How Your Job Title Can Become a Barrier to Career Progression
You can be running the entire marketing function, shaping company strategy, reporting to the CEO… and still be called “Marketing Manager.” When your title undersells you, hiring managers often overlook you before they have even read your experience. If that sounds familiar, this post will help you take back control of how you are positioned.
THE PROBLEM NO ONE TALKS ABOUT
You have been the most senior marketing person in every business you have worked for. You report directly to the CEO. You own the strategy, the budget, and the commercial outcomes. You have led the function through funding rounds, rebrands, and international expansion. And yet, your title says "Marketing Manager." Or maybe it says "Director" which in the US signals executive leadership, but in the UK reads as mid-management.
Either way, hiring managers are glancing at your LinkedIn, making a snap judgement and moving on. You are being filtered out of roles you are more than qualified for.
This is the Title Trap. And if you are a senior B2B marketing professional, there is a good chance it is affecting you right now.
why it happens
Karen Lloyd, founder and host of the Spotlight on B2B Marketing podcast and Managing Director of Armstrong Lloyd, sees this play out regularly. She recently shared a telling example:
"Recently, I reviewed a candidate's LinkedIn who had genuinely senior experience: part of the executive leadership team, reports directly to the board, led marketing through Series C and D funding rounds, managed the company through an acquisition and brand spin-off, sets overall company direction from a marketing perspective, owns budget allocation to hit company OKRs. But here's what their LinkedIn actually said: 'Initiated performance marketing campaigns…' 'Managed SEO and SEM…' 'Oversaw email marketing…' It read like a Digital Marketing Manager's CV. All tactical execution. No mention of executive team membership. No board reporting. No strategic ownership. No funding rounds or M&A experience."
As Karen puts it: "Your job title is just noise. Your impact is the signal."
The problem is twofold. First, title conventions vary considerably between the UK and US. A "Director" in America is often equivalent to a VP or Head of Marketing in the UK. Second, many senior marketers do not articulate their seniority clearly enough on their CV or LinkedIn profile. They list tasks when they should be demonstrating leadership.
what not to do
When candidates realise their title is working against them, the temptation is to inflate it. To quietly swap "Marketing Manager" for "Head of Marketing" and hope no one checks. Don’t do it!
Karen's advice is clear: "Don't do it. Your actual experience is already stronger than any inflated title. Instead, be crystal clear on your CV about what you actually own. 'Reported directly to CEO with sole charge of marketing function' tells a hiring manager far more than 'Head of Marketing' ever could. It shows scope, autonomy, and real responsibility."
Inflating your title creates unnecessary risk. Your experience is already strong enough. The issue is not what you have done; the title just doesn't showcase it.
how to present your experience properly
The fix is not about gaming the system. It is about being precise. Here is what actually communicates seniority to a hiring manager, regardless of your title.
State your reporting line explicitly. "Reported directly to CEO" or "Presented to the board quarterly" tells a reader immediately that you operated at the highest level. Do not assume they will infer it from your responsibilities.
Own your business context. Funding rounds, acquisitions, rebrands, international expansion: these are the moments that define a senior marketing career. If you navigated them, say so, and be clear about what your role was in them.
Lead with strategy, not tactics. If your CV or LinkedIn reads like a list of channels and tools, you are describing execution, not leadership. Reframe around outcomes: revenue growth, market penetration, team scaling, commercial impact.
On LinkedIn, you have more flexibility. As Karen notes: "LinkedIn is different. You can use descriptors like 'Sole Charge Marketing Lead' or inject personality into how you position yourself. Just make sure it aligns with the substance of your CV, because everyone checking your experience will look at both."
what can senior marketing professionals do to take control of their career narrative
If you are a senior B2B marketing leader navigating the job market, here are four practical steps to make sure your title is never the thing that holds you back:
Audit your CV and LinkedIn profile for tactical language. Go through every role and ask: does this read like strategy or execution? If you are listing tools, channels, and tasks, rewrite around outcomes, scope, and business impact. The goal is for a hiring manager to understand your seniority within the first thirty seconds of reading.
Be explicit about your reporting lines and organisational scope. Do not leave it to inference. State clearly if you reported to the CEO, sat on the executive team, or had sole charge of the marketing function. These details are what separate a strategic leader from a senior practitioner on paper and they are often completely missing from otherwise strong CVs.
Use LinkedIn to add context your job title cannot. Your headline and about section are valuable real estate. Use them to describe what you actually own, not just your official title. Descriptors like "Sole Charge Marketing Leader" or "B2B Marketing Director | Series C to IPO" give recruiters and hiring managers the context they need to find you and assess you correctly.
Work with a specialist recruiter who knows how to position you. A recruiter who understands the B2B marketing landscape and the title conventions across sectors and geographies can advocate for your seniority in ways a CV alone cannot. Whether you are looking for a permanent senior role, a fractional CMO opportunity, or an interim position, the right recruiter will make sure the right people see past your title and recognise your impact.
The candidates who stand out are not the ones playing title games. They are the ones who are clear, honest, and strategic about what they have actually delivered. Your title is just noise. Make sure your experience is the signal.
Ready to find a role that reflects your real experience? Get in touch with Armstrong Lloyd and let’s make sure employers see the real story behind your experience.
About Karen Lloyd
As the founder and director behind our recruitment approach, I bring almost 30 years of unique expertise spanning both recruitment and marketing. Having placed my first candidate in 1996, I've since built 5 start-ups, served as a Board Director for 25 years and developed recruitment strategies that work in competitive talent markets.
I'm also the host of "Spotlight on B2B Marketing", where I explore B2B marketing trends with industry leaders. My passion lies in helping global businesses grow their revenue-generating teams through strategic hiring and fractional CMO services.
About Armstrong Lloyd
Armstrong Lloyd goes above and beyond being a pure search firm - we partner with your business because we have all stood in your shoes as experienced hiring managers, marketing and operational business leaders. We have a hidden network that goes beyond LinkedIn searches, adverts, or referrals from ex-colleagues to ensure you're getting the top 1% of talent.
Whether you need interim leadership, marketing team building, or executive search across the UK and beyond, the team at Armstrong Lloyd are here to ensure you reach your commercial business goals by building the best marketing team and strategy to give you a competitive advantage.
Ready to transform your marketing team? Let's talk about how we can help you hire the right talent at the right time.
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