When it comes down to it, this may be a pain, but you need to tweak your resume for every job you submit it to. Go through it, integrate key buzzwords from the job description, and make sure your job titles directly correlate with the required career path of your desired job. What does this last part mean? It means that your job title may not relate to your actual duties, so if your duties correlate with those required in the job description, tweak your title.
If a potential employer calls your previous employer, chances are they will ask what you did for them, and how long you worked there, and as long as the title on your resume reflects your responsibilities, you’re good. This is not to say you should change your ranking or standing within the company, however if your title is customer relations, and you held the responsibilities of an office manager/administrative assistant, you should edit the job title if that is the type of position you’re applying for. If you are really concerned about it, change the title, and in the first part of your job description, include (for example) “customer relations specialist serving as the office manager… duties included…”
Unfortunately, if your previous job titles don’t follow the perceived career path for the role you are applying for, no one will give your resume the time of day. This is why you absolutely NEED to tweak it for every application! I often get people telling me “I don’t understand why I can’t get [x] job! I have all of the qualifications and I know I’d be great at it!” Well unfortunately, it doesn’t matter whether you know you’d be great at it, it’s whether or not hiring managers can see that from you’re application. Your resume is a tool to get you an interview. That is where you can explain all the details of why you’ll be great and thrive, but your resume is the document which gets managers to notice you. This is where it is key to portray the desired career path to get you in front of a hiring manager, face to face.
No one is perfect, and either are most people’s career paths. Most hiring managers will understand that, but you have to show them why you’d be good at what you’re applying to become. Job titles don’t always correlate to job duties, but they hold a lot of weight on resumes. Do yourself a favor and make sure your job titles work with your application. For any specific questions or advice, leave a comment below, or email me at writestylesonline@gmail.com.