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responsibilities

Resume Q&A: Job Titles on Your Resume

Q. I work in one of those companies where job titles are pretty creative. The marketing department is headed by a “Chief Amazement Officer” rather than a Chief Marketing Officer; and as the second in command, I am the “Idea Builder Extraordinary” instead of the Vice President of Marketing. The Chief Amazement Officer recently went on to another job, and I’ve been temporarily fulfilling that role, too. So how do I translate those titles and indicate what I’m really doing these days?

A. Your first problem, translating your title into something more standard, is actually the simplest. You can write Idea Builder Extraordinary and then put the equivalent standard job title after that in parenthesis like this: Idea Builder Extraordinary (Vice President of Marketing). If your field is notable for creative job titles, then providing both the creative and standard title is important.

There are many reasons why a job title might not align with an employee’s real-life responsibilities. In your case, you have filled in after your boss left. In other cases, an employee is simply handed extra work and responsibility without a title change, or the organization may be so flat that job titles are meaningless. In all those cases, parenthesis can work to explain the additional functions. For example, as a Vice President of Marketing who is actually fulfilling a CMO role, you might write Vice President of Marketing (CMO-level).

But it is also important to explicitly state in your job description that you took on the role of your boss and to clearly describe achievements that reflect that higher level of responsibility.

When you are applying for positions, you will find that even standard titles cover a wide variety of actual responsibilities. Read the job description carefully to weed out positions that may not be on your preferred career path as either Idea Builder Extraordinary or Vice President of Marketing and potential CMO.

If you are still feeling frustrated by the gap between your title and real life, contact me at Robin’s Resumes®.

What Have You Been “Responsible for” Lately?

In other blog posts, I mentioned that you should try to avoid phrases like “responsible for,” “experienced in” or “successful in” when describing your achievements. Let me explain why.

The first problem with these phrases is that every bullet in your resume should begin with a verb and phrases like “responsible for” are not verbs. For example, you could say: “Responsible for organizing and leading a team to compare alternative telephone systems.” But leading with verbs creates a tighter and more compelling description: “Organized and led a team to compare alternative telephone systems.”

The second problem with phrases like “responsible for” is that they are weak. We all have responsibilities; what a company wants to know is how well you handled your responsibilities. Did the team you were “responsible for” actually find a cost-effective and reliable telephone system? If so, how much money or time did that new system save the company?

The same arguments apply to “experienced in” and “successful in.” Yes, you have the experience, but what did you use it for? How did the company benefit from your experience? What is the measure of your success? “Successfully organized and lead a team” is very weak next to “Saved company $1000 annually by organizing and leading a team to compare alternative telephone systems.”

At Robin’s Resumes®, we are experts at finding the right words to attract the attention of recruiters and hiring managers. Contact us today.

What To Do Before You Need a New Resume

If you are worried about being laid off, thinking about looking for another opportunity or simply unsure about the future, now is the time to work on your next resume.

While you are still in your current job, begin to gather testimonials about your performance, whether they are a single line in an email from a grateful client or a passing comment made during your annual review. Those testimonials and referrals indicate where you have performed beyond expectations. Write down the circumstances; the information will become an accomplishment on your resume.

Also gather data on the effect your performance has on the company. Did you serve on a company committee? Did the company award you “employee of the month” or honor you for years of service? Did the company’s revenue rise during your tenure? Did you gain x number of new clients, reduce turnover in your department by x%, produce x number of products or redesign a procedure for greater efficiency? It is easy to forget your contributions and hard to remember them when you are looking for a new job. Document them now.

Finally, take out your old resume and look for skills, expertise and connections you have now that you did not have back then. You may have taken courses, learned how to operate new equipment, interacted with different or more departments or taken on more responsibilities. That progress is important to capture.

When new clients come to me, I help them through the process of recalling their accomplishments, their contribution and their personal growth. Call me if you would like help in making your next resume the strongest it can be.

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