Dear Cindy – Is it a Lie to Say …

I started working for my dad in my senior year of high school, and about five years later I'm still working for him. Dad is self-employed doing home repairs (e.g., drywall), and I send invoices, do the books, answer the phone, and whenever he has an employee (occasionally in the summer when it's busy, he has a temporary helper) I do payroll. Dad's retiring, so I want to apply for other secretarial jobs. My friend said I should say I'm an executive secretary, because my dad owns the company, so he's the executive. Is it a lie to say this?

Sincerely,

Looking for a New Job

While it may be literally true that he's an executive and, as his only secretary, you can be considered an executive secretary, in the real world of secretarial jobs, to call yourself on your résumé an "Executive Secretary," "Secretary to the President," or similar, would be a gross exaggeration.

To avoid embarrassment, in your résumé, call yourself a secretary, and indicate your skills (e.g., keyboarding speed, software programs) and responsibilities, which may be quite varied. And of course, due to the relationship with your boss, and the size of your dad's company, obtaining an objective reference will be a problem, so you may have to ask if you can use other references besides your dad/boss, such as business contacts, former secretarial studies teachers, or perhaps even personal, rather than professional references.