How to Create Great Job Titles - Glassdoor for Employers (2024)

The task of writing job titles can be challenging, to say the least. The best job title conveys not only the job itself but the experience and skills needed to do it. It's search friendly and relatable - a moniker that anyone could understand, even if they're not familiar with your company. And it's enticing -the kind of job title that makes someone want to click a link and learn even more.

How can you create an exceptional, engaging job title? Read on to find out.

Be specific and clear.

In the article "5 Rules for Effective Job Titles," Leonard Palomino writes that job titles are the first thing job seekers see, and because of that, "the job title [has the] greatest impact on whether candidates will click on a listing." Palomino encourages employers to keep the job title simple and to-the-point to avoid confusion and entice prospective job seekers to read further.

He also says that abbreviations can breed confusion: After all, not all job seekers will know that "mgr." is an abbreviation for "manager." It's best to spell out all titles, Palomino explains.

Keep it short.

An analysis of 400,000 job seekers searching job advertisem*nts found that the most-clicked job titles had between 50 to 60 characters, according to Chris Forman's article, "Long Job Descriptions and Titles Can Hurt You. And So Can Short Ones." In fact, these shorter, snappier job titles outperformed longer job titles by as much as 30 to 40 percent, Forman writes.

What does that mean for the job titles you write? Keep them shorter, and you'll get more clicks.

That said, don't skimp on the job details. Forman writes that "clear and descriptive [job] title content may have greater influence on a candidate's decision to apply" than a job title's length.

Related: How to Write the Ultimate Job Description

Include keywords.

Focusing on keywords is an important aspect of creating a job title that draws in applicants.

As Alison Doyle explains in the article, "Learn About the Different Types of Job Titles," using commonly searched keywords in job titles can draw the right job seekers in. "Using keywords to job search will help refine your search to quickly find jobs that are a match," she writes. "You can use job titles to narrow down jobs you're interested in based on responsibilities or level."

Choose the keywords that make the most sense for the position: Some job titles may focus on the job's function, Doyle writes, while others focus on its level - and others will focus on both.

You should also choose keywords that make the job title most easy to locate: Pick keywords that are commonplace and easily recognizable, rather than simply eye-catching, to get more clicks.

Related: Writing an Employee Survey? Here Are Three Questions You Should Include

Use the job description to get creative.

Since an employer can get dinged for using creative titles that won't be easily discovered during keyword searches, one solution may be to expand on the position title within its description.

For example, you may want to use the most crisp and commonly used job title to attract and draw job seekers in, then entice them further with a compelling job description that appeals to their goals for career advancement, innovation, digital exploration, or people influencing.

Others may opt to take a calculated risk and blend both strategic and creative wording when creating a position title - a commonplace title spiced up with a bit of flair to draw in job seekers who may otherwise continue looking for a more well-developed title and opportunity. (A quick functional keyword search on Glassdoor's Jobs link can help get your creative juices flowing.)

Need more inspiration? Read these job description templates:

• Account Executive Job Description
• Marketing Manager Job Description
• Analytics Manager Job Description
• Software Engineer Job Description
• Physician Job Description
• Tax Manager Job Description
• Physical Therapist Job Description
• Data Scientist Job Description
• Data Engineer Job Description