Are you as bland personally as your last job title?
Most job-search experts agree that it is wise to stay away from acronyms on your resume – and other job-related postings (i.e. LinkedIn, etc.). Unless it’s something unmistakable such as FBI, IBM, IRS, etc., you can’t assume that the person you’re contacting has any idea to what you are referring or that your acronym has any impact whatsoever.
The same can be said of job titles and job descriptions. “I worked in supply chain.” OK, what exactly does that mean? Did you manufacture chains? Work on a chain gang? Seriously. Were you in distribution, inventory control? “Supply chain” could mean any number of things.
How about, “I have 10 years experience in business development”? “Business development.” Were you in sales? Did you grow the business through aquisition or expansion? That could mean almost anything.
Keep in mind that you’re trying to impress your potential employers. Does your description of yourself pass the “so what” test? Who is going to be impressed by a bland, watered-down, seemingly meaningless title such as “Project Administrator”?
Put some spice in your past life. This is not to say that you should overly embellish, falsify or mislead. But make your previous work sound interesting, intriguing and action or performance oriented. Even something as innocuous as “Team Leader” implies that you have some leadership capabilities.
Rather than simply putting down what was on your old business card, bring some action verbs into play and describe the exciting, vibrant person you are. Talk about your skills and accomplishments and leave the boring titles on the cutting room floor. Who wants to hire bland and watered-down, when they could hire YOU?