The Title Trap: What a Decade of "Wrong" Job Titles Taught Me About Career Progression

I've spent the better part of a decade leading engineering teams, hiring developers, running sprint ceremonies, conducting performance reviews, and making the kind of decisions that shape products and people's careers. By any reasonable measure, I've been doing engineering management for years.

But my CV doesn't say "Engineering Manager." And right now, that's a problem.

The roles that didn't come with the "right" name

Across startups, scale-ups, and agencies, I've held titles like Development Lead, Technical Director, and Technical Lead. At each of those companies, titles were an afterthought - something scribbled into a contract and never thought about again. What mattered was the work: shipping products, growing teams, unblocking people, and keeping the lights on.

I didn't push back. Honestly, I didn't think I needed to. The work spoke for itself, or so I assumed.

That assumption was wrong.

The wall

When I started actively pursuing Engineering Manager roles, the rejections came quickly and consistently. The feedback, when I got any, circled around the same theme: lack of experience. Not a lack of skill, not a failed interview - just a title mismatch that meant I never got to the interview at all.

The uncomfortable truth is that many companies now rely on AI-driven applicant tracking systems that parse your CV long before a human ever sees it. These systems are pattern-matching machines. They're looking for keywords, and "Technical Lead" doesn't trigger the same signals as "Engineering Manager" - even when the underlying experience is identical. By the time a recruiter reviews the shortlist, you're already filtered out.

It's frustrating. But it's also the reality of how hiring works in 2026.

What I'd do differently (for what it's worth)

I clearly haven't cracked the code here - if I had, I'd be writing this from my Engineering Manager desk. But looking back, there are a few things I'd tell my earlier self. Take them for what they are: one person's hindsight, not a playbook.

Negotiate the title, not just the salary. At smaller companies, titles are often flexible precisely because they're seen as unimportant. That's your leverage. If you're doing the job of an engineering manager, ask for the title. It costs the company nothing and it costs you everything not to have it.

Document your scope in the language the market uses. Even if your company calls you a "Lead," make sure your CV translates your responsibilities into terms the broader industry recognises. "Managed a team of eight engineers" lands differently than "led technical delivery."

Pay attention to where the industry is heading, not just where your company is today. Startups and agencies often have their own vocabulary. That's fine internally, but your career extends beyond any single company. The market doesn't owe you the benefit of the doubt.

Where I am now

I won't pretend this hasn't been humbling. After years of increasing responsibility, I'm now considering roles that might look like a lateral move - or even a step sideways - on paper. But I've made peace with that. Sometimes the fastest route to where you want to be isn't a straight line. If taking a role with the "right" title for a year or two is what it takes to unlock the next chapter, then that's a pragmatic decision, not a defeat.

The experience doesn't disappear just because the title didn't match. I know what I've done. The challenge now is making sure the next opportunity reflects it - starting with the name on the tin.

If this sounds familiar

If you're early in your career, or somewhere in the middle like I am, take this as a gentle nudge: titles matter more than you think they do. Not because they define your capability, but because they define how the market sees you. And in a hiring landscape increasingly shaped by automation and keyword matching, perception is the first gate you have to pass through.

That said, this is just my experience and my opinion. I'm still figuring this out in real time, and I'm well aware there are people who've navigated this far more gracefully than I have.

If you see it differently - or if you've been through something similar and found an approach that worked - I'd love to hear from you. Drop me an email. I'm always up for a conversation, especially one that challenges how I'm thinking about this.