"Management Without The Title"

A candidate heard the most honest interview answer about career progression I've come across in years.

I’m currently recruiting for a role, and today was the final round interview. After the interview between the candidate and the client, the candidate called me to give me his feedback.

One of the questions he asked during the interview was: “What does career progression look like in this company?” What he heard next was probably one of the most brutally honest answers I’ve heard in an interview.

The response was roughly this: “For the first six months, our focus will be getting you trained and fully up and running in your role.” “If you take on the training well and demonstrate that you’re ready, the next step would be giving you management responsibility — without necessarily giving you the management title straight away.” “Once you’ve demonstrated that you can do the job and manage the responsibility, that’s when the management title and formal career progression comes.”

The candidate told me this was something he hadn’t really heard in interviews before. Not because the concept was unusual. But because of the clarity and honesty with which it was explained. He also recognised that what the company was proposing is actually quite common in the workforce. You often get the responsibility before you get the title.

And that made me think. A lot of the time, we want the title to come first. We want to be called a manager before we’ve actually managed. We want the promotion before we’ve demonstrated that we’re ready for the responsibility that comes with it. But maybe that isn’t always the best way to approach career progression.

Taking on management responsibility first gives you the opportunity to understand what the role actually involves. You get to lead people. Make decisions. Handle difficult situations. And find out whether management is actually something you’re good at — and something you enjoy. Because giving someone the management title before they’ve had the opportunity to prove themselves can actually be setting them up for failure.

The title doesn’t make you a manager. The responsibility does.

I thought the client explained this extremely well. There was no promise of a title just to make the candidate feel good. There was a clear pathway: Learn the role → take on responsibility → demonstrate capability → earn the title.

And perhaps the most important part… The candidate knew exactly what he was signing up for. There was no ambiguity about what was expected of him, what responsibility would come first and when the title would follow. That level of clarity is important. Because giving someone a title before they’re ready can be setting them up for failure.

Need personalised help with this?

I have spent 15 years on the hiring side of the table. I have interviewed thousands of candidates and seen exactly what works and what does not. Book a session and I will give you direct, honest advice based on your specific situation.