A job title-to-responsibilities equation
A friend of mine recently asked for my help in composing her resume, and once she told me some of the reasons she wished to work on her resume I could certainly understand the motivation. You see, my friend works as an Office Manager for a small business, and in that role she assumes all the responsibilities of an Office Manager; but she also partners with the company owner to set policies, works with freelancers on marketing materials, serves as a liaison between vendors and shipping service companies, and conducts calls for sales leads that are collected at trade shows.
In other words, her title doesn’t encompass all of her job responsibilities and this has led to several potential employers raising concerns about the difference in her title and her overall position in the company, and wondering if she had exaggerated her importance on the resume. Such exaggeration was not the case however, because my friend’s resume reflected exactly what her title was and the responsibilities she undertook while holding that title.
Many professionals run into situations where their title at certain current jobs is so specific to the company that it carries no meaning outside of the organization; or it implies that they are a level or more below their actual work responsibilities. The difficulty we face in these situations, and the manner in which we deal with them, must be accurately accounted for; and our professional experience must be adequately represented on resumes so that we can advance in our careers.
Equivalence of title to responsibilities
There is no easy way to address this, as you want to remain truthful on your resume; but you wouldn’t want your potential employer calling for a reference check and getting an impression that you lied about your work history, right? In fact, there is a debate among professionals about listing job titles versus job functions on your resume; and some people prefer listing their title as it is followed by a list of responsibilities, while others strongly prefer finding a way to rephrase certain job titles to encompass all job function(s).
However, if you are in the job market and want to make the best of a difficult resume predicament, the best option is to find a happy medium and list your job title along with a few words that best describe your job function, before you begin listing your job responsibilities. It might be possible to write such explanations in the cover letter, depending of course on how many responsibilities need explaining; or you could prepare an addendum to the resume for this purpose.
First, let’s explore making changes to the job titles as you include them on your resume; and if your title is unusual, or very specific to a particular organization, you should try to find an equivalent title that is well accepted and understood within your industry. For example, if you work as a customer support representative with responsibilities for a specific product and your title contains the product name, you can simply list Product Support Representative on your resume, while being careful to not exaggerate your title.
Elaborate on work duties with confidence
But you should not change your title so that it implies a change in responsibility or salary level; and do not change any area(s) of the organization where you work(ed), or change your title in a way that suggest you are directly reporting to a person in a higher position than that of your manager. Any such changes on your resume are dishonest, and will negatively impact your credibility with the potential employer.
If your title implies less responsibility than you hold, choose the middle ground option described above by listing your actual title on the resume. For example, if you are a Product Support Representative but are also responsible for training new hires for your team, list your title as: Product Support Representative/Customer Support and New Hire Training. This is truthful with a little elaboration in your job title to include a brief description of your job function.
Following such a title you must make sure that your resume includes power statements describing your actual job and the responsibilities associated with it in order of their importance and relevance to your career title. This method is preferred because you are honest about your title, but you are also indicating to a potential employer that your responsibilities are slightly different than what the title implicates, so that all your cards are laid on the table and there will be no need to worry later on about anything you stated.
That having been said
When all background checks, reference calls and due diligence searches are conducted, you can feel confident in the fact that any information provided about you will not conflict with anything you previously stated, because you did not misrepresent your title, or create a reason for anyone to raise questions about your credibility. Above all, your resume must be honest and you must do the best you can to remain objective when it comes to your job titles and functions. Just focus on the positives, and you are sure to have an impressive resume.
