Assistant Producer I am (my new job title)

I love the term Producer. It sounds so Hollywood. I have the dream of rad sunglasses, fancy shirts, and beverly hills in the background. And, with a quick slight of the hand, my face is in that dream. I love it!

Guess what too….I just made that up. No one else in my business uses that title. Frankly, I don’t even know what it means myself. It just fits my current job responsibilities enough, while also giving me a lot of opportunity to grow into the role. Which is exactly why I love it (other than imagining myself as a big pimping LA hotshot). In my opinion, the job title you choose should make you excited, fit your current role, but describe your ideal role even more.

I know, i know, this sounds all very presumptuous. Well, I haven’t put it on my email signatures and business cards yet. I usually wait a little time to see how the sweater fits, giving it a few washes and wearing it to a party or two. I’m getting close tho…

Let me get back to being presumptuous now, not gonna lie to you either, it is and I am (presumptuous). But there are very valid reasons for this and I would recommend you make up your title too. Lemme essplain:

Many, many years ago a former mentor passed along an important business rule. Which is that you have to define yourself. Your role, your title, your relationships, basically everything. This happens anyways in any job, you get hired for a job and do it well. Then you do more, grow, get promoted, etc. It’s the normal course of career growth.

Trouble is, most people just stick with their official Human Resources title. Folks could end up taking on twice the responsibility, yet keep the same job title.

This is not about getting paid more either. Sometimes you just cant get good raise no matter how hard you work or how successful you are. What it is about is taking control of your future. The last thing you want to do is wait for your boss to think of more things for you to do (which they will),  you also don’t want to wait until someone gives you a cool title (no one will), and you don’t want to let others define you (lest they give you the name Rubberpants or something).

What you should do is think of interesting ways of explaining what you do to others. Make sure to have a good title and a few good stories. It will help immensely at any networking event, dinner, or other social thingys. Then as your confidence and presumptuousness grows, make it your official title. Throw it on your email signature, business card, bio, etc.

I do that. At first I get a little bit of chiding, then folks actually ask me what it means. I can always back it up, which usually impresses them. My supervisors never care seem to care because I am still completing my duties and they are not paying me any more for my new title. The most drastic result comes several months later when a new opportunity appears for me. Usually because I have steered myself in that direction using the new title as my guide, and because others have started to think of me in that way.

So, here is my new title:

Assistant Producer

what up!