beehiiv eliminates internal job titles for its nearly 130 employees

When I heard that beehiiv had eliminated internal titles at its company, I signed up for the company newsletter just long enough to get the details.

The manifesto pretty much mirrored what was being covered in the articles I'd read online. Internally, the new titles reflect each job family (Engineering, Growth, People Operations), along with "Lead" if you manage people.

The external titles were more interesting to me. Pasting what they wrote in the manifesto:

You still own how you present yourself externally. Put whatever (reasonable) title you’d like on your LinkedIn and resume.

Speaking candidly as a hiring manager, I don’t put much weight on titles. A Staff Engineer at a Fortune 500 company and a Staff Engineer at a five-person startup have wildly different experience and scope. Titles are impossible to calibrate across companies, industries, and regions. Hiring managers care about what you contributed and where you did it.

For example, I’d be far more excited about a candidate coming from a company like Anthropic than someone with a sexier title at a failed startup. Having been part of a high-growth company says a lot about your ability to grow and contribute in one. In my experience, the company on your resume opens doors in a hiring process, not the title.

beehiiv being wildly successful is better for you as a future candidate. Being able to speak to your contributions is what sets you apart.

I can understand Tyler Denk's frustration with the added complexity that titles bring to org development, and my heart goes out to the guy. But titles do matter enormously for career advancement today, just as much as the companies you work for and the problems you solve. Titles are search keywords. Titles signal authority and credibility. The level of your title (associate, manager, director) affects the potential ceiling of your compensation, which can then be carried to your next company.

I'm pleased that the company seems to be supportive of employees choosing their own external titles, and I hope they'll offer guidance if an employee asks for input.

In a future post, I'll share my approach on how to choose a title if a company gives you the freedom to pick your own.

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