The 5 year job title mistake I finally fixed

For the longest time I called myself a "social media coordinator" on my resume even though I was basically doing strategy, analytics, and campaign management for a mid-size company in Austin. I thought coordinator sounded humble and that nobody would believe I did the higher level stuff. Then a mentor at a coffee shop in East Austin straight up told me I was underselling myself. She said hiring managers scan for titles they recognize and coordinator sounds like entry level work no matter how much you actually do. So I changed it to "Social Media Strategist" on my next round of applications about 3 months ago. Got way more callbacks and even had one interviewer ask why I didn't use that title sooner. Anyone else had to fight the urge to play down your actual role on paper?

2 comments

2 Comments

river_hall443d ago

Blew my mind reading that a mentor was just straight up honest with you in a coffee shop. Did you feel stupid at first or just relieved someone finally told you?

paige_ellis593d ago

Did they actually give you a chance to process it or just drop the truth bomb and leave? Sometimes the way they deliver it matters more than the words themselves. Were you able to ask follow up questions or did it feel like a one way lecture?