By Rob Poindexter
Steve Martin and Bernadette Peters are sitting on the beach getting to know each other in a scene from from the movie, “The Jerk.” The conversation goes something like this:
Steve: “So what do you do for a living?”
Bernadette: “I’m a cosmetologist.”
Steve: (in a very excited voice) “WOW! A cosmetologist? How exciting. That is fantastic. I’ve never met a real live cosmetologist before. This is so exciting. I am so impressed. So, dealing with weightlessness must really be a challenge.” Now, in a somewhat more subdued voice while shaking his head, “A cosmetologist, unbelievable.”
If you’ve ever seen this movie, I think you would agree that there was nothing about Bernadette’s character that would make you think she might have been an astronaut. Between her perfectly coifed locks of vibrant auburn hair and her detailed application of gloss to her cupiedoll lips, the realization that she was in the beauty business came as no big surprise. That is, to anyone besides Steve Martin.
In this case, it was not the fault of our heroine that her would-be beau was clueless about the difference between a cosmetologist and a cosmologist who also happens to fly spacecraft. As well, it was not necessarily his fault that he was ignorant of the difference, either.
She simply assumed that a person of his age would be familiar with the definition of her job title and felt no need to give any further explanation.
For most of us it is easy to laugh at the ignorance of this character, and rightfully so.
But how many of us would be just as red-faced if someone told us they were a LOTTER ( one who buys odd lots of wool and consolidates them for sale), or a BAGNOI KEEPER, manager of a brothel. Would any of us know what to say to a person who introduced themselves as a KNELLER (door-to-door chimney sweeper)? I certainly wouldn’t.
Would you ever consider hiring a TREENAIL MAKER? … only if you were building a ship and needed someone to make the wooden pins for holding it together.
Of course in the old days you wouldn’t think of ignoring the PINSETTER at your local bowling alley. (You can probably figure that one out for yourself.)
As you read this story, new occupations in the technology field are being created and named. And those titles will be mostly unrecognizable to most of us not directly involved in this job type.
The point of all this is to simply remind you to be very clear, particularly those job seekers who are switching fields, when listing your job titles on the resume you will be handing your prospective new company.
A professional resume writer will be of great importance when it comes to not only describing the job title, but how that knowledge or skill can be utilized in your new career.
It simply won’t be enough for the new company to know you were the best QUISTER (individual who bleaches materials) in the country. They must also know how that expertise will benefit them.
Rob :-)! Your words always make me smile. Such curious occupations you discovered. The only one I was familiar with was Pinsetter because I actually was a volunteer pinsetter eons ago. My elementary school had its own antiquated bowling alley at the time and it was part of gym class. I liked that role better than throwing gutterballs any day!
Explaining to job seekers why they need to add more detail always brings me back to the nurse early in my resume writing years, who said, “Why talk about what I do as a Charge Nurse?” everyone knows what one is… and my answer was and is, “and so what makes you different from everyone who is one?”
Carry on, Rob!
So glad I could make you smile, Julie. How cool that you were an actual Pinsetter.Thanks for sharing that with me. And, of course, thanks for taking the time to check in.
Cheers
Rob
This is especially true if one is moving between for-profit and non-profit employment. The terminology can be quite different, even if the skills are transferable.
The most important example is the word “development.” In the non-profit world it means fund-raising. In for-profit it means development of new products, as in “research and development.” Both useful to know, but not interchangeable.
It’s probably my bias as an English major. You don’t really know anything until you know its proper name. But once you’ve got that, you’re at least half-way to knowing something.
Karen, thank you for adding some texture to my posting with your own real world experience. By the way, in the book by James Michener titled, “Chesapeake,” one chapter deals with exactly what you are saying.The Paxmores are the ship builders and as such, they knew the one way to learn the craft properly was to learn the the proper names of tools used and parts of the ship in order to have a better understanding of the process. Thanks for the comments and check out this book if you get a chance.
Rob
Rob –
Another spot on post. When clients “assume” “everyone” knows exactly what they do by virtue of a job title, I tell them, pretend I haven’t a clue and explain it to me.
That usually gets a laugh and they start to realize just because they know what it means, doesn’t mean the rest of the world holds the same knowledge or insight.
Wonderful reminder, wonderfully delivered with your usual humor.
As always Dawn, your comments on my musings are greatly appreciated. Thanks so much for checking in.
Cheers
Rob