The first thing job seekers notice is the job title. The more attractive, and inclusive your job title is, the more applications you receive. So you must know how to write job titles well.
But writing a job post title isn’t as easy as it seems. You have to check for biased language, include keywords, avoid jargon, know when and how to capitalize the job title, and more.
So, in this article, we’re going to share 5 steps to help you know how to write job titles that attract the best talent.
Image Source: Christin Hume on Unsplash
What is a job title?
There’s often confusion between a job description and a job title. Simply put, a job description is a document that describes the duties and responsibilities of a particular role. On the other hand, a job title is the name given to a person’s position in an organization.
It outlines the seniority level of a person in an organization.
The responsibilities, roles, and work of a person depend on the job title they may have. The chief executive officer is the highest title in most organizations. And the lowest title in a company is called an intern.
Plus job titles help in salary negotiation, professional growth, and career advancement. So, it’s vital to use the correct title while posting your job ads to attract the right individual.
How to Write Job Titles in 5 Steps
We’ve seen the description and importance of a job post title. So here are 5 steps to writing a job title that attracts qualified candidates:
1. Include Keywords to Effective Write Job Titles
When candidates search for a job, they use specific keywords related to their role and skills. So select keywords that make the most sense for the position you’re hiring for.
Here’s how to ensure you’re using keywords in the job title well:
Research relevant keywords:
Find the keywords candidates are searching for while coming up with your title. To make this process easy, use tools like job title generators, Google Keyword Planner, or Ongig’s job description software.
Ongig has a job title traffic feature. That means Ongig scans job titles and compares them to what candidates search for every month on Google.
Then the tool shows you real-time suggestions for job titles that get more searches according to the role you want to hire for. This helps you choose popular and SEO-friendly job titles.
For instance, below is an example of a sales role. You’ll notice “Sales Rep” receives almost 90,000 searches more times per month (on Google) than “Enterprise Account Executive”.
So if you’re trying to hire candidates for sales roles, you might benefit from using the title “Enterprise Sales Rep” instead:
Consider broader search terms:
Include a broader search term at the beginning of your job title. This will help your job post reach a wider audience. But ensure it remains relevant to the job description. And be careful to avoid keyword stuffing at this stage.
Here’s an example:
- First job title: CRM Expert
- Improved title: Hubspot CRM Expert
- Explanation: “Hubspot” is a popular CRM platform, including it in your job post title will ensure you attract a CRM expert with the technology expertise you’re looking for.
Target technologies and skills:
If possible, include keywords that reflect the technologies and skills crucial for the position. This helps job seekers identify if they have the expertise to succeed in the role.
An example of a title with a target technology can be “Javascript software developer, “Python Backend Developer”, and more.
2. Remove Biased Language to Effective Write Job Titles
Job titles with biased language prevent different types of candidates from applying to your job post. This means leaving out any racial, gendered, and discriminatory language. So you can attract top talent from a wider pool of candidates.
Here are steps to write unbiased job titles:
- Use gender-neutral language
Select gender-neutral terms whenever possible. For instance, instead of “Businessman”, or “Salesman”, consider “Business Professional”.
- Write skills-based job titles
Avoid complicating your title and just let it focus on the skills required for the position. For example, if you’re looking for a salesforce CRM specialist, write that. Don’t start writing “Rockstar Salesforce CRM specialist.
- Check for unconscious bias
Your job title can have hidden biases you might not be aware of. Review and remove job title buzzwords such as “Guru”, “Ninja”, “Hero”, and “Junior”.
And avoid personality-soaked words such as “Killing”, “Energetic”, and “Go-Getter”. These words might seem trendy but they don’t favor all candidates. A creative job title is okay, but not at the expense of missing out on top talent.
3. Write short job titles
Punchy and short titles perform better than long ones. Use 1 to 3 words and less than 20 syllables in your job titles.
For instance, look at the two job titles below. The first title “Principal Software Development Engineer”, scores 63 out of 100. But if you write a short title like “Software Engineer”, it gets an excellent score of 100 out of 100.
Plus, you can use “Web Developer” to make it SEO-Friendly.
That said, don’t write a boring job title for the sake of keeping it short.
4. Be specific
A job title is the first thing job seekers see. The title should capture the role’s primary function. For example, let’s say your organization’s industry is the sports sector. And you’re looking for a writer.
The title, “Sports Content Writer” might be more effective than simply “Content Writer”. Another example is if you’re looking for someone to manage your social media platforms. Instead of writing “Marketing Manager”, use “Social Media Manager” to get the right candidates.
While being specific though, don’t leave out important details. Here are two ways to ensure you’re specific and still maintaining crucial details when you write job titles:
- Highlight required tools and skills
List the specific tools for the job. This will help the candidates with the skills in that tool identify the opportunity. For instance, “Data Scientist, SQL, Python)”.
- Write the seniority level
Indicating the seniority level is optional. But, it can help potential candidates who are looking to advance in their careers find the perfect fit. For instance, write, “Senior Software Engineer”, “Content Marketing Lead”, and more.
This specificity of the responsibilities makes the roles easy to understand for potential job seekers.
5. Avoid jargon
Most job seekers can’t identify industry jargon. And this also includes unusual acronyms and internal buzzwords. So this discourages them from applying.
Another thing to avoid is abbreviations in titles. Abbreviations such as “Mgr”, “Mgmt”, and “Sr” aren’t used in the corporate world and can be confusing to candidates. Write the titles in full to ensure they reach more audience.
The only exceptions are the common abbreviations or common industry-specific acronyms. For instance, it’s ok to use “CRM” in place of “Customer relationship management”. An acronym like “RN” for “Registered Nurse” is also accepted.
WHY I WROTE THIS:
Ongig’s mission is to support your commitment to writing the best job descriptions. One way we do this is to give you insights into how to optimize your job titles.
Book a demo today to learn how to write job titles for job ads that attract qualified candidates.
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