Recently, a very qualified management professional wanted a change and came to us for help.
Despite earning a solid reputation with former employers and having earned promotions, she was not having as much success in the current job market with her resume.
Upon reviewing her resume, we identified several potential problem areas that were holding her back.
The most obvious was her job titles.
When you looked at her resume, the job titles listed did not indicate at a glance few key things such as what the job included or the level of the job.
Her former employer chose to use very obscure, creative and industry-specific job titles.
So even though she was a software project manager, you would never guess that by looking at her job title.
Also, you would never guess that she got promoted from junior project manager to a senior project manager.
With an obscure job title, there is a good chance that you will be bypassed, because the resume tracking software or recruiter does not recognize it.
In the field of hiring, there are many levels of screening designed to screen applicants long before the decision makers ever get to lay eyes on your resume.
Typically HRIS and very junior recruitment people do this first and second levels of screening and sometimes neither have enough experience to recognize uncommon job titles.
Let me put it to you this way: What are the chances that someone hiring for a communications professional would enter "Story Teller" in their search query? Would a junior recruiter with less than a year experience immediately recognize this job title when screening hundreds of resumes?
So do you choose a title that is more appropriate or would that be misrepresentation?
A new title with a better fit with your responsibilities is a logical choice. A caveat is that you must explain this to the employer in your job interview.
Let's be clear, I am not advising that you lie on your resume. Remember, there is such a thing as reference checks, testing and so forth.
Hiring professionals can be small circle and unqualified applicants that repeatedly toss their name in the hat for every job application are soon recognized and dismissed.
A job title is nothing but a label for a set of job functions. When employers choose a job title they usually choose one that communicates critical facts like what the job does, what level in the job sits within the organization and so on.
If you do have a strange job title in your resume and you have not had much success in the job market, you may consider another job title that is a better fit.
Have questions about how to wow potential employers? Visit us at hrinmotion.com. Providing job preparation services from a human resources perspective.
