco says working with a recruitment firm can help – a third party would be able to highlight the situation surrounding the job title to prospective hirers.

Moreover, taking on more responsibilities than a job title would typically imply could work in a job seeker’s favour, Mr Dutta says.

“Leaders may see that the person is adaptable and willing to take on extra responsibilities to help their careers grow.”

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