picking a job title - serious question!
 

So

In my job I am currently a "Data Solutions Team Leader". But I am being moved sideways and losing most of my staff and so on.

To sweeten things a bit (I guess) - Ive been told I can (within reason) chose my own job title - which can include the word manager.

The new job will basically involve liasing with all of the stores who accept my companies card as a method of payment, and processing all transactions, supporting the POS which accept the card, as well as some IT work (project iniation and management rather than coding)

Ive thought of a couple of things:

Technical Services Manager
Data Manager
Merchant Services Manager
Network Support Manager

any suggestions

Im basically looking for something that'll look good on my CV (Resume in American?)

"Manager" is fun, but why not shoot higher?

Senior Vice President in charge of Network Support

at least they didn't make you redundant and sack you.

also I hope that the POS means point of sale and not piece of shit...

I'd take either:

Technical Services Manager
Merchant Services Manager

or you could make yourself a bold title like:

Manager of Technical and Merchant Services

Go on salary.com and look for the highest paid title that could reasonably apply to your position. That way it will be on your resume for your next job.

/Mechanical Engineer III

Internal Relations Coordinator

Monkey manager?

Titles are meaningless. I am variably either a customer relations specialist, account specialist, account facilitator, or any one of several other random combinations of the words customer, account, specialist and facilitator. 'Desk jockey' and 'phone monkey' are much more descriptive of what I actually do, but nobody would ever dream of calling me that (except for me).

Go with whatever makes you happiest. It'll be the same job no matter what you call it.

Exactly what I was going to suggest.

Out of those you listed, I'd opt for merchant services manager.


Data manager makes me picture you running around a room waving floppy disks.

Technical service manager makes me picture the guy sitting in the back room at a Circuit City.

Network support manager makes me envision the guy you demand to speak to after the man from India on the other side of your phone call can't get your wireless card to pick up a signal.

"Director" is a powerful word that essentially means manager, and it looks awesome on a resume I bet.

• Technical Services Manager
• Data Manager
• Merchant Services Manager
• Network Support Manager

• Technical Services Director
• Data Solutions Director
• Merchant Services Director
• Network Support Director

• Director of Technical Services
• Director of Data Solutions
• Director of Merchant Services
• Director of Network Support

See the difference?

Another option would be to substitute "Administrator" with "Director" in the second set.

Is "King of Scotland" within reason?

And while we have everyone coming up with ideas, I'm probably about to be hired full time for my job and want something that sounds better (and less blue-collar) than "Media Technician." My boss is the IT guy and he calls himself "Technology Coordinator," so I'm going to need something a little more impressive on my business card. The job involves design, construction, and management of all multimedia systems in classrooms, multi-use rooms, and auditoriums for classes and outside groups.
If they're anything like the POS systems I've worked with, it's both.

Agree "director" sounds better than manager, but director also has a specific legal meaning in UK - so I think thats out.

Also, I agree that a job title doesnt matter much - but this is actually a fair sized demotion for me, so Im really just thinking of whats gonna look good on my CV, and sensible, but look impressive.

Ive also been offered reduncancy if I wont take the demotion, which Im thinking about but probably tending against.

Is "Senior Vice President" too much?

It just isnt a term that is used commonly in the UK, so it would at least make it look like I worked for an American firm!

I think from the conversation I had the level was "manager" and I could just name my department (of 3 people including me!!) however I wanted

demotion in pay or only title and responsibility?

President of all Data
Tech Support God
Network Superhero

Demotion in terms of staff and responsibility, pay the same.

Those are my favorite kind :thumbsup:

how is the redundancy package? how many weeks per year of service giving you how much?

can you get another job right away?

I was lucky last year when I got sacked at MTV. I got severance for 8 months at full 100% pay, and got a job 3 weeks after I got laid off. Saved all that money....

UK law = you get one weeks pay for each year of service (or 1.5 if yoiu are over 40) and the same amount of notice.

So I would get 7 weeks notice and then 7 weeks pay.

They can make you work your notice, but typically this doesnt happen - and if you dont the notice period is paid tax free.

Some companies offer better packages, but mine wouldnt.

Dont know how quickly I could find a new job, I guess I just feel like Id like to leave on my own terms.

Of course there are exceptions to every rule but the following usually works out. No offence is intended towards anyone...again, these are just the usual.

- It's always better to leave on your own terms.
- It's generally it is easier to find a job if you have one.
- Most employers look at people that were laid off as the easiest staff to let go compared to the ones the kept employed. However, a nice severance package, especially if you have high-demand skills like Cynthetiq, means a deal could be worth it!
- Make sure any title you use fits what you did. Otherwise, potential employers will think you are up to something and won't trust the rest of your resume.

My boss has recomended" Network Technical" as a job title, I think its a bit of a mouthful and has the meaning makes sense in that business, but to an outsider it sounds strange

Network Technical Manager is not even grammatically sensible in my position.

I'm still feeling Technical Services Dept sounds good.

Ive also come up with

Network Enablment Dept - sounds too wanky?
Network Engineering Dept - too misleading?
Data Management Dept - tautology, and sounds like data input, also too much like "Data Solutions"?

I go with simplicity and ambiguity so you can exploit it later in your future CV.

Therefore would go for "Technical Manager" if they'll let you.

I would seriously look on sites like payscale.com for people working these ACTUAL jobs and find one that matches yours. Pay scale is very often tied to the exact wording of a title, at least where I'm from. "Member Technical Staff" pays differently than "Technical Engineer", and the 'baseline' from where they offer is tied to the exact wording of the title.

The site takes 20 questions to get through!

But I found "Solutions Architech" (sic prolly)

Sounds kinda cool!

Based on your job description in the OP, I'd go with Merchant Services Manager. That's what it's called at my work.

A department is a collection of people. A manager or administrator is an individual.

I kind of like Network Manager.