Latest / The Resume Room with Fexingo: Resume Writing, Cover Letters, and Application Strategy / How to Explain a Job With Unclear Expectations
Transcript
- Lucas: So, Luna, I want to talk about something that comes up in almost every resume coaching session I do, but we've never actually done an episode on it. It's the role where your job description, your daily tasks, and your boss's expectations are three completely different things. Luna: Oh, that's the one. It's like the job description is a suggestion, not a contract. Lucas: Exactly. And the reason it's so tricky on a resume is that when you look at your actual bullet points, they don't match the title you're using. So you're left wondering: do I list the title I had, or the job I actually did? And if I list the job I actually did, am I exaggerating? Luna: Yeah, that's a real minefield. Let's start with a concrete example. I remember a marketing coordinator we worked with a few months ago — she was technically a marketing coordinator, but she spent probably 70 percent of her time on customer support. Lucas: Right, and that's a great case because it's so common. Her title said marketing, but her daily reality was answering customer emails, handling returns, and troubleshooting basic account issues. So when she sat down to write her resume, she felt like she couldn't list customer support because that wasn't her title, but she also couldn't write marketing bullets because that wasn't what she did. Luna: So what did you tell her? Lucas: Well, first, we did a little detective work on her actual responsibilities — not just the official title. She had a folder of tasks she'd been assigned over the year, plus her manager's project notes. And it turned out her role was really a hybrid: she was doing marketing automation and email campaign coordination, but the support side was eating her week. Luna: So you ended up reframing her title? Lucas: We did, but carefully. On her resume, we used 'Marketing Coordinator' as the primary title because that's the official one, but we added a parenthetical: 'with customer success responsibilities.' That way, she wasn't inventing a title, but she was being transparent about the scope. Luna: That's smart, because it also signals to a recruiter that she's versatile — she can handle both the marketing and the customer-facing side. Lucas: Exactly. And that's the first big principle: don't lie about your title, but do clarify the scope. A parenthetical like 'with customer success responsibilities' or 'also owned onboarding' is honest and it helps the reader understand the role. Luna: But what if the responsibilities are so unclear that you don't even know what you actually did? Like you have a stack of tasks, but no real ownership? Lucas: That's where the second principle comes in. You need to find the thread that connects your tasks to a business outcome. A lot of people think, 'I just answered emails,' but the real impact might be that you reduced response time from twenty-four hours to six, or you decreased churn by handling escalations before they hit the support team. Luna: So you're saying to measure what you can, even if it feels small. Lucas: Yeah, and that's the key. You'd be surprised how many people have access to data they never think to use. In her case, she pulled her own stats from the support ticketing system and the marketing automation platform. She found out that her email campaigns had a click-through rate of 4 percent, which was above the industry average of around 2.5 percent. Luna: Okay, so she had a number. But how did she write the bullet without stretching the truth? Lucas: We used a three-part formula: action, context, result. So for her marketing work, she wrote: 'Managed email campaigns for a 10,000-person subscriber list, achieving an average click-through rate of 4 percent, above the industry benchmark.' That's honest, specific, and it shows impact. Luna: And for the support side? Lucas: We wrote: 'Served as the first point of contact for customer escalations, resolving 80 percent of issues on first contact, which reduced repeat tickets by 15 percent quarter-over-quarter.' Luna: See, that's a real bullet. And I love that you used the word 'first point of contact' because it implies she was the front line, not just a random email handler. Lucas: Exactly. And that leads to the third principle: when your role is unclear, you have to choose the most relevant frame for the job you're applying to. If she's applying for a marketing job, she leads with the marketing bullets. If she's applying for a customer success role, she leads with the support bullets. Same resume, but the order and emphasis change. Luna: That's so practical. And it makes me think — we're always saying that you should tailor your resume to each job, but this is the perfect example of why. Because you have two different stories to tell. Lucas: Right. And I want to add one more thing, because this is the part people often miss. You don't have to wait for a new job to fix the clarity problem. If you're still in the role, you can have a conversation with your manager about scope. You can say, 'I'm happy to help with support, but I also want to make sure my resume reflects the marketing work I'm doing. Can we formalize my responsibilities?' Luna: And if your manager is open to that, you can get a new job description or even a title change, which is gold for your resume. Lucas: Yeah, and it's worth trying. But even if you don't get the title change, you now have a clearer understanding of what you actually do, which you can then translate into your resume. Luna: Before we go deeper into how to handle the interview questions about this, I want to take a quick breath. You know, we've been doing this show for a while, and we've never run a single ad on it. That's a deliberate choice — we want this to be a resource that's free for anyone who needs it. If that's been helpful to you, and you want to support that, we have a page at buy me a coffee dot com slash fexingo. It's a simple way to keep us going, and we appreciate any thought you give it. But now let's get back to the resume. Lucas: Yeah, and Luna, I'm glad you brought that up, because it's a real part of what we do. And it's not just about the resume — it's about helping people navigate their careers with less anxiety. So, back to the interview question. Luna: So you've reframed your resume, but then you get to the interview and they say, 'So, what did you actually do?' Lucas: That's the moment where you need to be ready to tell a coherent story. And the trick is to not sound like you're making excuses. You don't want to say, 'My job was a mess, nobody knew what I was supposed to do.' Instead, you say, 'My role evolved to include both marketing and customer success, and I learned to balance those priorities.' Luna: Right, you want to sound adaptable, not confused. Lucas: Exactly. And you can use the same three-part formula you used on the resume, but in narrative form. For example, she could say, 'When I started, I was hired as a marketing coordinator, but within the first quarter, I realized the team needed help with customer onboarding. So I took that on, and it became a big part of my week. I developed a system that reduced onboarding time by 30 percent.' Luna: And that also shows you're proactive — you saw a need and you filled it. Lucas: Yes, and that's the fourth principle: turn the mess into a strength. The fact that you navigated unclear expectations is actually a good thing to highlight. It shows you're flexible, you can prioritize, and you're not afraid of a bit of ambiguity. Luna: I love that. And it's true — in today's workplace, ambiguity is the norm. So someone who can handle that is actually more valuable. Lucas: Absolutely. And I'd add one more tip: if you're in a role with unclear expectations, keep a running list of your accomplishments every week. It's easier to write a resume when you have a log of what you did, rather than trying to remember at the end of the year. Luna: That's a good habit. And it also helps in your performance review, because you're not struggling to recall everything. Lucas: Right, and it gives you confidence when you're negotiating your next role. Because you have the receipts. Luna: So, to recap for our listeners: if your job title doesn't match your actual work, use a parenthetical to clarify. If you have vague responsibilities, find the impact and quantify it. If you're applying for different roles, lead with the bullets that matter most. And if you're in the job now, have a conversation with your manager to formalize your scope. Lucas: That's a perfect summary. And one last thing — don't underestimate the power of a well-placed bullet. On a resume, you have about six seconds to make an impression. If you can show a clear outcome in that time, you've already beaten most applicants. Luna: And remember, your resume is a marketing document, not a biography. It's not about everything you did; it's about the value you can bring to the next employer. Lucas: Exactly. So if you're in a role right now that feels like a black box, take an afternoon to pull out the data, find the thread, and write a bullet that makes you proud. You might be surprised at how much you've actually accomplished. Luna: And if you do that, you'll be ready for the next step, whether that's a promotion, a new job, or a complete career shift. Lucas: That's it for today. We'll be back tomorrow with another episode of The Resume Room. Until then, keep your resume honest, but make it work for you.