Choosing the right job title for your job ad
Published: November 22nd, 2011 in the Writing Job Ads in Online Recruitment.
Choosing the right job title for your job ad can make the difference between success and failure.
The key is to make sure you use a job title that people can understand and find.
The importance of the job title
On a popular job board there can be ten of thousand of jobs. Candidates have to actively search to find the right jobs for themselves. Or they set up email alerts so that they get notifications when jobs that match what they are looking for are advertised. One of the most common way to search a job board, or set up jobs by email alert, is by job title. Indeed, it is the most common way.
If a candidate were looking for a .net developer job, then would search a job board with the search term “.net developer.” This means that if you want a candidate to find your job ad make sure you call it something they will understand and look for.
Call a spade a spade
Just because your internal HR department calls a Personal Assistant a “dedicated staff administrative enabler” doesn’t mean that anybody else does. And you most certainly shouldn’t advertise it as a “dedicated staff administrative enabler.” If you want relevant job seekers to find your job, use the job title that they will most likely use to search for it. So if a “dedicated staff administrative enabler” is a Personal Assistant, advertise it as a Personal Assistant.
By choosing a commonly-used job title, your job ad will be found by far more people —and far more relevant people too. By using a commonly-used job title you will get your ad in front of more eyeballs and, in the end, make a success of your job vacancy advertising.
When it comes to online recruitment advertising the more clarity you offer the job seekers in your job title the better are your chances of finding the right person for your vacancy. In other words, call a “sturdy digging tool having a thick handle and a heavy, flat blade that can be pressed into the ground with the foot” a spade.
Next steps? Check out these other guides and articles:
- A job description is not a job ad
- Avoiding discrimination in job ads
- How to get job seekers to read your job ad
- Salary and salary ranges on job ads
- Selling the SME company to top talent
- Top job advertising tips from job boards
- Writing job ads for job sites
