Hi,
To those with a line of work that is known under multiple titles ... what do you put on LI?
I've been contracting for a good few years now, and one thing is clear; if the job title on your last role doesn't match that required by the customer (even if the role profile clearly indicates the title is incorrect) then the agent usually bins the application. There's no messing about, it just seems to be a fact of life. In an ideal world the agent and customer would read past any title and form an opinion based on your actual work history, but that never happens. Too many applications and not enough time. Machine sorting. There are many articles on this subject.
The root cause of the problem seems to be that the same position is known by different titles at various companies. This can be for cultural reasons, or (most commonly I've found) because the recruiter\HR aren't aware of the correct title, so they just use the next best one that they're familiar with, or make it up. The largest companies are the worst offenders in my experience.
OK. Have multiple versions of an application ready to go with titles that match. Provided you have the experience, have the skills and can do the work there's no moral issue. There is an issue with LI though. You can only have one profile without violating the LI TOS, and that means one profile. The issue arises when the agent or customer looks you up on LI and sees a different title for your last role. When competition for an opening is high, the recruiter or customer can afford to be picky, and in my experience they usually are.
The work I do seems be advertised under the correct role title (it has one), or one of 4 very different roles, because the job requires skills from each. It's a niche. Explaining this to most agents is a non-starter. I'm reasonably sure they don't even read the email.
The only solution I can think of is to omit role titles from your LI work history, but in doing so you prevent your LI profile from doubling as a marketing tool. Recruiters use LI to search for candidates, and they invariably use the role title given to them by the customer. It's not an ideal solution, but it prevents a conflict.
Regards.
To those with a line of work that is known under multiple titles ... what do you put on LI?
I've been contracting for a good few years now, and one thing is clear; if the job title on your last role doesn't match that required by the customer (even if the role profile clearly indicates the title is incorrect) then the agent usually bins the application. There's no messing about, it just seems to be a fact of life. In an ideal world the agent and customer would read past any title and form an opinion based on your actual work history, but that never happens. Too many applications and not enough time. Machine sorting. There are many articles on this subject.
The root cause of the problem seems to be that the same position is known by different titles at various companies. This can be for cultural reasons, or (most commonly I've found) because the recruiter\HR aren't aware of the correct title, so they just use the next best one that they're familiar with, or make it up. The largest companies are the worst offenders in my experience.
OK. Have multiple versions of an application ready to go with titles that match. Provided you have the experience, have the skills and can do the work there's no moral issue. There is an issue with LI though. You can only have one profile without violating the LI TOS, and that means one profile. The issue arises when the agent or customer looks you up on LI and sees a different title for your last role. When competition for an opening is high, the recruiter or customer can afford to be picky, and in my experience they usually are.
The work I do seems be advertised under the correct role title (it has one), or one of 4 very different roles, because the job requires skills from each. It's a niche. Explaining this to most agents is a non-starter. I'm reasonably sure they don't even read the email.
The only solution I can think of is to omit role titles from your LI work history, but in doing so you prevent your LI profile from doubling as a marketing tool. Recruiters use LI to search for candidates, and they invariably use the role title given to them by the customer. It's not an ideal solution, but it prevents a conflict.
Regards.
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