Taking a pay cut for a new title?

[SideWinder]

I am a Customer Service Manager for an online retail brand. It's a small business and currently on 42k. I want to leave as I am not enjoying the isolated atmosphere, the hiring strategy (constantly hiring remotely due to cost) and miss having 'work friends'.

I want to move into Account Management/Customer Success Manager however I don't fully have the experience to get this title so pondering moving to Account Executive or something more entry to 'get that title' and learn the actual role.

I know I can be good at this type of role due to my people skills/operational background but I guess it's proving it and my logic is, once I get that title it'll be easier to progress?

What do you all think? Mad to do this? I guess the other option is to persuade recruiters I can do it and hope someone takes a chance on me at a slightly more senior level.

 

[MissChief]

yes, mad.

 

[SideWinder]

yes, mad.

/thread.

I guess I should adapt my CV a bit, maybe review other types of roles. I just want to escape customers and move more to client/brands/non-stressful day to day customers.

 

[peterwalkley]

Moving to a job where you can do it all from day 1 is pointless for you anyway as it gives you no room to grow and learn. A company insisting on every box being ticked is going to lose people as they will get bored and move on.

IMO Taking a pay cut voluntarily is really only for when you want to do less hours or want to step back from high stress/responsibility roles to something easier.

Hold out for something at the very least matching what you're currently on.

 

[Semple]

IMHO titles are pretty much meaningless these days. It's like when you see someone labeling themselves as a CEO but they run a 3 man company. I mean sure, I guess you are the executive of your company, but it doesn't quite have the same pull to it as being a CEO of say a FTSE 100 company.

The other one that makes me laugh at the company I work for, is when I see young developers who have graduated about 5 years ago, and are now displaying "Senior Software Developer" in their email signatures - they've not even made it into their thirties yet.

Basically titles mean **** because anyone can call themselves whatever they want.

 

[dlockers]

I know you have people skills SW but "Account Manager" roles as I have encountered them required toddler energy to be successful. And then "Customer Success Managers" are often the "bad guy" as they are trying to toe the party line (their employer) and the Customers line (i.e. please accept these apologies).

Have you considered HR/ talent type roles?

 

[jaybee]

I generally set myself the rule in my career to never go backwards in PAY, unless it was unavoidable of course. I used to have a title with "lead" in it, and even "senior" but now I'm something with neither of these in it doing a more technical role (with no management involved at all) and earning more.
Whatever role you go for, they are still going to want to know what you did during time X to time Y, regardless of what the job title was at the time. I would argue my current job title could be called something else, which is more widely known and accepted in the industry, so on linked in, I list the role by that name instead.

 

[throwaway4372]

The way you make it is by believing you can. Be more of a chancer. You believe in yourself and will do whatever is necessary to make a success of whatever role you manage to blag.

 

[HangTime]

The other one that makes me laugh at the company I work for, is when I see young developers who have graduated about 5 years ago, and are now displaying "Senior Software Developer" in their email signatures - they've not even made it into their thirties yet

Seniority is about more than just length of tenure / experience. I've known developers in their 20s / few years experience who contribute more and operate in a more 'senior' way than those in their 30s.
In fact I hired one in her 20s a couple of weeks before hiring a more experienced one who was ~10 years older and on a higher grade, and it become apparent relatively quickly that the less experienced one had a better approach to problem solving, was less easily flustered etc, and performing to at least the same level. We promoted her after a year and you could make an argument for even that being too slow.

One of the nice trends I've seen in IT in recent years is the shift towards rapid advancement of young talent, the idea that you must 'earn your stripes' simply by hanging around is becoming relatively less important compared to aptitude and output.
The real rockstars, the best talent, they are absolutely doing it in their 20s and if orgs don't recognise that they'll lose them (assuming they have ambition etc). I'm saying this as someone in their 40s who would gain from maintaining the old status quo and having experience valued more highly.

I agree with your broader point about job titles however, it is so varied between orgs that it means little. My next employer have even said my prospective job title is a placeholder and we can agree a different one if desired.

edit: to address the OP, I'd say only go down the route of a pay cut if you are very confident on the progression path. If you're not careful you end up in a dead end that's hard to reverse out of i.e. you take a more junior role, it doesn't work out and then you find it hard to simply segue back to where you were before, because there is a tendency for [some] recruiters to pigeon hole people based on their most recent role. To use an analogy, if you jump from the tall ladder to a shorter ladder, it's harder to jump straight back to the higher rungs on the tall ladder than if you were already holding on to them (not impossible of course).

 

[AndyCr15]

I think people are getting too focused on the 'title' (but then you did phrase it like that in the thread title I guess)

Personally, if you're asking should you drop down a little to enable your to pivot somewhat, I think it's not a bad idea, if you're sure that's what you want to do. (As said, it might not be as easy to go back to where you were.) I was certainly expecting to have to do that, but I 'got lucky' and pivoted with my current employer.

Learn the ropes and then move yourself back up, hopefully in a job you enjoy more. I think a few k off £££ is a fair trade off for enjoying your job, no?

 

[Ev0]

And then "Customer Success Managers" are often the "bad guy" as they are trying to toe the party line (their employer) and the Customers line (i.e. please accept these apologies).

As someone once said to me, to be a CSM you've got to be good at apologising for things that you didn't do

 

[dlockers]

One of the nice trends I've seen in IT in recent years is the shift towards rapid advancement of young talent, the idea that you must 'earn your stripes' simply by hanging around is becoming relatively less important compared to aptitude and output.
The real rockstars, the best talent, they are absolutely doing it in their 20s and if orgs don't recognise that they'll lose them (assuming they have ambition etc). I'm saying this as someone in their 40s who would gain from maintaining the old status quo and having experience valued more highly.

100% where raw developer talent is concerned; your big risk is maintainability of whatever bonkers solution they come up with and whether they maintain the stamina to see through what they started lol. The more experienced devs sometimes get the balance totally wrong though and you ask why you even have them around sometimes - every request becomes a battle.

 

[SideWinder]

I know you have people skills SW but "Account Manager" roles as I have encountered them required toddler energy to be successful. And then "Customer Success Managers" are often the "bad guy" as they are trying to toe the party line (their employer) and the Customers line (i.e. please accept these apologies).

Have you considered HR/ talent type roles?

I did ponder this but I have zero experience essentially...

 

[dowie]

I am a Customer Service Manager for an online retail brand. It's a small business and currently on 42k. I want to leave as I am not enjoying the isolated atmosphere, the hiring strategy (constantly hiring remotely due to cost) and miss having 'work friends'.

I want to move into Account Management/Customer Success Manager however I don't fully have the experience to get this title so pondering moving to Account Executive or something more entry to 'get that title' and learn the actual role.

Doesn't mean you need to take a pay cut.

 

[SideWinder]

Doesn't mean you need to take a pay cut.

I guess I see it as not 'actually' having experience in that role but knowing I can do it..guess I am worried, and so far its not working out, employers taking a punt.

Trying a few new agencies though and going to see what's possible. I can sell myself for sure so will see.

 

[Quartz]

What do you all think? Mad to do this?

Yes, you're mad. Forget job titles and look at what you actually do and translate that.

 

[Ev0]

Speak to some recruiters about what you want to do and take it from there.

 

[swillsy]

Spin it the other way round - who you take a pay rise for a "worse" title doing the same job - most people would. Titles do not pay the bills

 

[BUDFORCE]

I want to leave as I am not enjoying the isolated atmosphere, the hiring strategy (constantly hiring remotely due to cost) and miss having 'work friends'.

So you want to work in an office?

I work from home, on my own, and love it.

You might get stuck with a bunch of see you next Tuesday's and have to put up with them moaning or trying to stab you in the back all the time.

Be careful what you wish for because your idea of colleagues being mates, good laugh or some young hotties, or whatever you have in your head, may end up being far from the reality.

 

[kevman]

Earlier in my career I took a pay cut (5k) to move to a bigger company with more opportunities for development.
Definetly one of my better moves.