Do You Know Who You Are?

More than just a job title, you are the sum total of your accomplishments

How often do you hear people say – and quite possibly you’ve even said it yourself – when people inquire about you (usually in a professional light) the response quite often has something to do with the individual’s job title.

“I was director of accounting.”

“I was manager of quality control.”

“I was the regional sales manager.”

While those responses may be factually correct, do they really provide any insight into the kind of person you are, or the kind of employee you would or could be? Of course not. A title is just that, and titles vary from company to company – as do the responsibilities associated with those titles. There is an old joke about people who don’t get raises, get new titles. Ask yourself, which is worth more?

So how does parroting your title help your job search? Very little.

On the other hand, regardless of your title, your performance in your last job speaks volumes of your value as an employee. You are the sum total of your accomplishments and, carefully constructed, that summation can give that potential employer, that networking contact, that colleague, that referral – a pretty good idea of how you will perform in, well, any job. It’s what you bring to the table… and you can check your title at the door. Or, at best, leave it on your resume.

Unlike the financial yield of a particular investment, in a job search past performance is the best indicator of future results. That’s what you are. That’s what you did.

And your importance stems from your past performances, not your job title or a laundry list of responsibilities. You are important because of who you are, what you’ve accomplished; not what your title was or what your responsibilities were.

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