Disrupting Job Title Bias Part 2: For Workers

Confidently pursue your dream job with these strategies for moving past job title bias.

Last week, I wrote about how hiring teams can build more diverse, inclusive teams by disrupting job title bias. But what about when you’re the job seeker, aspiring to a position that isn’t listed in your work history? There is no magic solution, but for many jobs, there are a few strategies you can apply to move past job title bias into the job of your dreams.

1. Get promoted.

To hire you for a job you’ve never done at a company you’ve never worked for, a new employer takes twice the risk that your current company would by promoting you. At your current job, they (hopefully!) already know your work ethic, your transferable skills, your personality, and the kind of projects you’ve completed. (If they don’t, that’s a topic for another day.)

While you continue to shine in your current role, you can look for ways to add value to your organization that would qualify you for the job title you want. If there isn’t a current opening, is there a possibility of creating a new position? Would management consider adding “Senior” to your job title when you reach a certain goal? Could the team use two project managers instead of just one?

Instead of pouring energy into job hunting, pour it into getting—and excelling at—the job you want where you already are. If you decide to move on in the future, you’ll have a ticket past the “they’ve never had this job title” bias that my previous article describes. And by trying out the role with your current employer, you’ll have an opportunity to find out if this really is what you want to do—and what it takes to succeed—without the hassle of changing jobs.

2. Get referred.

One of the best-known ways to get out of the virtual resume pile, especially as a non-traditional candidate, is to be referred. Most companies offer some kind of employee referral program, but even if you’re applying to a company that doesn’t have anything formalized, having someone on the inside to put in a good word for you can go a long way.

If you’re shooting for a job title that seems just out of reach, see if anyone among your friends and professional network is hiring. Check in with connections, former colleagues, and LinkedIn's suggestions of people you might know who work at companies of interest. Then, once you have a conversation scheduled, use the suggestions in option three to nail the interview. 

3. Get creative.

If you haven’t held the job title before, how do you know you’ll be successful? Answering that question for yourself is the key to updating your resume highlights. Instead of listing out your [potentially irrelevant] job responsibilities, use your resume bullet points to showcase the transferrable skills and specific areas of impact that could be applicable to the job you want. 

If the job application you’re completing has space for a cover letter, write a concise note about your interest and how your past experience has prepared you for this role. A creative, well-written application just might pique the hiring team’s interest enough to land an interview. If you get to that point, you can prepare by researching problems that you might encounter at your dream job (because problems do exist at every job; that’s why they need to hire you) and consider how you would solve them. For bonus points, be ready to describe any past work experience that informs your decision-making. 

Creative confidence, when executed well, can bridge the gap that job title bias creates.

Creative confidence, when executed well, can bridge the gap that job title bias creates. As a hiring manager, I consider myself pretty open-minded in the resume stage, but when candidates appear distinctly unqualified, I’m looking for them to fill in the blanks for me about why they’re applying. Once, when I was hiring a Technical Recruiter, a few candidates listed job responsibilities that respectively included: operate the Zamboni, firearm floor sales, and completes urine specimen collection. I’m still unsure why these candidates applied for a Technical Recruiter role, but they could have come a little closer to consideration by replacing the above with something like followed standard procedures to ensure an immaculate environment, displayed expert product knowledge to close sales, or responsibly handled assigned tasks with discretion. It’s still true, but much more relevant to the job opening than Zamboni-operating prowess.

Note: This isn’t about making things up. If you exaggerate on your resume, claiming to have job titles or responsibilities you didn’t have, you will eventually find yourself caught in a lie that could permanently damage your professional credibility. I’m suggesting a reframe that applies your actual experience to the job title you’re seeking, not a fictitious or falsified application. In other words, support your case with truth.

It’s also worth noting that these strategies won’t work in every scenario. Many jobs require specific degrees or certifications; no amount of creative resume writing will get you a position as a pediatrician if you haven’t completed medical school, and you’ll need to be a licensed electrician before you apply to rewire city hall. But in the tech world and startup community, especially, new roles are constantly developing and changing, potentially creating opportunities to take your career to a new level. 

- MJ

Life of You

Have you been hired for a role when your work history wasn’t a perfect match?
Share how you disrupted job title bias in the comments, and keep moving onward and upward!