Which job title is better?

Question

Two titles:

"Research & Development IT Specialist"

and

"Software Engineer"

I am doing a lot of pro-typing and coding working in my daily jobs. Which title is better for future job seeking?

Thanks.

Answer 1

Software Engineer is far more commonly recognized.

Answer 2

Software Engineer. I have no idea what "Research & Development IT Specialist" means and wouldn't think that you have software engineering skills so would drop your CV very quickly

Answer 3

People will at least have a clue what you're talking about with "software engineer". "R&D IT Specialist" could be anything, including a guy figuring out new ways to cable the office. I don't know about other people, but if I think somebody's throwing obfuscation at me, the real truth must be even worse for them.

Answer 4

I think "Research & Development IT Specialist" sounds like a bit "too much", and would rather go with "Software Engineer".

Maybe "Software Engineer with X years of experience" would do ?

(Btw, I'm french, so my opinion might not be OK with what people like / do somewhere else in the world about job titles ^^ )

Answer 5

I'm tempted to answer with "The more accurate one". Having said that, the first one looks like a company-specific title while the second is more generic, but possibly more correct. In cases where my company title is misleading, overly specific or just silly, I prefer to give the literal title and then add a meaningful translation in parentheses. In other words: Research & Development IT Specialist (Software Engineer)

Answer 6

I would go with Software Engineer. However, the actual job title you write doesn't mean much compared to the rest of your resume and how you come across in an interview.