Thoughtful article written from an idealist point of view with appropriate nods to practicality. You could have excavated the depths of nuance, but you left that as an exercise for the reader. Well done.

Comments: I read many years ago that some employees want pay or time off as a reward, others want public recognition. Paul's "Sally" is clearly the latter and her boss did not know her well enough to recognize that.

Mike McG's recommendation to not hire those preoccupied by titles may work in some situations, but probably not most. From a practical financial point of view, it costs the company nothing to let someone have a high falutin title if that's what floats their boat.

Having said that, a guy who was hired a few years before me (with more or less my same background) insisted on starting a a higher rank. He wouldn't take no for an answer. Eventually, the powers that be granted an exception - bigger title, $6000 less/yr. He would have gotten the title after 1 year anyway. I wouldn't have hired the guy - he lacked judgment.

Finally, I don't use a resume. I dig until I find the right folks to talk to, secure their support, then have them tell HR what to do. Then they tell me which key words to put on the resume.