The Two Words at the Top of Your Resume That Are Costing You International Job Opportunities

My official job title is a bunch of gibberish. Lead for BD... What is that. What does that mean. If you're a recruiter in Switzerland who's never worked in pharmaceutical business development and contract manufacturing — you have no idea. And you have approximately zero seconds of patience to figure it out before you move to the next application.

What I actually am is a Quality Director. Same job. Completely different title. And that difference is the difference between a recruiter understanding what I do in three seconds and a recruiter moving on.

This week I'm talking about the two job title problems that are quietly killing international job searches — the internal jargon title that means nothing outside your company, and the inflated American title that either makes you look like you're lying or prices you out of the market before you've said a word.

Also: what to actually do about it. Without lying.