Licit to change job titles on resumes?

[LotusCarsLtd]

I’m applying for new jobs and I was advised to change the job titles on certain past jobs I’ve had to make them sound more impressive, but also (for me at least) because the original titles could be vague (for a future employer) when it comes to describing what I did in that position.

Would it be acceptable to change a job title in this situation? I’m worried about doing so, although I want to make my resume more impressive. I tend to be scrupulous so anything with even a hint of moral ambiguity throws me off.

 

[sw85]

If you have qualms about it, I wouldn’t be doing it. Vagueness in the job title shouldn’t be an issue; isn’t it customary to include a brief bulleted list of your accomplishments in that position anyway?

(Being in an academic field, I’ve only ever had to work with CVs).

 

[LotusCarsLtd]

If you have qualms about it, I wouldn’t be doing it. Vagueness in the job title shouldn’t be an issue; isn’t it customary to include a brief bulleted list of your accomplishments in that position anyway?

(Being in an academic field, I’ve only ever had to work with CVs).

True, I’ve included descriptions under the job title to elaborate on what I was paid to do. I’m just worried that my titles aren’t terribly impressive and that employers are more likely to just reject my resume outright based on what they see.

 

[sw85]

True, I’ve included descriptions under the job title to elaborate on what I was paid to do. I’m just worried that my titles aren’t terribly impressive and that employers are more likely to just reject my resume outright based on what they see.

It would be better, from an HR standpoint, to talk not about what you were paid to do but about what you accomplished.

For instance, for my research assistantship, my job was just to collect data, plug it in, and analyze it. But that’s boring, so I talked about what I actually did: I discovered x and y and had z published. Don’t say “I sold cars,” say “I was salesman of the year for 2008 and sold over $500,000 in merchandise.” That sort of thing.

In your case, I don’t know how serious of an embellishment we’re talking about. Embellishing “Junior Sales Associate” into “Floor Supervisor” or something is pretty much a lie. Going from “Research Assistant” to “Research Associate” less so (but probably still pretty sneaky).

 

[ConstantineTG]

I’m applying for new jobs and I was advised to change the job titles on certain past jobs I’ve had to make them sound more impressive, but also (for me at least) because the original titles could be vague (for a future employer) when it comes to describing what I did in that position.

Would it be acceptable to change a job title in this situation? I’m worried about doing so, although I want to make my resume more impressive. I tend to be scrupulous so anything with even a hint of moral ambiguity throws me off.

I had a job where I was the team lead (I give work to 7 people and also do their periodic performance review) but it was never really my job title that I was the team lead. What I do is put it in parenthesis that I was a team lead, and also mention it in my job description.

 

[Corki]

As someone who has done a lot of resume reading in my life, I would caution you against changing a title. If the hiring company does even a basic reference check, this might be flagged as a discrepancy. Likewise, if you are later asked to fill out an application, the application must be accurate (you sign your name to it) and any mis-match to your resume could work against you. You can do a resume with no titles at all - just list the employers and your job responsibilities and accomplishments. Just make sure you include the key words most related to your work so that resume screening software will catch them.

Many organizations are using unusual titles these days. Some organizations list just about every employee as a “team member” or an “associate”. At one company I knew, the HR Director was called the VP of People.

 

[Hokomai]

Sometimes when I can see that someone has made a few subtle changes to their work history and actually give them credit for intelligence, but it is different if I think they are trying to cheat. But you have every right to communicate the facts as you see them. So if the job title is getting in the way, don’t use it - instead of saying: Job title: Assistant bottle-washer say Role: keeping the production line going by ensuring a continuous supply of washed bottles. If you are scrupulous you will worry too much about what you say, and not enough about what you potential employer will see and hear. They are not the same thing. Put yourself in the employer’s place, and think through what they will want to hear. And maybe look for a friend who seems to be good at getting jobs and ask them to review what you have done. Good luck. And stop worrying, at least for a while.

 

[Hokomai]

At one company I knew, the HR Director was called the VP of People.

Was there a Vice President of Things dealing with inventory?

 

[Corki]

Was there a Vice President of Things dealing with inventory?

The odd thing was, it was a bank, so most of the titles were very 'industry standard". It was just HR that got a little too creative (IMO). The had a weird name for their head of Training too but I can’t remember it. And no, the person to whom you are referring was simply the VP of Operations.

 

[Sarahforgiven]

I would not recommend it. Your conscious is correct.

 

[Spirithound]

I’m applying for new jobs and I was advised to change the job titles on certain past jobs I’ve had to make them sound more impressive, but also (for me at least) because the original titles could be vague (for a future employer) when it comes to describing what I did in that position.

Would it be acceptable to change a job title in this situation? I’m worried about doing so, although I want to make my resume more impressive. I tend to be scrupulous so anything with even a hint of moral ambiguity throws me off.

Were you assigned an official Job Title? If so, use that. If not, be descriptive.

 

[achmafooma]

My feeling is that if the title accurately describes your work, you can use it. Often times the ‘official’ titles are meaningless. Now, of course, if you misrepresent your work that’s a problem. Honesty is the policy, but choosing to use a different description than that in your old employers’ HR records is not necessarily dishonest.

In my current job, my official title is “Engineer II” … well what does that mean? That’s useless on a resume. There are thousands of different kind of ‘engineers.’ People all across our organization who do very different things have that same exact title. If I were putting my resume together (which I’m not), I would call myself a “Web Developer” which is what I actually do (as opposed to an ‘Engineer II’ who does Java Development, or one who does System Administration, etc., etc.).

In my previous job, I am not even 100% sure what my title was in the HR records. I was doing Systems Administration, so I put that on my resume. If somebody had called me out on a ‘discrepancy’ I’d have happily explained to them that my previous employer wasn’t very good about keeping official titles up-to-date.

 

[x1980x]

True, I’ve included descriptions under the job title to elaborate on what I was paid to do. I’m just worried that my titles aren’t terribly impressive and that employers are more likely to just reject my resume outright based on what they see.

Yes. If your title was “Administrative Assistant” but you were actually did the work of a Project Manager to the point where you were a de facto project manager, you could put something like this:

2003-2009 - Hyperglobalmeganet - Administrative Assistant
Served as de facto Project Manager for the GDC team. Consulted with upper management regarding cost, scope, and schedule requirements and availability. Planned development activity for GDC, and followed it through to completion, finishing on time, with full scope, and 10% below projected cost. Also performed administrative assistant functions such as filing timesheets, expense reports, and policy documents. Handled communications between upper management and the accounting department.

I feel that it is honest because it lists your actual official title, but also speaks about what you actually did, and is honest as to the fact that you were not officially recognized as a Project Manager. It also includes ye olde keywords such as “project manager”, “cost”, and “scope” so you resume can be recognized by text search.

Also, I’d be willing to argue in my sample case that “Administrative Assistant” standing alone isn’t terribly honest if you really worked as a project manager, since arguably there are project managers that wouldn’t make very good administrative assistants.