- See Do Job Titles Matter in the Long Run? for more information.
Here are the dos and don’ts when it comes to producing the best job titles possible.
Don’t rely on abbreviations, because they will take away from a comprehensive search. Use full titles when possible.
Do use common abbreviations in the job title for jobs that are well known such as CPA or RN, because these abbreviations are well known by job seekers and will be used by them in their search. Also use the fully-spelled out version.
Don’t use trendy buzzwords like “wizard” or “ninja”, because they lack clarity when describing the actual job. Job seekers are looking for things like “social media marketer” not “social media wizard.”
Do use terminology that lets a candidate know what it is before they click on it. These terms include explanations like “temporary” and “swing shift.” This saves from paying for clicks from candidates that will not be interested.
Don’t use terms like “remote work” or “work from home” in the title. They attract too many job seekers that are not qualified, costing your company a lot for just click-throughs. Some search engines will also exclude your listing because of these kinds of terms.
Do use job titles that job seekers will be looking for. For example, “stewardess” is an outdated term that has been replaced with “flight attendant.” You will miss out on a lot of qualified job seekers that only search for current terms. This includes not using industry jargon that others may not be familiar with.
Don’t use terms that can get your posting stuck in a spam filter. These terms include “career fair,” “make extra cash,” “event,” and “be your own boss.” Search engines see these terms as spam, so they will not be included in search results.
Do use specifics in your job title. This means putting things like experience level, type of role, and other modifiers when possible. These restrictions help prequalify candidates and keep those unqualified from clicking. A good example would be “Pediatric Physician” instead of just “Physician”.
Don’t use special characters like dashes or ellipses. Search engines often see these characters as code instead of text so job search results will be messed up.
Do use a unique job posting for each position. Even if you are hiring for more than one position for the same role, create unique postings for each one.
Don’t use a location in the title. There should be a separate place for the location in your posting, so not only is not needed in the title, but it also restricts job seekers from finding your posting if they are only searching in their current city.
Do use short titles. A long title may not fit in the allotted space the employment site has given, so it will be cut off and lose its effectiveness.
Don’t forget to do a spelling and grammar check. Misspelling a word in the title will ruin the chances for job seekers to find your posting, unless they made the same spelling mistake as you. It also hurts your credibility and makes you look bad.
Photo: jobvite.com
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