Help Positioning an Inaccurate Title on Resume
I'm in a bit of a conundrum. My background is in banking and private equity, where I had 3 years of experience before joining my current firm which is a very large multi family office. In my current seat, I'm on a small deal team making direct investments into private equity deals, typically as the controlling capital partner alongside independent sponsors, management teams, or LMM funds who need to raise co-invest vehicles.
My issue is that our firm doesn't have any sort of structured titles and instead refers to all juniors as analysts and seniors as portfolio managers or MDs. So basically, the analyst, associate, and VP levels are all either an "analyst" or "senior analyst" here. This creates an issue when recruiting for Senior Associate or VP level roles at other PE firms. I currently have 5.5 years of experience and have the exact same responsibilities that a VP or Senior Associate would have elsewhere, but am still referred to as a Senior Analyst. I'm currently looking at a couple of other roles and I am wondering how to best address this on my resume, as the majority of firms besides hedge funds typically will heavily discount an "analyst" applicant even if the experience is there. Also worth noting that I'm comped appropriately in regards to experience and responsibilities - should break $375 total cash this year
Yeah... that kinda sucks. First things first, your resume is a marketing document. It is not testimony on a witness stand. You have latitude.
Your current job title is a Senior Analyst. In your situation, I would put on your resume that you were a Senior Associate. If the hiring company reaches out to your current job, your current job will most likely only confirm the dates you worked there and potentially your title. The difference between Senior Analyst and Senior Associate is immaterial if there is no actual associate-level job. If the hiring company questions you, you can tell them you were trying to reflect your job experience and the job tasks you actually did.
I can't fathom why a PE firm would care about how you'd market yourself (in this specific type context). So long as you are honest about your experience and, if asked, you are honest about the actual difference in job title, I don't see how this could possibly be material. Now, if you said you were a PM/MD/principal/etc, that would be a different story. But the difference between the word analyst and the word associate is not big enough for anyone to actually care unless they themselves hate life.
Thank you for your detailed thoughts, really appreciate your view. I just keep going back to how I would feel if I offered a candidate a role and later discovered that they misrepresented their title, however strong their case may be for doing so. I would probably be put off at the very least.
I'm glad to hear you wouldn't be though... that gives me a little more confidence to formally market myself as an "Associate" or "Sr. Associate". I was previously thinking of just going with "Investment Professional - Sr. Associate Level" but that seemed to vague and sketchy.
(1) I think that is a good idea. "Investment Professional - Sr. Associate Level." That covers what it is meant to do.
(2) The person who goes through confirming what your previous title is will not be anyone on the investing team. That would only ever be an HR thing. Sure, someone from the investing team may learn that your title wasn't precisely exactly what you put on your resume, but I find it hard to fathom anyone would actually care. Not to say that someone wouldn't be like "the fuck?" but that it wouldn't manifest itself in a way that would be detrimental to you. The difference between Senior Analyst and Senior Associate is just not material enough
Delete
I had a weird ass title at a prior role and after it put “(equivalent: xxx)” on my resume. Never got any questions or negative remarks about it.
“I’m a senior vice president at stratton oakmont and I plan on making top sales this year” - bunch of schmucks
But they never got in shit for bluffing titles
Molestiae qui quo tempora eligendi. Rerum et iure voluptatum iure dolores illum blanditiis. Sit totam officiis corrupti est. Rem voluptatem repudiandae quas sed.
Provident dolores reprehenderit sit quam quis. Commodi dolorum reiciendis repellat ipsum cupiditate alias aut. Odit aperiam quisquam perspiciatis in laudantium voluptatem omnis. Cupiditate ipsa quae doloremque aut qui dolor molestias tempora. Impedit quo velit eum eum. Autem voluptatem est qui voluptas ducimus molestiae officia.
See All Comments - 100% Free
WSO depends on everyone being able to pitch in when they know something. Unlock with your email and get bonus: 6 financial modeling lessons free ($199 value)
or Unlock with your social account...