When creating an advert for a recruiting campaign, how much time do you spend considering the job title you use? If your answer is “effectively none” or “very little,” you’re not alone. But there’s a hidden link between job titles and candidate engagement that you really can’t afford to ignore.
UK job seekers are most likely to prioritise factors like work-life balance, job stability, and salary when deciding whether to apply for a job — or accept an employment offer. So does the job title in your advert really matter? It does, and more than you’d think.
Our data indicates that changing a job title can substantially affect candidate engagement and application rates.
Real World Results
Before Hirematic’s AI optimisation of titles, descriptions, and geotargeting
| Days: | 359 |
| Total applications: | 1,899 |
| Average applications/day: | 5 |
| Total budget: | £3,798 |
| Cost per application: | £2 |
After Hirematic’s AI optimisation of titles, descriptions, and geotargeting
| Days: | 225 |
| Total applications: | 4,500 |
| Average applications/day: | 20 |
| Total budget: | £5,400 |
| Cost per application: | £1.20 |
The right title can capture attention and make the position more appealing, increasing the pool of qualified applications your team receives, while the wrong title can leave applicants feeling like they are over- or underqualified — or not sure what the position even entails.
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How to Write a Job Title That Boosts Engagement
So how do you ensure your recruitment campaign isn’t derailed by ineffective or misleading job titles? Here are a few steps you can take:
- Use the right keywords: Incorporating popular job-seeking search terms into your job title increases the likelihood that applicants will find and read your ad.
- Standardise your language: Job titles across industries evolve over time, even when the position doesn’t change significantly. (Your former salespeople might now be customer success representatives.) Use language that aligns with the rest of your industry to avoid looking out of touch.
- Don’t overcomplicate things: Clear, concise job titles accurately convey what is expected of successful candidates. Someone who works as a painter might enjoy telling others they are a “Colour Distribution Technician,” but an ad with that title will more than likely confuse your audience.
- Be specific: Words like “expert” and “engineer” don’t convey what the position entails or what levels of skill, training, or experience are required. Avoid vague language to ensure applicants are confident they understand what you’re looking for.
- Avoid spammy phrases and buzzwords: Potential applicants aren’t the only ones filtering online job ads based on their titles. Many job boards and social media platforms utilise algorithms to hide posts they deem fraudulent. Check platform standards to confirm you haven’t gone overboard on the buzzwords.
- Avoid internal jargon: The titles and acronyms your organisation uses may not be broadly understood by outsiders. Draw from existing internal descriptions of roles and responsibilities to craft your advert, but make sure the title will be recognisable to qualified candidates who aren’t already immersed in your company culture.
- Don’t be cute: Overly casual or creative job titles may seem like a great way to reflect your brand’s personality, but they can also dramatically reduce the number of people who see your ad. You’re looking for “rockstars”? Great — but most applicants aren’t searching for jobs with that title.
- Beware of bias: Some candidates will disqualify themselves from a position — in some cases, without even realising it — because of the language used in your advert, including the title. Review your ad title before posting and replace any words or phrases that suggest you’re seeking applicants of a specific gender, ethnicity, identity, or ability — unless those factors are directly related to the job.
- A/B test your titles: Still not sure which job title will boost engagement with your recruitment campaign? Try running two versions of your ad, keeping everything the same but the title. The results should help identify what resonates with your target audience.
AI: The Intelligent Way to Optimise Job Titles
Taking all — or some — of the nine steps discussed in this post can help hiring teams increase job ad engagement and application rates. But not every recruiter has the time to perform keyword research and check what job titles are trending in their industry or on social media. And that’s where the power of AI can help.
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Hirematic’s AI-powered system reviews your job ad and predicts its engagement score before you post it, ranking it on the likelihood that job seekers will click on it. Once your post is ranked, the tool recommends alternate job titles that match your description — but that will dramatically increase application rates — using data from millions of jobs across a vast network of sources.
Are you ready to leverage the power of AI to enhance the performance of your recruitment campaigns? The Hirematic platform makes it easy and affordable to optimise your hiring efforts using today’s technology. Contact our team to learn more, or book a customised demo to see it in action.
