Latest / The Resume Room with Fexingo: Resume Writing, Cover Letters, and Application Strategy / Making Sense of a Job Title That Oversells or Undersells You
Transcript
- Lucas: So here's a question that comes up in almost every resume workshop I've ever run: what do you do when your official job title just doesn't match the work you actually did? Luna: Oh, that hits home. I remember my first job out of college, my title was 'Marketing Assistant' and I was basically running the entire social media strategy for a regional retailer. Lucas: Right, and that's the classic mismatch. Sometimes the title undersells you. Sometimes it oversells you. And both directions have real consequences on the job market. Today I want to dig into how you handle that on paper, without being dishonest. Luna: Let's start with the more common one, which I think is the undersell. You're doing senior-level work but your title says 'Coordinator' or 'Assistant'. Lucas: Exactly. And the temptation is to just bump yourself up to 'Manager' or 'Specialist' and call it a day. But that can backfire if a recruiter checks references or if you get asked in an interview why your title didn't match your actual role. Luna: So what's the alternative? Just leave it and hope the recruiter reads your bullets and sees the real scope? Lucas: That's the safer route, but it's not always the smartest. There's a middle ground. You can adjust the title slightly, as long as it's accurate and you can explain it. For example, I worked with a woman who was officially a 'Warehouse Supervisor' but she was managing three teams, a budget, and a full logistics overhaul. Her resume said 'Operations Manager'. Luna: And that's a big jump. How did that go in interviews? Lucas: She got the interviews, which is the point. But she also had to be ready to say, 'My official title was Warehouse Supervisor, but my responsibilities were operations management.' And she did that confidently, with specific numbers. She'd say, 'I managed a team of fifteen, oversaw a two-million-dollar budget, and cut shipping errors by thirty percent.' Luna: So the key is being able to back it up with concrete achievements. Not just changing the title, but having the proof. Lucas: Exactly. And that's the rule I give everyone: you can adjust a title if it's truthful in substance. If you were doing the work, you can call it what it was. But you have to be ready to explain the difference in an interview, and you have to have the metrics to support it. Luna: Now what about the opposite? When your title is bigger than what you actually did. Like you were a 'Senior Analyst' but you were really just pulling reports all day. Lucas: That's a trickier one, because inflating a title is more likely to get you caught. I'd say the safest move there is to keep the official title but dial down the language in your bullets. Don't say 'led a team of ten' if it was really 'coordinated with three colleagues'. Be honest about your level of responsibility. Luna: So in that case you're not changing the title, you're adjusting the narrative around it. Lucas: Right. And there's a practical reason. If you're applying for a job that's a step down, or if you're changing careers entirely, a bloated title can actually hurt you. Recruiters might see 'Senior Analyst' and think you'll be bored in an entry-level role, or that you'll demand a higher salary. Luna: But isn't there a risk that if you keep the big title and downplay the responsibilities, it looks like you weren't doing anything? Lucas: That's why you have to be strategic. You want to show that you have the skills for the role you're targeting, not the role you're leaving. So if you're moving from a big title to a smaller one, you focus on the transferable skills and the results you got, not the title itself. Luna: Makes sense. So what about the person who genuinely has a title that's just vague, like 'Consultant' or 'Specialist', and it doesn't tell you anything? Lucas: That's a different problem. Vague titles are actually one of the biggest reasons resumes get passed over, because recruiters have maybe six seconds to scan your resume. If your title doesn't immediately tell them what you do, they move on. Luna: So what can you do there? You can't just invent a more specific title, can you? Lucas: You can, if it's accurate. Like, 'Consultant' could become 'Management Consultant' or 'Strategy Consultant' if that's what you actually did. 'Specialist' could be 'Digital Marketing Specialist' or 'Customer Success Specialist'. The point is to add a descriptor that's true and clarifies your role. Luna: And that's not dishonest, it's just clarity. Lucas: Exactly. The rule of thumb is this: your resume should reflect the work you did, not necessarily the title HR gave you. But any change you make has to be defensible. And you have to be ready to explain it in an interview without sounding like you're making excuses. Luna: Okay, so let's say I'm a 'Marketing Coordinator' but I actually did the work of a 'Marketing Manager'. I change my title to 'Marketing Manager' on my resume. How do I handle that in the interview if they ask about it? Lucas: You say something like, 'My official title was Marketing Coordinator, but I was responsible for the full marketing strategy for our region, which included managing a budget of X and leading a team of Y. I've used 'Marketing Manager' on my resume because that's the level of work I did.' And you say it with confidence, not as an apology. Luna: And if you can't back it up with numbers, then maybe it's not a good idea to change the title. Lucas: That's the test. If you can't show evidence of the work, don't claim the title. A title change without substance is just a lie, and that will come back to bite you. Luna: Let's talk about the flip side again, the oversell. You were a 'Senior Analyst' but you're applying for an entry-level job. Should you change your title to just 'Analyst' to avoid looking overqualified? Lucas: I'm cautious about that, because it's a bigger change and it might look like you're hiding something. Instead, I'd keep the title but adjust the bullets to show that you're looking for a role where you can grow, not step back. You can also mention in your cover letter that you're intentionally seeking a more hands-on role. Luna: So you're being transparent about the direction you want to go. Lucas: Yes. And that's more honest than changing your title to a lower one, which could be seen as a red flag. Recruiters might wonder if you're hiding a demotion or a performance issue. Luna: So we've covered undersell, oversell, and vague titles. Is there a fourth category? Like, a title that's just completely unrelated to what you did? Lucas: That happens a lot in small companies or family businesses. Your official title might be 'Office Manager' but you were actually handling HR, IT, and accounting. In that case, you have more latitude to choose a title that reflects the work you want to be known for, as long as it's accurate. Luna: And you'd still back it up with examples in the interview. Lucas: Right. The key is to be prepared to tell your story. If you can't explain why your title doesn't match your responsibilities, that's a problem. But if you can, it's actually an opportunity to show how you've grown beyond your official role. Luna: That's a great point. It turns a potential negative into a positive talking point. Lucas: And that's really what this episode is about. Your resume is a marketing document, not a legal one. It should tell the truth, but it should tell the truth in the most effective way possible. And sometimes that means adjusting the title to match the reality of your work. Luna: So before we wrap up, let's talk about the one thing you should never do on a resume, no matter how tempting. Lucas: And what's that? Luna: Never write 'responsible for' in your bullets. It's the weakest, most passive phrase in resume history. Use action verbs and numbers instead. Lucas: Ha, that's a great tip. And I'd add: never include a line like 'References available upon request'. It's assumed, and it takes up valuable space. Same with an objective statement if it's just 'Seeking a challenging position that utilizes my skills'. That's fluff. Luna: So the key is to use that space for evidence of your impact, not filler. Lucas: Exactly. And if you can apply that to your title line, you'll be ahead of most applicants. Luna: This has been genuinely useful, Lucas. I know I'm going to rethink my own title line. Lucas: And that's the goal. If even one person listens and updates their resume, we've done our job. The challenge is, how do you know if it worked? I guess that's a question for the recruiter. Luna: Or for the person who gets the interview. But that's a good problem to have.