Can I change my job title on my resume?
My friend changes the job titles on her resume depending on what job she’s applying to. This doesn’t seem honest to me. Do you think she’ll get in trouble?
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penelope@penelopetrunk.com
You can write anything on your resume as long as you have a reasonable and honest way to explain it in an interview. So, yes, change your title because that’s a great way to help people understand your strengths and interests, which is exactly the point of a resume.
Here’s a longer answer: When I was in my 20s, people didn’t feel empowered to change their job titles on a resume — even if the title didn’t reflect the real work they did. The system was rigid and unfair. Companies would give people vague or low-status titles that could actually block an employee from advancing in their careers.
It got so bad that people would negotiate lower salaries in exchange for better titles, because the title you had determined your future earning power. That’s how unfair the system used to be.
Today, resume conventions are more fair. People have realized it’s not dishonest to use a title that accurately describes the work you actually did — especially if your official title is confusing or too narrow. What matters is that you’re not exaggerating. You’re just being clear about the kind of work you contributed, so you get considered for roles that are a real match for your experience.
It’s common to do a wide range of work in any given job. A resume should be a focused story about the experience you’ve gained that’s relevant to the work you are applying to do. So you can leave out anything that’s not relevant, and change titles to describe the work you did at that job that is relevant now.