Are Your Job Titles Optimized for Recruiting and Hiring?

When you think about it, the job title for your open position is your chance to make a first impression with top talent. Whether you post a job on social media, a job board, or your website, it all starts with the job title. At that moment, you could win or lose the best possible candidate for the position if you make a job title misstep.

Optimizing job titles when writing job descriptions is one solution that will yield desirable results. When you select the right job titles, candidates will understand the role, letting them know whether it’s worth their time and effort to apply.

In this blog post, we’ll look closer at job titles and explore why optimizing them is vital for effective recruiting and hiring practices and strategies.

The Importance of Optimizing Job Titles in Recruiting and Hiring

To some extent, job titles are shorthand representations of what someone will do in a given position, per the job description. It’s that simple, yet job titles matter in many ways. Brie Reynolds, former career expert for FlexJobs, noted, “Job titles can matter in your current job and in how they may influence your future opportunities.”

Who Values Job Titles?

Let’s take a moment to explore to whom job titles actually matter and why:

Hiring managers care about job titles because it helps them understand what the department manager needs to accomplish their goals. For a hiring manager, a job title represents what the candidate will do and how the role relates to and benefits the rest of the company.
Coworkers can identify what a new hire does by their job title. It lets coworkers know how closely they will or will not work with a candidate, and it provides insights into the person’s background and skill level.
Clients or customers may make certain judgments about someone’s abilities based on their job titles. Sometimes, the simple addition of “senior” to a job title can make a substantial difference in attitudes and treatment. If someone wants to talk to a manager about a problem, they may feel and show more respect to a senior manager.

Common Mistakes in Creating Job Titles

Creating a job title may not sit at the top of your to-do list when a manager or project leader requests a new team member. You just want to fill the position as quickly, effectively, and efficiently as possible.

But the job title is part of getting it right. It’s a bit part, and it’s easier to make mistakes than you might think.

Here are a few common mistakes top hiring managers make when creating and accurately depicting job titles:

Too Much Information. Providing too many details will likely overwhelm or turn off candidates. One example is adding details that micro-target candidates, like this one in healthcare: RN-ICU-8 am-3 pm M-F-Sign-on Bonus.
Buzzwords and Other Trendy Flights of Fancy. It’s best to stick with classic job title terminology. Not everyone follows trends and buzzwords, so it’s best to keep it traditional and professional.
Too Many Levels. Perhaps you’ve seen job descriptions for software developers. It can become overwhelming seeing Software Developer I, Software Developer II, etc. Again, the goal is to keep things short, sweet, and to the point. Give the basic title, and expand the description in the description.

The Benefits of Optimizing Job Titles

Optimized job titles provide clarity. Job seekers are often stressed out and tired of trying to mine great jobs from a sea of overly complicated titles.

When you use SEO optimization for job titles, you can improve the user experience by making the title easily understandable. You will find that candidates are more likely to respond to and engage with job postings and titles that get straight to the point and don’t waste their time.

Optimizing Your Job Titles to Reach Desired Candidates

Have you noticed a drop-off in applications for certain job titles? Maybe it’s time to review your strategy and practice job title optimization. You might also take the proactive approach and get in touch with us today! We can help you write a winning job description, interview qualified candidates, and hire the right people.