Effective Resume Titles

By Author: Kellie Whitehead
Total Articles: 26
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Whilst we spend time crafting our previous work experience and job descriptions, it is vital to spend as much time crafting the job titles in making your resume also. In the all important initial ‘skim read, it is these titles which will stand out to a potential employer or recruiter.

There are so many elements to crafting an attention grabbing resume, and this is another. Make your job titles stop the recruiter in their tracks, or at least convince them to keep reading.
You need to be as descriptive as possible whilst keeping it clear and straightforward, giving a really good idea of your past
Bad title: Accounting
Good Title: Management of A/R and A/P and Recordkeeping
Just as it's important for your resume, you might want to pay attention to the title you receive in your new job also. People care about their job titles. Sometimes they will even choose the better title over more pay. A recent graduate with a desire to move up in a chosen career field may feel that acquiring a title that will look good ...
... on the resume is worth accepting a little less money. Recruiters have discovered that they receive a better response with well-chosen job titles. Administrative assistant or sales associate are boring, bureaucratic, and easy to skip over in the classifieds. Chief of client relations will attract much more attention!
This is all well and good when trying to attract candidates, but what if you are trying to attract a job?
Again, it pays to be clear. Just as the right titles can bring in more applications, a descriptive and accurate title on your resume cuts through the fog and gets to the point. This is exactly what the reader wants to see and bodes well for them reading the rest of it.
Section headings on your resume should follow the same principle also. The main heading highlights your name and provides the contact information one line, followed by a divider line. This format saves space that can be dedicated to communicating more of your strengths. Notice that it is not necessary to label the phone number or e-mail address; these items are understood. Be as concise as possible.
Section headings are titles you assign to different areas of your résumé. For example, your employment section will have one heading. Your education and community activities sections will have their own headings.
Remember - section headings are extremely important. A section name influences how the hiring manager perceives the information within the heading. If you use an objective statement as your first section heading, you communicate your needs to the hiring manager. You are saying to the hiring manager, "My objective is to get a job."