THE BEECHMONT CREST CAREER GUIDE:
SURVIVING AND THRIVING IN THE CORPORATE JUNGLE
CHAPTER 2: WINNING RESUMES
"I have responsibility but not a title"
"I don’t have a managerial title, but I know that I "manage" lots of things on a daily basis. How can I make the most of this situation on my resume?”
Begin by realizing that there are many gray zones lying in between the boxes and lines on your company’s organization chart. Authority and responsibility are fluid in every organization. In the real world, however, managers aren’t the only ones who “manage,” and they don’t have a monopoly on the verb.
There are many cases in which a staff-level employee is assigned to “manage” the day-to-day details of an activity or process. Such duties often include a significant amount of responsibility and de facto authority—although no formal management title has been bestowed.
If you find yourself in this situation, you can honestly describe your duties as “managing” on your resume. (This isn’t the same thing as claiming that you hold the title of manager when in fact you don’t. Needless to say, lying about your actual title is a no-no.)
Another phrase that you can use to convey de facto management status is “responsible for.” If you are responsible for something, then you’re managing it, plain and simple.
These expressions will inform potential employers that you are working at the level of a manager even if your formal title doesn’t yet reflect that reality. Below are some concrete examples as they might appear on a resume:
“Responsible for planning and implementing the daily production schedule”
“Managed key customer relations in the Northeastern sales territory”
Copyright 2006 Beechmont Crest Publishing