Hiding promotions on CV because no real change in responsibilities

Question

My question is similar to another question here. The similarity is in that I had multiple titles within the company, and that I am unsure whether to show the promotions or hide them on my CV, and how to describe the role.

My situation however is quite different:

• March 2013 - now: Middle Manager
• November 2012 - March 2013: Junior Manager
• October 2012 - November 2012: Junior Assistant

I had a rapid and unusual progression of titles in the company, promoted right after my probationary period (because there could be no official title change before that), also exceeding my own supervisor. Part of the reason was that I was always proactive and reliable, showing that I could perform better than my actual title, but also because changes in management led plenty of senior employees to quit the company, giving me plenty of space to progress in little time.

By October 2012, I was already doing what a Middle Manager was doing in terms of achievements and responsibilities, and everything I am doing right now is a direct consequence of what I started since I joined the company.

To wrap up, although my titles changed, my actual responsibilities and achievements have been the same from the beginning, i.e. of a Middle Manager.

So instead of writing all the titles with no change in responsibility, wouldn't it be more appropriate to just write:

October 2012 - now: Middle Manager

Answer 1

While officially a "Junior Assistant", you may well have been performing the same job functions as a "Middle Manager".

However, the risk of describing yourself as such on your CV is that someone may reference check with your employer and get told that actually, no, you were not a manager, you were an assistant. And a junior one at that! Instantly, it looks like you have been lying to inflate your achievements - and it's unlikely that you will be given a chance to explain, far more likely that this will just see your CV hit the trashcan at some speed.

My advice would be to present it in a fashion that is technically accurate and omits details that you don't want to draw attention to, such as the fact that you have only officially been a Middle Manager for six months.

October 2012 - present : FooCorp : Junior Assistant / Junior Manager / Middle Manager

That's technically accurate. And if someone asks you how much time you spent in each of those roles, there's your opportunity to explain that right from the start you were handling managerial responsibilities, hence your official promotions.

But don't write something that will look like a lie if someone checks up on it.

Answer 2

I was promoted about a year ago, but my responsibilities didn't significantly change. The biggest change is that there was more freedom and slightly less checking over my work by others. I also took on some additional responsibilities "on the side" that I didn't have before.

What I did was simply change the title. You can see this on my Stack Overflow Careers page, which is very similar to my paper/PDF resume. When I was promoted from Software Engineer to Senior Software Engineer, I left the description of my responsibilities the same and just changed the job title. If I receive a significant change in job responsibilities, then I'll add a new section, but otherwise I'll continue to revise and capture responsibilities under the same section.

Answer 3

Your resume is a marketing document, but you want it to be accurate in what you are telling about yourself. What you do is usually more important than titles, since those vary widely by company. If you've been doing the same work all along, even though the titles changed, it is ok to list the current title. If it causes less confusion, it is ok to list the current title.

If you wish, during the interview, you can mention that your title changed rapidly in your current job, but the title you listed is essentially what you've been doing all along, and here's how that experience is going to help the company you are interviewing with. In other words, you can mention it, but what you are doing and what you bring to a position are much more important than any title.