> "Senior", "staff", "principal" mean nothing if they don't mean the same thing cross-company
Exactly this. At least three times, I've had EMs or recruiters approach me and ask about the titles at a previous company. "We've got a candidate that's coming in as a senior staff engineer, but they seem pretty junior." I've been around for hirings of "senior" engineers that come in at a junior engineering level (salary, I don't know).
A lot of companies hand out promotions like candy to keep people around. Companies that don't need to hand out promotions have titles that actually mean something. But the companies where title means nothing muddy the water so much that it's unlikely that title at a previous job actually means anything when changing companies.
Exactly this. At least three times, I've had EMs or recruiters approach me and ask about the titles at a previous company. "We've got a candidate that's coming in as a senior staff engineer, but they seem pretty junior." I've been around for hirings of "senior" engineers that come in at a junior engineering level (salary, I don't know).
A lot of companies hand out promotions like candy to keep people around. Companies that don't need to hand out promotions have titles that actually mean something. But the companies where title means nothing muddy the water so much that it's unlikely that title at a previous job actually means anything when changing companies.