How should a job with no official title be listed on a resume?

Question

I only ask this because I have run into a situation in where a job definition and title doesn't exist for my possition, and my company refuses to "pidgeon hole" me into a title because they want me to be able to do whatever they want me to do. So stating what goes on my resume is very difficult to do. How do you define a title or a job when a company won't?

Here are some of the things I do.

1. Web Design: HTML, XHTML, CSS, PHP, SQL
2. Office: Excel, Excel VBA, MS Word, and PowerPoint
3. Database/Inventory Control: Fishbowl, Excel VBA (Open Order Report)
4. Keep a photo log of all products that ship from our complex before they leave the dock.
5. Graphic Design: Gimp, Photoshop, Inkscape.

What would you call my possition?

To describe what I do, I design the website and images for the website, I use Excel VBA to create an open order report, and NCMR (Non-Conforming Materials Report) that intergrates with the Fishbowl Exports, I maintain inventory through Fishbowl, and keep track on all open orders, late jobs, and everything inbetween.

What would you call a job like this beyond overworked? I need a title because honestly if I look for another job at a later date, I need to be able to describe in a title what I do.

Anyone have an idea?

Answer 1

A title will rarely get you out of work if someone wants you to do it bad enough.

Everyone holding the same title doesn't do the same tasks even in the same company. Most people screening a resume will scan the skills and not the titles.

Just make sure the title isn't completely out of line with your work. The risk of being over-titled would make you look worse the under titled.

The only benefit would be if you are a Senior level employee, but they call you junior. If that's the case, you have a good reason to find another job.

Focus your title on the area you like the best/want to pursue in the future. Seems like you're a web designer with some other duties.

Answer 2

There is an advantage to not having a title when filling out a resume, it means you can tailor it to the job you are applying for, within reason. If applying for a graphics design, then you were the head graphic designer, if a programming position, head programmer, etc.

But if you want a title now, then this seems like a good scenario for a non standard title, create a backronym or nifty title and see if you can't sell that to your company. Don't call yourself Programmer, but IT Guru, Trouble Shooter, ATC (All Things Computer). This should still be useful when you apply for another position, but doesn't necessarily limit what you can do now.

Answer 3

The simple answer is Staff.

You can put the following into your resume:

Staff

1.Web Design: HTML, XHTML, CSS, PHP, SQL

2.Office: Excel, Excel VBA, MS Word, and PowerPoint

..............

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If there are other people who have less seniority in your company than you, you can call yourself Senior Staff.

The hiring managers and HRs pay attention to the things you have been doing. The job title does not matter to them. If they call your current employer for reference, they would ask "Does Matt Ridge work there as a staff?". Your employer would have to say Yes.

Actually, employers would like your title being staff because it means you can take care of a lot things when it's necessary. They pay attention to the skills you have, the more the better.

Answer 4

I imagine that the company you currently work for is either small or not that large, possibly even a startup. This is a pretty common scenario with smaller companies, you are often asked to perform two or more different roles, paid to do one and when it comes time to find a new position with a larger company you have to try and describe exactly what is was you did/do.

First, based on what you have said here you really have two resumes to build. If you want to continue down the web design and development track then you build a technical resume. You list your technical capabilities as well as the real world experience like that of Excel and Fishbowl in what sounds to be a distribution or manufacturing environment. If you want to stick with the Quality Control type of stuff then build out a resume that showcases those specific talents. Overall though, not knowing anything about you, I would say you fall more into the Web or UI Designer and Developer bucket.

When I read through a resume I am looking to see the benefit you bring to my company. If my company does nothing related to manufacturing I could care less about that experience other than to know you were gainfully employed. What I really care about is potentially what you did in Photoshop or CSS.

Don't try to limit yourself to one single job title or position per se, instead build out multiple capabilities and paths if thats what you want to pursue. This is the benefit small companies provide, you get lots of experience doing lots of different things. If during an interview they ask about your work there, simply explain it was a small company and you performed multiple roles to help the company succeed, go into detail if they ask.

Bottom line: don't try to pigeon hole yourself! You are multi-faceted which is becoming more and more important these days.

Answer 5

I've had a similar situation where I worked as a jack-of-all-trades with graphics, java development, web development and advertising material in a start-up-ish kind of company. We didn't have any formal titles over there, and there was no need to as people worked with several things at once. I ended up choosing a title that closely resembled with what I really want to do with my future prospects.

In your case, ask yourself the question "what do I want to really want to work with?". Pick a title that closely and with no hesitation relates to that.

The beauty with working as a jack-of-all-trades is that you can tailor the job description/title to your advantage when sending out your resume/CV.