The primary goal of posting a job on the internet is having qualified applicants find the job and apply to it. But how can you put your company’s job postings in the best position to be seen by prized applicants?
One solution is simple – use job-seeker-friendly job titles and job descriptions.
Successful content on the internet (and your job postings certainly qualify as content) is largely driven by search results. If job seekers can’t find your openings in search results, how can they apply to it?
Utilizing job titles and job descriptions that match what applicants are actually searching for could significantly increase the probability of star applicants finding your openings.
But if common sense or this blog entry isn’t enough persuasion, you can check out what Indeed.com (the largest job board aggregator in the world, so it has plenty of data to rely on) had to say about the topic a few months ago here.
With respect to job titles, Indeed.com has four simple recommendations:
(1) avoid using internal titles;
(2) refrain from using abbreviations or acronyms;
(3) describe the actual work being performed; and
(4) mention the level of the position in the title (Entry Level, Senior, etc.).
With respect to job descriptions, Indeed.com recommends keeping them concise but descriptive, include keywords, describe the duties the applicant will be performing (so the applicants can match their skills sets versus your expectations), and cite specific requirements if your company has them in terms of education, experience, certifications, etc.
If you have any questions about what keywords and phrases work best, you can always run a quick search on Google or Indeed.com to see what phrases generate the best results.
If you are still stuck, put yourself in the shoes of an applicant – what terms would you search for?
Your next key hire could be one search away. Are you maximizing the odds that person will find your opening?