Job Titles

DD265

I am intending to renegotiate my job title and description to reflect what I actually do for the company, and I also want to work a salary increase in there for good measure.

I am employed as PA to the managing director. My current job description includes things like organising a diary, fielding calls, producing reports, filing systems etc. Some of this I do and some of this I don't. In part this is because she is not the sort to delegate, but also I'm too busy doing other things (that need to be done by somebody, and that somebody is muggins here).

I am essentially problem solver in chief. Mainly I oversee the customer service department, manage some staffing requirements (Saturday rota), am part of two project teams (one is definitely full time for the implementation of two new systems, the other isn't far off on top it seems and the latter focuses on getting international orders processed more quickly) plus I act as an internal account manager for trade customers and three courier firms. Now and again I have to do customer service when we are short staffed, and I also dabble in technical support. Then other things crop up, like needing to rework a filing system, checking invoices and other bits and bats.

I do a lot of varied things and I'm finding it really hard to put a serious title on that, which will look good and sum it up on my CV further down the road. Any suggestions?

sujman

Sounds like you work for a smallish company? How about office manager?

DD265

There are about 20 of us in total. We have a Finance Manager, Marketing Manager, eCommerce Manager (I think, that title seems to change!) and then a HR Manager plus the MD. Then we have a Warehouse Supervisor and me.

Office Manager might be a good one! My plan is to collect a few different ones and then go looking at jobs for them to see whether it's aligned with the kind of thing I do. :think:

sujman

Another few job titles to consider - Customer Services Manager, Operations Manager, Project Manager, Admin Manager

You role sounds too bespoke to be able to compare to whats out there in the current market place.

If you are looking for new roles, chances are you would be speaking with agencies. They might prove a useful source of information on what they think your job is worth.

Also, if a payrise is really what you are after, I would recommend you don't get too hung up on your job title.

Your boss might use this desire for a re-defined title as a reason to do just that but not give the payrise.

As I like to say - massage your pay, not your ego!

InsideInsurance

In the corporate world it sounds like you would be an "Executive Assistant". Most CxO will have both a PA (does diary management, travel bookings etc) and an EA (isnt really the "deputy" of their boss but will represent them, be the first contact for people, does a lot of the basic day to day stuff and a lot of their bosses dirty work etc).

So when we had a critical one incident that went straight to the Group CEO the Divisional CEO's EA was immediately put on the task force to deal with.

Just because the title is "assistant" doesnt mean it is a minor role, certainly in the place above the CEO, COO and CFO's EAs were all senior manager grades and salaries around the £100k mark. The challenge can be where to go from being it as you don't tend to make friends whilst you're in the role and whilst your fairly untouchable as the CEO's EA if you "move up" to being a regional director or something else of that ilk you'll find a fair few people above you that are wanting some retribution

marybelle01

Just one itsy bitsy possible snag to consider. The job description gets extensively re-written. The job title changes. The pay goes up. Which makes it a different job. Which makes your job redundant! Have you considered that if you achieved all that change in one go, someone else might get the job? You'd want to be very very certain that at the end of these changes, they would definitely totally and completely want you and only you in that job. It wouldn't be the first time somebody talked themselves out of a job, especially in a small company where the bosses wife / girlfriend / best friends second cousin suddenly takes an interest in the shiny new better paid position.

Might be a good idea to think about bite sized changes. It may take a bit longer, but it's safer.

DD265

Thanks for the input everybody.

You might be right about trying to boil the ocean and it not being the best way to go about things.

I guess aside from the fact that I feel like I have more responsibility than my pay grade at the moment, I don't want to be restricted to being a PA for ever just because that is my current job title. I'm being silly aren't I?

Time to focus on the pay rise aspect instead!

marybelle01

If it is any consolation, as a recruiter I never even notice job titles, and I don't have your job description (and actually I am not interested in what you are paid either!). I look at what you say you can do and how I can test that to my satisfaction. So I would go for the pay rise too, because that's money in my pocket and the next employer is probably going to be like me - they care about what you can do for them and not what a fancy title you have or what your JD says.

SueC_2

Business Support Manager - covers a multitude of sins and can mean whatever you want it to mean at interview!

DD265

SueC wrote: »

Business Support Manager - covers a multitude of sins and can mean whatever you want it to mean at interview!

Funnily enough in a previous company I was Business Support and Research Manager! I will keep that one up my sleeve.