Does "Manager" sound better than "Keyholder?"?

Question

My job title is assistant key holder. But I was told by a colleage that HR staff/ hiring people don't like to see the word "keyholder" on a resume or cover letter because:
1. it doesn't look as important as manager
2. they may have no idea what a keyholder is

Are these true?

Secondly, he says I should drop the "assistant" and just put something along the lines of "store manager". What is your take on this? Should I listen to him, or just write Assistant Keyholder in my resume and cover letter?

Mind, this is for an Administrative position(Admin Asst, Receptionist, etc.)

I am the assistant manager of the store, and function as such, but my official title is asst keyholder. The general store manager is called "Head Keyholder" My company loves to soften things up...even job titles.

Answer 1

Keyholder sounds odd.

As a person with the ability to hire and fire people at my job, If I saw Keyholder I would pass. When employers look at a resume they are looking for key words and phrases that transcend a field. If I see manager or assistant manager, the skills may be the same as if you put down keyholder but I will be more likely to give your resume a chance.

Including the work assistant means that you were not the person in charge of that activity. If you were second or third in command then you should keep assistant but if you were heading up that project drop assistant. Also remember- don't put down manager unless that is exactly what you were doing. If you were just opening and closing a store, that might be the wrong term for your duties at your place of employment.

Your best bet: Assistant Manager or Manager

Answer 2

I agree with your colleague that "manager" is preferred to "keyholder." Many companies use automated searches to scan resumes for buzz words; keyholder might not even be in their list of things to search for.

You should not change your title too much so that it inaccurately protrays your experience. Here's a good test: look up Store Manager positions on a job finding website like monster.com and see what is required of the position. Did you perform those duties as Assistant Key Holder? If so, then using the title Store Manager is fine. If all you did was unlock the door to the store when the main person with the key was gone, then you wouldn't want to call yourself a Store Manager who has duties like "create schedules for clerks" or "oversee inventory control."

The larger point is for the potential employer to understand your experience and capabilities. Everything about your resume should reflect that. The only reason for changing words (while still being honest) is to catch their eyes.

Answer 3

A keyholder is not a manager. It would be worse to claim a title on your resume, and have a potential employer find out later that you never held that position. You could write associate supervisor or assistant supervisor. It sounds better than keyholder, and is a more accurate description of your position. Just make sure that your description of your duties reflects that. Generally, a keyholder will hold some responsibility other than opening and closing a business. They would be in charge if a manager or assistant manager is not present. If all you did was open and close, put that in the description of your duties, and not your title.

Answer 4

Well, what would your boss say about your job if someone called and checked on it? Would they say you were a manager or an assistant manager? Would they stick to the keyholder description?

That is the sticking point on dressing up resumes. If you fudge something and it gets found out then your resume will probably go to the "no" pile, aka the wastebasket. Some employers are very picky about things like calling your self a manager when you were an assistant manager.

Answer 5

I've worked in retail in the past. The store manager usually had the title of store manager, but the other managers were called key holders, shift managers, or leads.
At one point in time I was a Lead. I put on my resume that I was a "lead" but added in the description: "managed day to day operations of store, performed staff scheduling, trained staff, organized meetings and prepared and maintained monies for registers and bank deposit.
You can add whatever your actual responsibilities are. I would advise you against simply saying manager or saying store manager. By placing "manage, managing" etc in the description, it will let them know what you did.
Also some companies are not actually reading resumes anymore, but running them through a computer to scan for keywords. Just try to get in as many keywords you think might be related to the job you are applying for.
Good luck.

Answer 6

I am from USA. I have never heard the term "Keyholder" but to me it sounds like your entire duties are holding onto a key. A manager does more than that, certainly, so I like the sound of manager better

Answer 7

Is it like a manager? My only worry is that people would have no idea what Assistant Keyholder is. I don't. It sounds a bit more exciting than manager though.

Answer 8

I would suggest listing your title as it officially exists, then in the brief description of your duties you can elaborate about being, in fact, assistant manager.

Your colleague is deat wrong about dropping the "assistant" from your title. Most companies will check references, and if they learned that you lied about being store manager, your resume will end up in the round file.

Answer 9

it is true that manager sounds better than key holder but you have to put "Assistant Manager". if you put Store Manager, means you are lyeing and if they find out, you have bigger trouble

Answer 10

That really suks! I also never heard of assistant key-holder.
If the next job is going to call the job you were assistant key holder at to ask questions, I would put both. But put in parentesis (assistant mangr) after that stupid title.
Personally, I think "assistant key-holder" sounds really stupid.