Catchy Headlines for Job Ads With Examples
My team loves A/B testing, and one of our favorite places to use it is with job ads. Recently, we tested two headlines for a junior-level business development posting on social media:
Headline A: Business development opening
Headline B: Work from anywhere helping win new contracts
Can you guess which was the winner? Headline B received nearly twice as many click-throughs.
Though there’s nothing wrong with headline A–it’s clear and straightforward–headline B accomplishes more. It offers a compelling value proposition (remote work) and describes the job duties (win new contracts). If you want to get more eyes on your job ads without spending more money, catchy headlines are the way to do it.
Engaging headlines like option B above can help you reach a wider audience, narrow down your candidate pool, and increase your application completion rate. We’ll break down different headline-writing strategies, explain why they work, and share more than 45 examples you can use for inspiration.
Why Headlines Matter in Job Ads
Optimize conversions
With online job posts, finding the right candidate is a numbers game.
It comes down to conversion rate–the portion of people from a total pool who will complete the desired action, like clicking on a job ad or filling out an application. A normal conversion rate is between 1 and 2%.
So, let’s say you have an optimal conversion rate of around 2%. Of all the people who see your job ad, 2% of them will click through to view the full description. And 2% of those people will fill out an application.
My team uses these benchmarks to work backward and figure out how many people we need to reach with an ad. Here’s an example.
If our goal is to get 5 qualified applicants, that means we need 250 people to read the job posting (5 = 2% of 250). In order to get 250 people to click through and view the posting, 12,500 people need to see the ad (250 = 2% of 12,500).
That’s a big audience, and if you’ve ever run job ads, you know reaching more people costs more money. It’s in your best interest to optimize conversions by turning as many viewers as possible into applicants. Catchy headlines can help you do it.
Related: How to Leverage Data to Improve Your Recruitment Process
Simplify screening
On the other hand, maybe you have the opposite problem–too many applications from ill-fitting candidates to sift through. Writing better job headlines will help with this challenge, too.
When your headline is too generic, you encourage blanket applications from candidates who figure “it’s worth a shot.” This creates more work for your hiring team and eats up resources. Compelling, role-specific headlines will help narrow your applicant pool, improving the quality and suitability of your candidates and reducing the time and labor you spend on hiring.
See how our recruiting process delivers the perfect candidate for your team.
What Makes a Good Job Advertisement?
Describes the job
You don’t have to be a professional copywriter to craft great headlines. Simple often works best. My team uses this basic three-point checklist.
1. Describe the job
A good job ad makes it clear what the position is. Giving the job title is usually best, but in cases where you’re looking to expand your candidate pool, a broader description can work (i.e., ‘marketing professional’ versus ‘account manager’).
2. Convey the required experience
Weed out unqualified candidates by defining how much experience is required. You can state a specific number of years or give an idea of the seniority level with words like ‘entry-level,’ ‘junior,’ ‘experienced,’ ‘seasoned,’ ‘mid-level,’ ‘senior,’ and ‘executive.’
Related: How to Write a Job Description to Attract Top Candidates
3. Promote your selling points
Why would a candidate want to work for your company? Just as any good marketing language tells the customer what’s in it for them if they buy, your job headline should communicate the benefits of becoming an employee to prospective applicants.
Here’s an example of a headline that incorporates all of the above elements: Entry-Level Executive Assistant – High Growth Potential
It names the job, conveys that it’s a junior-level position, and alludes to the idea that there’s an opportunity for the right candidate to grow with the company.
The above formula is a great starting point for creating basic headlines that get the job done, but ideally, you want to go a little further to stand out. Next, we’ll share tips for spicing up your job headline while still zeroing in on the right candidates.
How to Write Catchy Headlines for Job Ads
Say what you’re looking for
What exactly are you looking for? What are the must-haves? Outline three to five of the most important qualifications for the job to help candidates rule themselves in or out of the running, then create headline variations that incorporate them. You can also do this by summing up what the day-to-day work entails.
Examples:
- Social Media Manager With B2B Expertise
- Social Media Manager With 3 Years of Experience
- Manage LinkedIn Presence For SaaS Firm
- Senior Social Media Pro To Manage $50K Ad Strategy
- Creative Social Media Manager – Build B2B Brand Following
- Boost Social Engagement & Drive Growth For B2B SaaS Brand
Define your value proposition
Showcasing what makes your company a great place to work can catch the eye of discerning job seekers. Your existing employees can be a valuable source of insight and can even provide direct quotes that can be used as a testimonial-style headline.
Examples:
- Expand Your Skills And Make Lasting Connections
- Work For An Employer That Prioritizes Your Growth
- “The most supportive team I’ve ever worked on.”
- More Than Just A Job – A Meaningful Career
- We Invest In You: Paid Upskilling And Reskilling
- “It’s amazing to feel valued and recognized at work.”
Speak to your target candidate
Sometimes, it’s actually beneficial to go narrower with your job ads with language that makes the perfect candidate immediately stop and say, “That’s me!” It’s only possible if you get uber-specific with wording that speaks directly to their situation.
Examples:
- Easily Commute From Midtown
- Stay-At-Home Mom? Earn Part-Time Income
- Jump-Start Your Career In Finance
- Need A Night Job? 3rd Shift Hiring Now
- Get Started In Real Estate With 0 Experience
- Career Switchers: Find A New Path In Project Management
Incorporate your mission
The best candidates are those who are in it for more than just a paycheck. Give your work meaning by sharing a little context on your core values or the mission candidates would be contributing to as part of your team.
Examples:
- Help Revitalize Downtown Detroit
- Our Hospice Nurses Change Lives
- Bring The Arts To Underserved Communities
- Become An Affordable Housing Advocate
- Make A Difference For At-Risk Kids
- Work With Us To Bridge The Healthcare Gap
Showcase your perks
Keeping an eye on your competition should be an ongoing part of your recruiting strategy. As such, you should have a pretty good idea of what you offer that others in your field don’t.
For example, maybe you know your top competitor pays a bit more, but you offer unlimited time off. This is a great perk to showcase in your job ads.
Examples:
- $10K Sign-On Bonus!
- Set Your Own Hours
- Work-Life Balance? Find It Here
- Competitive Pay, Full 401(k) Matching
- Comprehensive Mental Health Benefits
- Work From Anywhere In The D.C. Metro Area
Related: In-Demand Perks and Benefits
Include key details
There’s nothing worse than finding a great candidate only to learn that some defining part of the job makes it a deal-breaker. To avoid this, call out important information that could make or break the position for certain applicants, like if it’s part-time, remote, or requires nonstandard hours.
Examples:
- Seasoned Warehouse Manager – Overnight Shift
- Part-Time Retail Associate With Holiday Availability
- Regional Sales Manager – 50% Travel
- Tech Support Associate: Phone Skills A Must
- Seeking Administrative Assistant Fluent In Mandarin
Create urgency
Speeding up your hiring timeline not only fills vacancies faster, it reduces hiring costs and minimizes business disruptions. Build a sense of urgency into your job ad to convince would-be applicants to apply now instead of coming back later.
Examples:
- Wanted: Sales Associates To Start Immediately
- Hiring ASAP: Experienced Data Analyst
- CDL Truck Drivers: Interviewing This Week
- Time Sensitive! Software Engineering Lead
- Urgently Needed: Restaurant Managers For Franchise Expansion
- Remote + Flexible. Don’t Wait!
Be different
Most job ads use the same type of language and repeat standard phrases. You can make your posting jump out and entice job seekers to click through by doing something completely different, like highlighting a unique element of your company culture or calling out an unexpected perk.
Examples:
- Get Paid To Scroll!
- Bring Your Cat To Work
- Work From Home–Or Bali
- No Boring Meetings That Could’ve Been An Email
- Love Organizing Chaos? Our Team Needs You
- Turn Your Passion For Painting Into A Paycheck
Like I said at the beginning of this post, A/B testing is your friend. Don’t take the first headline you write and run with it. I suggest using the tips above to create two or more headlines for each job, then track their performance against one another. With ongoing testing, you’ll learn what type of headlines work best to attract your ideal candidate, leading to less work, more accurate hiring and greater ROI from your job ads.
