Hey guys,
I have an annual review coming up with my boss. Some colleagues suggested that I ask for a new title, to get “my contribution/efforts recognized”
But I don’t really see the point ?
My job would be the same and I like what I do. So my only interest in that review is to discuss new salary and bonus. Who cares if i’m associate, VP, MD or whatever ?
It makes a difference if you’re looking to go elsewhere at some point.
What’s your current title?
Your employer will figure out you want to prop up your resume with a change in title. Good luck getting in without any suspicion.
I’m dealing with the same issue. My current title makes me seem much less experienced and does not fit my responsibilities. It shouldn’t matter, but it does. In a somewhat large organization such as the one I work in, those that don’t know you judge you based off of the title, and I feel like I’m not respected as much because of mine. Also makes me seem less qualified for other positions.
Title advancement is good for your resume, as it shows that you are moving up in the company. Without title advancement, you can say you are getting more responsibility over time, but you have nothing tangible to back that up.
Also, yes, it helps with organizational influence. People pay more attention to your needs if you are an MD, as opposed to some underling rank. With a higher rank, you will be able to influence more people and become more productive.
Finally, your compensation will likely change with your title, especially if you work in a big company. Your manager might not tell you this, but there are usually salary bands for each title. If you are an “associate”, HR can approve $X to $Y. If you become a VP, HR can approve $Y to $Z, and so on so forth. At some point, you literally cannot make more money without a new title.
listen to ohai.
Are you really in finance? I find it hard to believe given you don’t care about titles.
Seems strange to me that someone based in Switzerland of all places would have doubts about the importance of a title
It’s probably not that different from Antarctica. 
In Antarctica, rank is everything. It is the penguins, not the polar bears, that rule the icebergs there.
Not sure if rank is everything, or perhaps just everything is rank.
LOL
Outside of the US, titles are not as strict in some countries …
genuinely curiously, where would those places be? In Canada everything is quite structured, and it is important in Asia too. And we can rule out antartica whcih only has two payscales, and safely assume the same for the arctic Everyone in Africa is automatically elevated to Princedom…
forgive my being glib, my original question is genuine.
^ Europe is mostly high power distance cultures too, ex-German speaking places (who are comparable to the Americans). And I agree with Canada as well. I really would be puzzled as to where these places would be, other than maybe the nordic states.
I don’t know how big the company is. Very small companies can be very flat. I worked in a startup environment where the guy at the top kept changing my title with every client he talked to. Sometimes I was just an analyst, sometimes I was a director of research, director of strategy, whatnot.
When you’re in a small startup environment, you just do whatever job needs to be done, titles can sometimes cause more trouble by making people feel they shouldn’t do certain things that are needed.
If the OP is in an environment like this, I can see why a discussion like that would be possible (though having an annual review usually is something that happens in a bigger company where titles do matter).
My boss once told me I could call myself the “head of FX derivatives trading”, because I was the only person on the desk who did any of that. I did not do it, because I was not sure if he was joking or possibly trying to measure my douche level.
My aunt is a housewife. She stays at home, does houseworks and take care of her kids. But whenever being asked about her professional, she always confidently says " I am managing a family business" 
.
The other piece about titles is that sometimes it opens up certain perks or benefits. Like business class travel or perhaps additional incentive schemes.
That’s a smart businesswoman.