By Max Diamond, Director, Accounting & Finance
When navigating a job search, one of the most common questions candidates ask is how important job titles are. For many professionals, especially those coming out of public accounting, titles feel deeply tied to seniority, compensation, and career progression. In more structured environments, a title often signals where you sit within a firm and what your next step should be.
But outside of those rigid frameworks, job titles can mean very different things depending on the organization. As companies grow, diversify, and operate with leaner structures, titles often become less about hierarchy and more about internal alignment. This can create uncertainty for candidates who worry that accepting the “wrong” title could limit future opportunities.
In this video, Max Diamond, Director on Landing Point’s Accounting & Finance team, explains how candidates should think about job titles during a search and why focusing too heavily on a title can distract from the actual roles and responsibilities of the job.
[Max Diamond, Director at Landing Point, discusses whether job titles matter when searching for accounting and finance roles.]
Key Takeaways
- Job titles are often more structured in public accounting and large institutions.
- Exposure, responsibility, and impact matter more than what you’re “called.”
- Titles can influence compensation bands at very large organizations.
- Long-term growth, learning, and earnings potential should outweigh title alone.
While job titles can play a role in certain environments, particularly at very large firms where compensation bands are tightly aligned to level, most employers are far more focused on what a candidate can actually do. Hiring managers want to understand the scope of your responsibilities, the complexity of the work you’ve handled, and how well you understand the “why” behind what you’re doing, not just the mechanics.
This is especially true in smaller or mid-sized organizations, where titles are often flexible and evolve as the business grows. In these settings, accepting a role with a slightly different title than expected can still lead to strong compensation, meaningful responsibility, and accelerated career progression. Over time, titles change, duties expand, and compensation adjusts accordingly.
Rather than anchoring too heavily on a specific title, candidates are better served by evaluating the quality of the role itself. Strong work, increased exposure, and room for growth tend to compound far more than a title alone. In most cases, focusing on impact and trajectory will put you in a better position than holding out for the “perfect” label.
Looking Ahead
If you’re navigating a job search and struggling to weigh title versus opportunity, Landing Point can help. Our recruiters work closely with candidates to evaluate roles holistically, considering compensation, growth potential, exposure, and long-term trajectory. Connect with our team to talk through your search and make confident, informed decisions.
Transcript
Max Diamond:
One of the biggest questions that we get from candidates is “What job title should I be going for?” And it’s a question that I think there’s a lot of ambiguity around because especially candidates coming out of public accounting are very used to structured job titles—where your title is indicative of the work that you’re doing and the compensation that you would receive.
If you have a really large asset manager in the hundreds of billions or upwards, then title is something that they’re using to differentiate compensation bands and things like that. What most of our clients are really looking for is the content and the quality of candidates’ work and what they can bring to the table.
What have they been exposed to? How well do you know why you’re doing things, not just how you’re doing things? And that’s really what I encourage most candidates to focus on when looking for a job. Firms are typically not going to disqualify candidates because of what they’re called.
Now, titles can become important at some of these larger shops where it is more similar to the Big Four, where at a certain title it can be hard to get paid more than what that band provides. But if you go somewhere where the quality of the work is strong, you have room for growth, and you’re going to make enough money, what you’re called shouldn’t ultimately make the decision in most cases.
Because your title is going to change—as will your roles, responsibilities, and compensation.
About Max Diamond
Max Diamond is a Director at Landing Point, specializing in Accounting & Finance executive search for asset management, private equity, hedge funds, and real estate investment platforms across the Tri‑State area. Max specializes in connecting growth‑minded finance professionals with respected investment firms. Notable searches include Senior Vice President of Fund Accounting for a global credit fund, Fund Controller for a real estate investment platform, and Management Company Controller for a hedge fund manager.
Prior to joining Landing Point, Max spent two years in PwC’s Financial Services Audit Practice and two and a half years at Fortress Investment Group in fund accounting. He holds a master’s in forensic accounting and a bachelor’s in accounting from the University of Albany. Outside of work, he enjoys cooking, trying new restaurants, and cheering for the Yankees, Jets, and Arsenal.