I am currently working on my resume and I am struggling with what titles I should use. in my 3 most recent positions there is my HR title and then there is the title in which I am referred to as in the office. In one position I was an individual contributor and my HR title was Research Specialist but I functioned as a coordinator. I was in that position for 4 years before leaving the organization to take another position in which my HR title was Compliance Coordinator but int he office I was referred to as the IRB Manager. I functioned as a manager and oversaw 4 team members. After 7 or 8 months of working there the organization started to undergo great change. I was offered the opportunity to take what was described to me as a promoted position in which I would oversee the work on the department I managed and the work of others but I was not directly responsible for anyone's work. If needed I could be asked to step in as the manager if the position was ever vacant or they were out for an extended period of time. So essentially my responsibilities and work capabilities would be on the same level as a manager. My HR title is Coordinator of Post Approval Monitoring but I am referred to as the Post Approval Monitor. My previous position was reclassified and their title is now Manager to more accurately reflect the work being done but the work has not changed.
Should I use my HR titles or my functional titles? Do titles play a big role in a recruiter's decision? Based upon title will I be perceived as having stepped down if I state I was a manager and now I am a coordinator? If I am applying for a manager position will it seem as if I am making too big of a jump if my current title is coordinator. Should I even should these two positions as two separate jobs because I essentially still to the same work but with additional responsibilities. What is the best way to represent this on a resume? Thank for your help?
Use the "reference check" title
For the purposes of a resume, you need to put down the title that will be given if a potential employer calls up to check your references / work history. The chances are that will be the "HR title", because normally a work history check will involve a call to HR.
You can address the apparent disconnect between your stated title and what you really did by clearly stating the responsibilities of the position in the prose paragraph underneath the time period / job title / company line. A sensible hiring manager / recruiter / whoever knows that job titles are pretty variable and inconsistent, so the responsibilities paragraph is the important bit to read (and hence is an important part of your resume to get right).