What does associate mean in job title

Companies can call jobs whatever title they want these days. However, associate-level vs. Entry-level jobs require minimal professional work experience and open the door to larger, work-related opportunities. These positions generally mean that the employer is looking for a young professional who has some prior experience such as an internship under their belt but not necessarily someone who has any full-time experience. If you see anything within the job description that looks like there is minimal experience i.

There are many jobs out there that are still associate level but not entry-level. For example, a senior accounting associate does bookkeeping, accounting, and auditing. At the software company I work at now, an "Associate Software Engineer" is generally someone anywhere from entry-level to having 3 years experience.

But compare that to my previous company that had no "Associate" level at all in its job title convention. An "associate software engineer" where I work now may actually have more experience and responsibility than a regular "software engineer" at my last company. They probably get paid more too. It gets even more convoluted as you move up the ranks. I once talked to a marketing person who told me about their visits to other companies where everyone was a "VP of something-or-other". Very impressive titles.

But when they asked those people what they actually did, they found out they had the same job as an "associate marketing manager" at their own company. What you need to do when looking at job postings is look at what they are actually looking for in the position: how much experience, what responsibilities, what skills, etc.

That's the only way to compare positions. The title is a loose indicator of the job you don't need to bother looking at "senior" positions if you are entry-level , but doesn't really carry that much weight. Sign up to join this community. The best answers are voted up and rise to the top. Stack Overflow for Teams — Collaborate and share knowledge with a private group. Josh Fredman is a freelance pen-for-hire and Web developer living in Seattle. He attended the University of Washington, studying engineering, and worked in logistics, health care and newspapers before deciding to go to work for himself.

By Josh Fredman Updated August 08, Differences Between a J. Related Articles.