Title matters. When I was younger, I was naive to think that the work I did and the people I did it for were what mattered. Then I got promoted. Overnight, everything changed. I was invited to more meetings, asked to weigh in on more situations outside of my department, and had a more significant influence on the organization.

With that being said, some leaders had always treated me with the same respect. Most of the executive team would see me in the hallway and stop for a genuine chat expressing great interest in whatever conversation we had that day - but with others, it was different.

I only bring this up because TITLE should be part of your career strategy. While the title may not change the work you are doing or the satisfaction you get out of your role, it can benefit you in many other ways.

First, sadly, people treat you differently internally and externally. The vendors and consultants you work with externally make initial judgments about you when they see your title....

What? You were ghosted again? Let me fill you in...

It's not you. It's them. Human Resources is working on its relationship with Talent Acquisition, again. 

At the beginning of the pandemic, when leaders were trying to save their companies, their best employees, and their customers, they were faced with difficult decisions. As things began to look dire, many cut their Talent Acquisition teams because they could not imagine the next time they would be hiring. The loss of this institutional knowledge and the networks their former recruiters had cultivated over the years has disadvantaged many organizations.

This leads to one of many reasons why you may have been ghosted. Last week alone, I had four people ask if I could recommend a contract recruiter and I spoke to two more contacts who had just added contract recruiters to their teams. In other words, talent acquisition teams (aka - recruiters) are stressed. They are pulled in all...