Recruitment specialists caution Filipino employers against inflating job titles to attract job seekers, highlighting the risks of misrepresentation and employee dissatisfaction.
According to a report by ABS-CBN News citing insights from Robert Walters, a recruitment specialist firm, there has been a surge in what they term “job title inflation” across various industries in the Philippines.
Jayson Mendoza, Manager of Human Resources & Industrial at Robert Walters Philippines, emphasized the potential pitfalls of this practice, stating, “Not only is it detrimental to the company but to the employee itself once they realize that the position they’ve applied for isn’t really a strategic position.”
The firm observed a significant increase in titles such as ‘Director’ and ‘President’ for roles that traditionally require only a few years of experience. Mendoza highlighted examples such as “Manager for First Impressions” for a receptionist or “Director for Customer Success” for a customer service representative.
Startups in e-commerce, digital media, marketing, advertising, and professional services are often noted to resort to inflated job titles, seeking to make positions appear more attractive than they actually are.
However, Mendoza cautioned that this practice could lead to retention issues and strained relationships within the company. “Companies will have a problem retaining these employees because their job title is inflated,” he added.
The implications of job title inflation extend beyond recruitment, potentially causing misaligned expectations, recruitment mismatches, and resentment among employees. As such, Robert Walters advises against this trend, urging companies to maintain transparency in their job descriptions and titles to foster healthy employer-employee relationships.