You never get a second chance to make a first impression. It’s a statement most job seekers have heard more than once from career counselors and employment experts in regard to submitting resumes and preparing for interviews. However, it’s equally applicable to employers. Whether you’re a hotel hiring manager or a recruiter for a national restaurant chain, the job title you include when posting positions online can make or break your chances of finding the right candidate. Consider the following tips for cooking up titles that attract rather than deter hospitality professionals.
1. Start with keywords
Whether you’re targeting candidates who are using Google to search for their next opportunity or posting positions on a hospitality career website such as Hcareers, you must include relevant keywords in the job title if you want anyone to see the posting. Use the right ones and you’ll appear higher in the search results; omit them and you won’t appear at all. Packing in too many can be detrimental, so aim for three to four. For example, instead of titling the job “Chef,” you might want to enter “Private Executive Chef” or “Executive Sous Chef.”
2. Spell it out
Most candidates will enter complete words into the search tool when looking for a job so avoid abbreviating your keywords. For example, rather than “Sr. Hotel Manager,” use “Senior Hotel Manager.” Similarly, it’s best to skip the acronyms. Not only can they confuse the search engines, preventing your job posting from receiving maximum exposure, but they may also be less than clear to job seekers. “Food and Beverage Server” is likely to rank better within search results and appeal to more candidates than “F&B Server.”
3. Keep it simple
Though hospitality candidates care about pay, including wage information in the job title will lead to unnecessary clutter. A desk clerk is unlikely to search for “Desk Clerk Job $10 an Hour,” and such a title may even land your posting lower in the list of search results. However, thanks to specific fields included with each Hcareers job advertisement, you can enter details such as your geographic location, company name, and pay range that will appear next to the job title when candidates scroll through opportunities.
4. Add terms that describe the experience level required
You want to keep your hospitality job titles short and sweet, but no hiring manager likes wasting his or her time reviewing the applications of underqualified candidates. Increase the suitability of those who respond to your job posting by including appropriate descriptors in your job title. For example, if you’re looking for an experienced steward, say so (“Lead Kitchen Steward” “Executive Steward” or “Chief Steward”). If you’d be happy to hire one who has never had his hands wet, let job seekers know (“Entry-Level Steward”).
5. Add terms that describe the schedule required
Hospitality professionals seeking part-time positions, weekend-only work, night shift positions, and temporary employment are likely to include “Part Time” within their search terms in order to narrow the list of jobs returned. Consider adding “Part Time,” “Weekends Only,” “Night Shift,” “Temporary,” “Seasonal”, and other appropriate descriptors to your job title to increase your chances of connecting with the right candidates. For example, if you’re seeking a part-time employee to help with building and equipment repairs, you can list your job ad as “Hotel Maintenance – Part-Time.”