It happens very rarely, but this time I am in absolute agreement with yet another installment from "You Are Better Than Your Job Search" - previously referenced book from The Ladders' CEO Marc Cenedella: Title vs. Salary. And I strongly advise everyone to click on the link and read the excerpt very carefully.
It is true that a good title looks pretty on our resumes, but it cannot be at the center of your decision to accept a job offer. If the title comes as a part of a good deal completed with new professional challenges and attractive compensation package, then great, you are doing the right thing by taking the job. However, if its just a title and everything about the job makes you unhappy, depressed and economically strapped, there is no point in making such sacrifices.
And you cannot fool anybody with that line on your resume either. All experienced recruiters and the majority of hiring execs know that if you held the Controller position in a $10 million a year, known to nobody company, it means you had no staff, can claim no sophisticated accomplishments, nobody asked your strategic advice and your salary was around $80K. At best, you were a glorified full-charge bookkeeper.
As the matter of fact, I frequently say that I don't care about my title. As far as I am concerned, they can call me "hey you," or a "firefighter," or a "cleaning lady" on the organizational chart as long as I can continue impact the business in the most profound way, implement ideas of highest sophistication, keep all functions in full control and receive compensation that reflects my influence on the company.
Another very valuable point concerning inflated titles brought up in the article/excerpt is the artificial promotion. In the companies with flat management structure, people keep carrying out the same responsibilities year after year with minimal salary increases and title changes that reflect not a professional growth but rather simple seniority. After 10 or 15 years with the same company a person who started as a catch-all office girl becomes the Controller. And it is fine if she actually grew into the Controller's responsibilities together with the company's development (this is what I call an "in-the-chair" career ladder), but most of the time that is not the case. Hence, taking the Controller's job replacing that person would not be a great professional achievement.
Of course, when we are stuck in the rut of a long job search, we become desperate and dispirited. Then even an inflated title may seem like a sweetener of whatever position we are ready to grab to "put the food on the table." However, desperation is a poor adviser. Please, think long and hard before you take that step.