With career advancement comes earning more responsible job titles, but hiring managers complain that in the current hiring environment, “title inflation” has become a challenge.
A survey by employer review site JobSage found one in three employees have had job titles that they admit overstate their skills. Half of hiring managers say job titles are less reliable indicators of skills than they used to be.
“When you see a bunch of candidates who have a ‘senior director’ title, but some have two years of experience, and some have 10 years of experience, it is hard to really look at the title and get a quick, accurate gauge of how experienced this candidate really is,” said Kelli Mason, co-founder of JobSage.
Inflated titles have made it difficult for 40% of managers surveyed to find the right person for open roles because the candidates’ past titles are confusing or overstated.
Co-workers weighed in on the survey too, with one in five saying the people at their companies haven’t justifiably earned their titles.
JobSage found job titles that aren’t actually earned or reflective of skills are occasionally given to younger employees to keep them happy.
“While it can be confusing down the line for hiring managers and for future interview processes, it is something companies can consider doing if it is a way to retain an up-and-coming person who might be able to work themselves into a senior-level role,” Mason said.
Employers also have different expectations than employees when it comes to experience needed to earn a title, with the average answer for time needed to earn the title of director of four to six years, and managers expectations of seven to 10 years.
JobSage’s full survey and report about job title inflation is online.
