Most people, when interviewing for a position, think about negotiating salaries and benefits. However, have you ever thought about the importance of negotiating a job title?

The right job title can reflect your expertise and experience. For instance, you’ve been called a programmer in the past because you worked on reservations software for the hospitality industry. Wouldn’t it be clearer to a future employer (or to industry colleagues) if your job title was “computer software programmer” or even, “hospitality software engineer?”

The clarification can make a difference not only when you’re applying for a position, but when you’re negotiating a salary. A “chef” in a small restaurant may be more like a line cook, but in a 5-star hotel the role may be defined as an “executive chef.” That one word can make a big difference.

Another example might be one where you’ve interviewed for a position that was identified as a ‘front desk agent.” As the duties are outlined to you it becomes clear to you that the job is more in line with that of a “front desk supervisor.”  Rather than accepting the job with the advertised title, consider negotiating a title more fitting for the position.

Using the “front desk supervisor” as an example, here are 6 steps to consider for negotiating the job title:

1. First, be a good listener. During your interview, pay close attention to the job that’s being described to you and the challenges (if any) that come with the position.
2. Wait until you receive a job offer. Take note of the duties revealed to you during your interview, but don’t make a request until you know the company wants to hire you.
3. While you may have researched the company prior to your interview, after your interview do some research on front desk supervisors within the industry. Conduct a quick search on Hcareers and look through a few different job postings. What skills, talents and responsibilities are required of the position at other establishments?
4. Create a document that outlines your findings of the various front desk supervisory jobs you found and the skills associated with them.
5. Give some thought to why the recruiting manager (or your new boss) would say “yes” to your request. What’s the benefit to the company hiring you in this role? What problem(s) do you solve for them? Having answers to these questions helps you justify how the duties align with the higher title.
6. When you receive the job offer, you’re ready to go into the negotiations prepared with a document that supports your request for a change from “front desk agent” to “front desk supervisor.” While not a definite, this might also help you negotiate a better salary that’s in line with the role.

In the Harvard Business Review, Margaret Neal, coauthor of Getting (More of) What you Want, is quoted as saying it’s [job title] “a signal both to the outside world and to your colleagues of what level you are within your organization. It should be seen as an element of ‘your compensation package’ that affords status and connections and can help you do your job better.”

In that same article Dan Cable, a professor at London Business School, said that your job title “is a symbolic representation of what you do and the value that you bring.”  Whether you’re interviewing for a position with a new employer or seeking a promotion with your current one, keep these pointers in mind. When you do your homework and enter the negotiation well-prepared, your request will come from a position of strength and confidence.