Ok, a little background here first.
I have a BS in Industrial Engineering. My first job out of college was as Manufacturing Supervisor for a costmetics company. I left there after some downsizing (good terms, just bad circumstances) and went to work for a conveyor systems contractor, where I was a Project Manager. After that, I went to a large distribution company (sent out merchandise for dot-coms) where I was an Industrial Engineer. So far, so good.
My most recent job was back at the original cosmetics company where my first job was. Well, not exactly. They spun-off part of their manufacturing and turned it into it’s own company. On paper, it was owned and run by the temp agency that had always provided hundreds of workers for their operation. The only catch was that this company had only one customer, who basically dictated it’s work to it.
The original guy they got to run it really screwed it up, and the second guy got hired away by the “mother” company. So they called me and asked if I’d be interested. I really liked the idea of being “the boss”, so I took it. It was a hell of a challenge, I worked my ass off, and by everyone’s admission I did the best I could, but the chips were stacked against me from the start. This experiment was a failure.
So, now they’re taking it back over. Normally, a guy in my position would have been fired as a token execution to prove to the higher-ups that the VP’s here are putting their foot down and straightening things out. They have been nice about it, and offered me a position as a sort of special-projects guy. I’ll be doing a lot of Industrial Engineering stuff, some planning/scheduling, assisting the new management, and other stuff as needed.
I’m concerned because my title was “General Manager”, so I went from supervisor, to project engineer, to manager, and now what? They’ve given me the freedom to choose my own title. I’m afraid if I go back to Industrial Engineer, it’ll look like a huge failure on my resume. On the other hand, it’s gotta be something realistic and not too self-promoting.
Any ideas? Collectively, we’ve all seen a lot of resumes. What would look good and yet not make me look like a self-promoting asshat while I’m still at this job?
I’d appreciate any advice. Thanks.
show up? only in posts? That person’s name would not be reproducable (in appearance) in the posts.
). I have worked for four separate major corporations where titles involving “special projects” meant that the boob had a clean desk and a limited time to find real employment. This may not be true in all situations, obviously, but you never know who will be reading your title.