Hiring managers and recruiters—and Applicant Tracking Systems—look for keywords and key phrases in your resume. The job title on your resume is one of those key phrases and thus has considerable value in their decision to read further and consider your qualifications in full. You want to make sure that:
- Your job title accurately matches your work and responsibilities. Only 23% of people asked believe that their job title does reflect what they really do, but 66% agree that this disparity is wrong.
- Your job title has kept up with your job description. If the two are wildly different, you may want to ask for a title change at your next review.
- Your job title matches what the marketplace wants. You can discover whether “Super People Aligner” is a desirable position by searching job postings and advertisements.
- Your company encourages promotions. If you do not have any place to grow in your career and want to grow, a resume that shows you adding more and more responsibility to the same job title is cause for concern. Lack of a career path is one of the major causes for turnover (29% of employees according to the Society of Human Resource Management).
- Your job title can be easily explained. Large companies may have more Vice Presidents, but smaller companies may expect their Vice Presidents to undertake more responsibilities. Information like the company’s size, the number of people who report to you, and the level of the person you report to may be essential in explaining exactly what your job title means.
You may need assistance in explaining your current job title and responsibilities and in aligning your resume with the changes in job titles that you have experienced throughout your career. You do not want to lie about your actual job title on your resume, as the companies you apply to will check. But you do want to make sure that you receive full credit for the work you do and the responsibilities you have undertaken.
Your job title is a valuable piece of information. Robin’s Resumes® will help make sure that it lets your value come across to hiring managers and recruiters.