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Questions like this are becoming more popular.

What should we do with them? I understand their value here, because they often times are legitimate issues within a Workplace but at the same time, they often are specific to each company.


This question was closed recently by

closed as not constructive by Jim G., Amy Blankenship, JeffO, SpikyBlue, Paul Brown 6 hours ago

With no explanation ???

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    The duplicate does NOT answer why this question was closed. Additionally, the "what am I here's my life story about who I am and what I've done for work" type question is considerably different than the much broader and more generally applicable question I have linked to here.
    – enderland
    May 1, 2013 at 15:52
  • Consider that in this case, @Chad and I are arguing for this question to remain open, while we were the only two who even commented on the 'duplicate' - indicating the question should be closed.
    – enderland
    May 1, 2013 at 16:02
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    This is a different question. What is my title is different from please explain to me this focused part of corporate hierachy, or how can i be a Senior director. May 1, 2013 at 17:08
  • I reopened this because it seems that the possible duplicate was about a specific job title, whereas this senior director vs director question is more about how to interpret the names of various positions. If the discussion crosses over into specific jobs, please refer to this other post.
    – jmort253
    May 1, 2013 at 20:03
  • I voted to close as too localized--these definitions aren't going to be identical (and probably not even consistent) from company to company. An answer that would be useful to the OP would be for a specific company. May 2, 2013 at 2:43
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    @AmyBlankeship - Localised means it would never likely apply to anyone else and since there are thousands of corporations and organizations many of which have senior directors, too localized would not really fit here IMO May 2, 2013 at 17:03
  • @Chad - Yes, thousands of orgainzations have senior directors, but I wouldn't expect much of a consensus on what the definition/job description would be.
    – user8365
    May 7, 2013 at 19:31
  • @JeffO - There is a general expectation that is going to be common across most industries as to what level of responsibility that position has. While the specific duties vary the basics are generally the same. If the question was what does My Senior Director do that would be too local. What does a director of X typically do is answerable. May 7, 2013 at 19:43

2 Answers 2

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As you mentioned, the question is legitimate. The asker's problem is that he/she doesn't understand the titles he/she encounters in the workplace, both within the organization and outside.

This can of course be confusing for a new graduate, or someone who hasn't come to the understanding that titles are either meaningless or apply only to a single organization.

Of course, we can only have so many "What does X title mean" questions before all the answers start to look the same. If you find exact duplicates, vote to close. But if the question has some differences and still adds value, then we should answer it.

One strategy I use when I find a possible duplicate that I'm not 100% sure about is this: I put the ball in the asker's court.

  • Drop a link to the suspected duplicate as a comment
  • Ask the asker to take a look at the answers posted in the other question.
  • If none of those answers actually answer the asker's question, ask the asker to update the post with more details that clarify the differences between the two questions.
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  • Sounds good, I might have just allowed all questions about "senior" to have a close-able duplicate by making a generalizable answer..
    – enderland
    Apr 27, 2013 at 16:56
  • While it's great to have good answers, @enderland, keep in mind that an answer doesn't make a post a duplicate. However, having a good, strong answer makes it easier to "put the ball in the asker's court".
    – jmort253
    Apr 27, 2013 at 17:37
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    Oh I know, but I can just copy or adapt my answer as necessary. Lots of questions here have some overlap..
    – enderland
    Apr 27, 2013 at 23:59
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The question is constructive, but waay too localized and cannot be answered without heaps of extra contextual clues specific to the organization the OP is talking about. @enderland's answer is correct, yet not universally applicable to all countries, sectors or types of hierarchy. Am voting to leave the question closed.

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    I disagree the question is too localized. This question is more broadly applicable than almost all other questions we get on this site.
    – enderland
    Apr 30, 2013 at 10:56
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    It's important to be careful about how questions are worded. "In my company, we have a senior director and a director. What's the difference?" Compare this localized question to one that is actually a broad, widely applicable question: "In many job ads I read, I see senior director and director as job titles. How can I tell the difference?". I admit it's easy for certain keywords to cloud or mask the fact that a question is constructive -- or that bold edits can completely change how the question fits the SE model.
    – jmort253
    May 2, 2013 at 1:50
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    I don't think that people here will have any more insight into what the difference is between a senior director and a director in a job ad vs. a particlar company, unless they happen to be familiar with the company that posted the ad. May 2, 2013 at 2:45

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