Job Title? Not sure here...
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Hey folks,
I'm taking on a few additional duties at my current employer and that should come with a different job title. Hopefully an accurate job title. Not sure what exactly, any pointers on what would make sense and describe my duties? Employer are happy for me to decide what is accurate, I just need to identify that...
So, i'm currently doing all this and more, and have the title 'IT System Administrator'. Which is probably fairly accurate. An overview:
- Storage, Virtualisation, Systems/Servers/Desktops, Clustering, HA, Imaging, deployment, builds, maintenance, updates WSUS, etc,
- Networking, VPN, Firewalls/rules, switching, etc
- Group Policy, AD, Users/removal/adding/maintenance,
- DR/BCP/backups,
- Office 365 maintenance,
- Internal IT support for users,
- IT Budget, licensing etc
- I'm the only tech here, so its NOT a management position. Only technical, and anything 'technical'. IT System Administrator may not even cover that... I'm not sure.
What I will be taking on:
- Firstly, everything I'm already doing above ^.
- Secondly, management of the customer training team. When customers subscribe, they get training on our products. I will be managing that team of people, sending them out, monitoring KPIs, results, setting goals etc...
- Thirdly, management of the customer helpdesk team. When customers have issues with our product they will contact the helpdesk team... again, its setting goals, KPIs, monitoring quality of our helpdesk staff etc. Performance reviews, management of said people.
- The position has a range of other related things, but includes management of people... and its not 'IT/Server Stuff', but customer facing stuff.
So, any ideas? I can think of a few things, but no idea if they make any sense... For example:
(the company like 'Head of...' titles, so:
- Head of Customer Services and Systems
^ i'd see the customer helpdesk and the customer training departments (both which I oversee) as 'customer service', and 'systems' will still hopefully help point to the IT 'stuff' that I do... but then, I have no input at all towards sales, and that's also 'customer services' I think, so possibly not accurate...
'Head of Customer Experience and Systems' - the helpdesk and training would be a point of engagement with the customers and will largely be responsible for their experience using the products... but, no idea if that sounds like total BS...
So, very uncertain - any tips?
Best,
Jim -
It sounds like way too much responsibilities for one position. How can you properly focus on IT while also being manager?
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@irj said in Job Title? Not sure here...:
It sounds like way too much responsibilities for one position. How can you properly focus on IT while also being manager?
It is a lot of responsibility. But, this comes with a team; we will accomplish more, not less.
The helpdesk and training 'work' will be done by the helpdesk and training staff. I'm comfortable with delegation and management. Overall responsibility will of course fall to me, but that would t be an issue. The workload won't be an issue.
The issue, what title makes sense? Honestly, I'd see myself in this position for around a year... So it needs to be something that makes external sense...
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@jimmy9008 said in Job Title? Not sure here...:
@irj said in Job Title? Not sure here...:
It sounds like way too much responsibilities for one position. How can you properly focus on IT while also being manager?
It is a lot of responsibility. But, this comes with a team; we will accomplish more, not less.
The helpdesk and training 'work' will be done by the helpdesk and training staff. I'm comfortable with delegation and management. Overall responsibility will of course fall to me, but that would t be an issue. The workload won't be an issue.
The issue, what title makes sense? Honestly, I'd see myself in this position for around a year... So it needs to be something that makes external sense...
Its kinda like an IT manager position, but the problem with that title is that your IT responsibilities are hands on, not just managerial
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I would go with two different job descriptions. If either job grows, you'll have to split it. If they were to replace you, they would likely have to find those skills in two different people.
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@mike-davis said in Job Title? Not sure here...:
I would go with two different job descriptions. If either job grows, you'll have to split it. If they were to replace you, they would likely have to find those skills in two different people.
Yep, two descriptions is what's happening. But it needs to be one title...
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IT and Customer Manager ? It's just an odd combination.
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@mike-davis said in Job Title? Not sure here...:
IT and Customer Manager ? It's just an odd combination.
I'm defo not an IT manager though. The helpdesk are not technical IT helpdesk. It's the customer helpdesk. As in, 'im looking for a court case from 1967 by judge ABC, but cannot find the content within the product...' - not IT.
Also, I don't manage IT people. IT manager wouldn't be correct.
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"God" (replace with your deity of choice)
"Jack of all trades, master of one team"
"Overworked"
"Chief of the unicorn department" (taken from here: http://justsomething.co/hilarious-job-titles/)I honestly did think about this one but cannot formulate a single title that encapsulates both roles. Sorry.
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the reality is that there likely isn't a title that would fit those responsibilities. Anything you call yourself will be a made up title that only applies to your company.
Scott makes a big deal out of this when it come to applying for future jobs, not lieing about titles just because that's what your company calls you.
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@dashrender said in Job Title? Not sure here...:
the reality is that there likely isn't a title that would fit those responsibilities. Anything you call yourself will be a made up title that only applies to your company.
Scott makes a big deal out of this when it come to applying for future jobs, not lieing about titles just because that's what your company calls you.
Indeed. And I mostly agree, hence trying to find a title that would not be a lie.
What do you think if the ones I suggested in the post?
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Head of Customer Services and Systems
I'm not a fan personally of "head of"... supervisor would be my preferred.. but that's just me and my like of specific words... so really it's meaningless.
I'm sure Scott will have a word origin lesson for us that would make one more correct than the other.
As for your IT duties.. do you make the decisions on what to do in IT, or does someone else?
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@dashrender said in Job Title? Not sure here...:
Head of Customer Services and Systems
I'm not a fan personally of "head of"... supervisor would be my preferred.. but that's just me and my like of specific words... so really it's meaningless.
I'm sure Scott will have a word origin lesson for us that would make one more correct than the other.
As for your IT duties.. do you make the decisions on what to do in IT, or does someone else?
I report to a head of technology who is a programmer and manages the Dev team. That's just how it works here. Though, I make all decisions on IT. I will take something to him, as I have to, but he will say yes to it, said he defers to me on all IT matters as he doesn't know IT... lol.
Hence doing the budgets et al
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@jimmy9008 said in Job Title? Not sure here...:
@dashrender said in Job Title? Not sure here...:
Head of Customer Services and Systems
I'm not a fan personally of "head of"... supervisor would be my preferred.. but that's just me and my like of specific words... so really it's meaningless.
I'm sure Scott will have a word origin lesson for us that would make one more correct than the other.
As for your IT duties.. do you make the decisions on what to do in IT, or does someone else?
I report to a head of technology who is a programmer and manages the Dev team. That's just how it works here. Though, I make all decisions on IT. I will take something to him, as I have to, but he will say yes to it, said he defers to me on all IT matters as he doesn't know IT... lol.
Hence doing the budgets et al
Well, that sounds like you are the head of IT. it's like teh CIO checking with the CEO to make sure the CEO isn't doing something the CiO doens't know about that might cause the company to not spend.. but otherwise the CEO basically rubber stamps the CIO requests..
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I keep struggling with this as the roles aren't related at all. The split role is likely to make things worse when looking for a new job as they do not relate at all.
If I'm looking at two resumes for an IT job and I see one guy that does everything vs a guy that focuses solely IT, I'll go with the sole IT guy every time. Also o don't think you'd he hired for IT manager role as you've said you aren't managing anyone.
Maybe keep the same title? It seems like anything also may do more damage than good.
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IT Generalist is the only title that makes sense.
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@irj said in Job Title? Not sure here...:
I keep struggling with this as the roles aren't related at all. The split role is likely to make things worse when looking for a new job as they do not relate at all.
If I'm looking at two resumes for an IT job and I see one guy that does everything vs a guy that focuses solely IT, I'll go with the sole IT guy every time. Also o don't think you'd he hired for IT manager role as you've said you aren't managing anyone.
Maybe keep the same title? It seems like anything also may do more damage than good.
I'd be managing non IT people. But that shows I am able to manage on the CV. I've not done that, so it would be valuable on its own.
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@jimmy9008 said in Job Title? Not sure here...:
So, i'm currently doing all this and more, and have the title 'IT System Administrator'. Which is probably fairly accurate.
I've seen this one a bit and I find it confusing, or maybe just odd. There is nothing wrong with it per se, but I can't see it without asking....
Why is "IT" in the title? Does this mean that there are system admins somewhere from a different department? What department would that be?
Basically, this seems to state that there needs to be additional clarification that you are not a general System Admin, but only a System Admin without the IT ranks. Which is fair, I'm sure that that is true. But who is the System Admin somewhere else?
Like is there an HR System Admin? Is there a Finance System Admin? If so, what the heck do those jobs entail?
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@jimmy9008 said in Job Title? Not sure here...:
So, i'm currently doing all this and more, and have the title 'IT System Administrator'. Which is probably fairly accurate. An overview:
- Storage, Virtualisation, Systems/Servers/Desktops, Clustering, HA, Imaging, deployment, builds, maintenance, updates WSUS, etc,
- Networking, VPN, Firewalls/rules, switching, etc
- Group Policy, AD, Users/removal/adding/maintenance,
- DR/BCP/backups,
- Office 365 maintenance,
- Internal IT support for users,
- IT Budget, licensing etc
- I'm the only tech here, so its NOT a management position. Only technical, and anything 'technical'. IT System Administrator may not even cover that... I'm not sure.
So of these, not one single line item here falls under System Admin. Some kind of suggest it, but basically you just said "My Title is X", but my responsibilities don't involved X hardly at all, but here are loads of non-X things that I do.
To me, it sounds like System Admin is very inaccurate.
Only the bolded part of the first line is where SA work lies. All the rest is either not systems, or not admin.
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