[youtube http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gxYwyvmgLjo?rel=0&hd=1&w=560&h=340] Anxious to build your brand and boast about your success? Remember that using an unusual business title - like "data janitor" or "czar" -  could actually hurt your chances.

The Script

Uh huh, well I'm glad to hear the problem's fixed and the database is faster. Happy to be of service. As a DBA, I spend so much time cleaning up databases, that I call myself a data janitor. So I thought I'd be clever and use that title on my resume, but I wasn't hearing from  recruiters. When I changed to a standard job title, I landed three interviews the very next day. I'm Cat Miller and I'm revealing the merits of standard job titles on this edition of DiceTV. I was anxious to build my brand and boast about my success, but I didn't realize that using an unusual business title like data janitor or czar could actually hurt my chances. It seems recruiters search resumes using standard job titles and locations, so they weren't even  pulling my resume. Next, I tried my real title, which is senior administrator, finance division, but still no bites. It seems my title isn't associated with typical DBA duties, so recruiters couldn't envision my skills or experience without reading my entire resume. I discovered that companies use unique job titles internally, but externally, they use generic titles to describe positions. Having a common language helps employers source wage information, research data from the Labor Department or advertise for candidates. When I finally gave in and changed my title to database administrator and sprinkled it throughout my resume, the next day I received two calls and an e-mail from recruiters. I also include DBA, database coordinator and database analyst in a keyword list to make sure my resume is pulled during searches. Oh, I have to admit that using a plain vanilla title to describe my extraordinary role and accomplishments bothered me at first. But not getting interviews bothered me even more and now I actually have the opportunity to tell managers and recruiters about my exploits as a data janitor. I'm Cat Miller and this has been Dice TV. We now return you to your regular desktop.