Alright, let’s talk about this whole ‘title closer salary’ thing. It sounds fancy, but really, it’s something I bumped into myself a while back. It’s all about how that job title on your card relates to the numbers hitting your bank account.
My Old Gig
So, picture this: I was working at this place, plugging away. My title was something pretty generic, like “System Specialist” or something equally vague. Don’t even remember exactly. Point is, I was doing a ton of different stuff. One day I’d be deep in server configurations, the next I’d be scripting automation, maybe even helping design parts of a new system. I was basically a jack-of-all-trades.
The pay was… okay. Not terrible, but not great either, you know? I saw other folks, maybe in different departments or even guys hired after me, who had titles like “Senior Cloud Engineer” or “DevOps Architect”. And honestly? Sometimes it felt like I was doing work that was just as complex, maybe even more so, than what they were handling. And I had a strong hunch they were making more bank.
The Frustration Builds
It started to bug me. Not because I wanted a fancy title just for show, but because it felt like my compensation wasn’t really matching the level of work I was consistently putting in. My ‘Specialist’ title just didn’t seem to capture the scope or the impact. It felt like a label that was holding back my paycheck.
Taking Action
So, I decided I had to do something. I didn’t just march in and demand a raise, though. That rarely works smoothly. I started by really tracking what I was doing.
- I made notes of the complex projects I led or significantly contributed to.
- I highlighted tasks that clearly fell outside the typical ‘Specialist’ duties.
- I looked at job descriptions online for roles like ‘Architect’ or ‘Senior Engineer’ and matched my actual work against those responsibilities.
Basically, I built a case. I gathered proof that the work I was already doing aligned better with a higher-level, differently titled role.
The Conversation
Then came the talk with my manager. It wasn’t a demand, more like a discussion during a performance review. I laid out my points: “Look, here’s the kind of work I’ve been doing consistently, especially on Project X and Y. This feels more aligned with, say, a ‘Solutions Engineer’ role than my current ‘System Specialist’ title. I enjoy this challenging work, and I believe my title and compensation should reflect this level of contribution.”
It wasn’t an instant ‘yes’. There was some back and forth. Management had to look at budgets, internal structures, HR policies… the usual stuff. They initially offered a slight bump but keeping the old title. I pushed back gently, referencing the market data and my specific contributions again. My argument was clear: the title needed to change to accurately reflect the work, and the salary needed to align with that new title and responsibility level.
The Outcome
Eventually, we got there. They agreed to change my title to something more specific and senior – I think it ended up being “Senior Systems Designer” or close to that. And with that title change came a more significant salary adjustment. It wasn’t just a standard cost-of-living increase; it was a jump that brought my pay much closer to what I felt the role demanded and what the market offered for similar responsibilities.
So, for me, getting the title ‘closer’ to the actual work I performed was key to getting the salary ‘closer’ to where it needed to be. The title wasn’t magic, but it was the formal recognition that unlocked the discussion and justification for better pay. It’s about making sure the label accurately reflects the product – and in this case, the ‘product’ was the work I was doing day in, day out.