Requesting a Job Title Change

Career Advice
1

Hello All,

This past year I have been working as a “Digital Web Assistant”, I was able to, a few months into the job, automate my entire workflow with what I was learning of javascript and a dive into Nodejs. Just about the only thing that I didn’t automate was writing emails, and attending meetings. :laughing:

I have been very upfront with my employer from the start about automating my job. The first thing I did when I had just started learning was create a web page I would run locally that would register a variable number of mailto functions to create email drafts quickly, haha, at the time I knew nothing about writing backend software. By now I have done many things from building desktop applications to Puppeteer scripts. I have lost a lot of hours this way, but I use the extra time studying and caring for my family.

It has offered some great experience moving around large amounts of real world data that the different tutorials couldn’t have helped me understand.

Right now I am writing Director to request a pay raise and a job title change to reflect the work I have been doing, and the value I have been able to contribute.

My question for the forums is, is there any more useful job title to request than another?

(Useful in terms of getting another job)

For example Fullstack Javascript Developer vs Software Engineer

My employers know very little about the tech industry, and if they are willing to adjust my job title I expect they will rely on my suggestion. Thanks.

2

“Fullstack Javascript Developer” is something you specifically do, “Software Engineer” is what you are, at least as the company’s concerned. So it’s the latter you’d ask for as a title. But which title you get really depends on your company.: Where I used to work at a big Fortune 500, there were specific pay scales and responsibilities for specific job titles, and it was a matter of moving up the ladder to whatever next standard title awaited.

At the outfit I work for now, I could ask to be called “Third Mate’s Bosun and Senior Yak Shaver” and it would be hunky dory. Wouldn’t affect my rate, but hunky dory.

3

Thanks for the reply, to be clear, my main hope in a job title change is that it conveys on my resume to future employers that I am already working in the field, and if one title over another could convey that in a more impressive or whatever way, while still being accurate, I’ll go for that one.

4

Maybe not the best advice, but could you put Digital Web Assistant/Software Engineer on your resume and just leave it at that. I’ve never known a company that checks to make sure that is specifically your job title. As long as you can pass the code test and interviews I wouldn’t think they would care what the job title you currently have is.

Just for context my job title is Web Developer/Knowledge Manager.