What is a job title?
A job title is a short name for a specific position within your company. The goal of a job title is to describe in a few words what the position entails in terms of responsibilities or expectations. Job titles can also indicate where a particular position fits into the overall work hierarchy, also known as the organizational hierarchy. C-level job titles, such as CEO and CFO, indicate that the individual is part of senior management. Other common executive roles in the organizational hierarchy include vice presidents, chief financial officer, and chief technology officer. Job titles often indicate the department to which a role belongs, such as HR, Marketing, or IT, while titles with words such as assistant or junior might indicate that the job is an entry-level position.
The importance of a job title
The job title is the first thing potential employees see when they are hunting for work. Choosing the right job titles is crucial, as it helps attract the right candidates who meet the specific requirements and align with your company’s hierarchy and industry standards. The job title can also help job applicants decide whether your company is a good fit for them, particularly if you choose a creative title that showcases your overall brand personality and reflects your company culture.
Job titles have importance within the workplace as well as during the job search. They can help others within your organization understand a particular employee’s role, especially by clarifying responsibilities within different departments. A change in title can indicate when an employee has taken on more responsibility. Outside contacts, such as vendors and clients, use job titles to determine who they need to talk to when they have specific questions or needs, and employers use job titles to communicate organizational structure and authority.
Guidelines for developing the best job title for a role
Conducting thorough research into job titles and current market trends is essential before developing new titles. There are some basic guidelines for developing job titles and job specifications that help you find the right employees for open positions. Keep in mind that these guidelines may vary across different industries, so it’s important to use industry-specific terminology when appropriate. Maintaining consistent job titles across your organization ensures clarity and comparability. When creating job titles, always consider the required experience level to attract suitable candidates. Here are eight rules for writing a job title. Following these guidelines will help you create effective job titles that support your talent acquisition efforts.
1. Keep the focus on what the job entails
Make it clear from the title what the specific job requires. Before finalizing the title, identify the skills required for the position to ensure it accurately reflects the role. Understanding the necessary skills and skill sets helps you develop your job description so you know exactly what to include or exclude.
2. Avoid abbreviations and industry jargon
Because not every job seeker uses the same abbreviations or knows specific industry terms, it’s best to avoid these in job titles unless they are extremely well known. Commonly used acronyms, such as RN, HR or VP, are fine to use because the vast majority of job seekers already know what they mean. Organizations like the federal government also use standardized abbreviations and job titles to maintain consistency across roles.
3. Include common job keywords
Job seekers who are searching for positions that fit their qualifications typically use specific keywords associated with the role they hope to get. Words such as editor, analyst, manager, and assistant ensure that your particular listing appears when job seekers look for those words.
Including other job titles or different job titles that candidates might search for in your job post can help your listing appear in more searches. Referencing similar jobs or related roles in your post can also broaden its reach and attract a wider pool of qualified candidates. Using common job titles makes it easier for candidates to match their resume to your job post, ensuring clarity and increasing the chances of attracting the right applicants.
4. Include the level of seniority required
Words such as senior, junior, and assistant help clarify the experience level required for the position in your job ad, ensuring that expectations about responsibility and compensation are clear. Clearly specifying the experience level also helps attract many candidates who are a good fit, while discouraging those who are underqualified or overqualified from applying.
5. Be wary about informal wording
Casual, cute or creative wording in a job title can bring out your brand personality but they wreak havoc when it comes to fitting your job description into a search engine. Business titles tend to be more formal and are more likely to be recognized by job seekers. A job title that seeks a marketing guru or IT rock star might seem to present a fun vibe, but it also keeps your listing hidden when people search for marketing consultant or IT analyst positions. If the ideal job candidate never sees your job placement ad, you may miss out on finding the perfect hire.
6. Leave out unnecessary information
Job titles have two main functions: to appear in job searches and to attract high-quality applicants. Paying attention to detail in the job title can significantly improve the quality of applicants by ensuring the most relevant information is highlighted. Extraneous details such as numerical job codes, salary information and location can be conveyed in other parts of your job ad instead of in the job title.
7. Choose the right length
Job titles that are too long or too short can suffer in searches and reduce the chances of a candidate clicking to see the full job posting. Try to keep within a range of 50 to 60 characters, and avoid going over 80 characters if at all possible.
8. Avoid outdated terms or titles with inherent presumptions
Many common job titles have changed over the years to reflect changing societal attitudes. As an example, the job title of clerk has been replaced by office assistant or clerical associate. Modern job titles also tend to avoid gendered terms, such as using server instead of waitress and camera operator instead of cameraman.
Examples of new titles include software engineer, developer, engineer, engineers, lead, director, administrative assistant, marketing assistant, marketing specialist, digital marketing specialist, and individual contributors. These new titles reflect evolving roles in today’s workplace.
Effective and creative job titles
Getting creative with job titles is a tactic used by some companies, businesses, and organizations to recruit talent, support talent acquisition, and attract candidates with innovative ideas and exciting personalities. Choosing the right job title is important, as it not only helps attract suitable candidates but also reflects the role’s function and can influence career progression and support long-term careers. Creative job titles can inspire career growth and help individuals align their career paths with organizational goals. Here are some examples of creative job titles that businesses and organizations use to stand out and attract top talent:
Some things to consider when developing creative job titles include:
Match the job title to the type of work
Creative fields and positions offer more opportunities for creative job titles than some traditionally formal positions. You can probably get away with a listing for a Marketing Cheerleader or a Digital Design Diva because those jobs involve a lot of creativity and flair. Matching the job title to the type of work helps candidates make sense of the role and its requirements, ensuring they understand what is expected. Someone in search of a senior management position in a more formal workplace might not click on a job for a Mischief Manager.
Create job titles unique to your company
Some companies have developed creative job titles specific to their company. For example, Starbucks has baristas instead of food service associates, Disney has cast members throughout their parks instead of staff, and Apple hires geniuses instead of service technicians. This type of creative job titling works best when you have multiple people who fulfill a similar role, so the name becomes well-known in your industry. However, even when creating unique job titles, it’s important to ensure they are consistent with your company’s overall titling strategy to maintain clarity and comparability.
Make sure your job title isn’t meaningless
The best job titles capture attention and also make the employee’s role crystal clear. Meaningful job titles help candidates accurately represent their roles on their LinkedIn profile, making it easier for recruiters to find them using relevant keywords. The Starbucks version of a person who makes coffee, barista, is an actual Italian word for bartender, so there is a relevant meaning behind the title. Titles that don’t have an association with the actual job or that add confusion to the job description tend to drive potential hires away. When preparing for interviews, candidates often refer to the job posting when stating their desired job title, ensuring their answers align with the specific position. A title such as Innovation Sherpa or Field Nourishment Consultant indicates little about what the job entails and leads the mind off on tangents that might give an inaccurate impression about job duties or responsibilities.
