I was talking to a corporate recruiting manager the other day about some of his recent career success. In less than 2 years, he went from internal recruiter to recruiting manager to doubling the size of the department and acquiring responsibility for their HR people.
His current title is manager (for over a year now) but he reports to the VP. I asked him if he was asking for the director title and he said he thought it was a bad idea. He thought they would give it to him if he pressed the issue but he was taking the long view.
Most recruiters and many business people have seen the phenomena of individuals running a sole proprietorship and passing out business cards with "President/CEO" as the title. That is all well and good even if it seems a bit silly (favorite title on local card: "Chief Banana"), but it raises eyebrows when we see it on a resume - especially if it is sandwiched between low level positions. It says something about a persons business savvy when they do that.
The recruiting manager wanted no part of that game. Company revenues are under $20Million and he felt that a 2 year transition from recruiter to "HR Director" cheapened the title. Kind of reminded me of the Groucho Marx quote: "I would not join any club that would have me as a member". I admired his restraint and willingness to take the long view.
In your quest to attain that title, make sure you can back it up and that your career track looks legitimate. Taking a more modest or realistic title (like manager) in a small or family owned business makes you look balanced, realistic and disciplined as opposed to maniacal.
