An advert is found through search before it is read. If the title does not match what a candidate types, the advert is never seen, however good the role is.
Use the title candidates use
Look at how similar roles are titled on job boards and on the CVs of people you would like to hire. Choose the common title, and put any internal title in brackets or the summary if you need it for your own records.
Keep seniority accurate
Do not call a supervisory role a “manager” to attract more applicants. The wrong people apply, interviews are wasted, and the offer is disputed later. If the level matters, put it in the summary or the requirements.
Title: Accounts Officer
Location: Ikeja, Lagos (on-site, Monday to Friday)
Level: two to four years of accounts experience
Add the location and the work pattern
Candidates filter by place and by pattern, so put the city, the work arrangement and the hours in the title block. A candidate who cannot relocate will not apply, which is the outcome you want.
Test the title on a search
Type the title you have chosen into a job board and look at the first results. If the adverts that rank highest use different words, consider adding those words to the title or to the first line of the advert. Your aim is to match how candidates search, not to invent a title that only makes sense inside your company.
Keep internal grades out of the public title. A code such as L4 or Band 3 means little to a candidate. Put the grade in the description only if it affects pay or responsibility, and say which one it is.
Avoid slang, internal project names and jokes. A title that a candidate has to decode is a title that will be skipped. Plain words, a clear level and the location are almost always enough.
- Use the job family candidates search for, such as Accountant or Driver.
- Add a level only when it is real, such as Senior or Assistant.
- Add the location where it helps, such as Lagos or Remote.