The job title you choose is one of the most important factors in any job post you create. It’s the first and sometimes only chance you have to capture the interest of a potential candidate. A great title can be the bait that lures the best talent, but a bad one can cost you time and money. Crafting an effective job title at first seems like a simple task. But on closer inspection, you’ll begin to realize that things get complicated by competing interests in the employment marketing process. Search Engines, hiring managers, and even job seekers themselves all seem to have a say. Keep in mind, your job post title is more than just a title, it’s a form of marketing. When a job seeker scans a list of job titles, they are looking for two primary things: Jobs that match their industry, and listings that stand out in the sea of posts.
That’s why the experts at Work4 have put together this guide to help you compose the ultimate job title.
Speak to the Outsider, Not the Insider
It can be easy to fall back on using terminology specific to your company, thinking the specificity will attract the right candidate. But unless they are coming from inside your organization, most job seekers won’t know your company-specific lingo. Using titles like “Warehouse Staff Level II” or “Stock Clerk S12-3622” might have a very specific meaning within your company. However, an external candidate isn’t going to know if Level II is the highest level, or near the bottom. Additionally, using cryptic lingo and codes in the job title could impede your job posting results. Specifically, because extra verbiage can drag down your ad’s ranking in search results. For a winning title, leave out numbers (aside from salary ranges), codes, and company-specific terminology. 
Show me the Money
There are a few key reasons why putting your salary offering or range may give employers a competitive advantage when trying to attract candidates. According to research from LinkedIn, one of the first things 70% of candidates look for in a position’s compensation. After all, people are not likely to seek new employment at a rate of pay below their current salary. Still, other research shows that millennials, a demographic that will make up 75% of the workforce by 2025, prefer to know salary information upfront. Since openness about finance is a deep-rooted trend among this demographic, it’s worth thinking in terms of how to attract them. If salary ranges appeal to this generation then it makes sense to include them whenever possible. Lastly, listing compensation in a job title is a simple way to get applicants to self-select out of a position when the pay rate doesn’t align with their requirements. This means less “noise” at the recruiter level when trying to filter out candidates that may be a bad fit.
Make it Searchable
To talk just a little more about job titles and search engine rankings, always make sure that your title is searchable. Searching job titles is how most careerists research job openings. We know it can be tempting to get creative with your title in an attempt to stand out from the crowd. After all, in theory, “Box Hop Extraordinaire” may sound fun and catchy, but it’s not likely a warehouse worker will find this job in an online search. One of the easiest ways to ensure that your job is searchable is to use Google’s autocomplete feature to view generic terms that describe the position you’re hiring for. This feature was designed to tell you what people most commonly look for once you type in the first keyword or two. If you’re not sure about a title, consider choosing the best fit from among the search engine suggestions. Remember that when advertising a job, searchability is the most important factor. And the simple fact is that more people will search for “Warehouse Associate” than “Packing Wizard” when job hunting.
Take Care With Abbreviations
When crafting a job title it’s important not to make assumptions, such as assuming all applicants will search using abbreviations and acronyms such as “Mgr” for Manager. As a rule, avoiding abbreviations can help increase the searchability of your listing. The only instance where you’ll find an exception to the rule is when it comes to industry-standard abbreviations such as SEO or CRM these are usually fine, as people will search for them when seeking a related role.
Start Attracting the Best Candidate Leads Today
Finding quality candidates starts with writing the best job titles, but as you can see, a lot goes into it. Attracting quality applicants who apply for the right opportunity requires a multifaceted approach and involves a whole world of nurturing. As job search platforms become more plentiful, and SEO practices get more complicated, a job title that stands out becomes a top priority. Get help with this and more from Work4, where you’ll receive expert recruiting advice and proprietary lead generation tools. Once you’ve crafted the ultimate job title check out our post on creating a great temp job post. Get in contact with us today to see how Work4 can help you with our complete and customizable recruitment marketing system.
