TL;DR
The Job Title filter controls who inside a company you reach.
Start with leadership titles, then add department-specific roles.
Keep Contains mode ON for almost all searches.
Avoid generic titles like "Director" by themselves.
When you'd use this / Why it matters
Your outreach only works if it reaches someone who can say yes. Job Titles directly controls list quality, reply rates, and deal velocity.
Step 1: Start with true decision-makers
For most B2B offers, owners and executives can approve budgets immediately.
Always include:
CEO
Founder
Co-Founder
Owner
President
Managing Director
Principal
Partner
Chairman
These titles work well with Contains. Watch for Partner and Principal, which can also match titles like Channel Partner Manager or Principal Engineer.
Titles you should NOT use alone
❌ Never use "Director" by itself. With Contains enabled, it will match Creative Director, Funeral Director, Facilities Director, and other unrelated roles.
Safe only when paired with a department:
Marketing Director
Sales Director
Operations Director
HR Director
IT Director
Finance Director
Step 2: Add titles matching your service
Add roles that directly feel the pain your service solves: Marketing, Sales, Operations, HR, or IT titles depending on your offer.
Rule of thumb: If a role could logically feel the problem your service solves, include it. Better to include 8–15 relevant titles than miss buyers.
Examples by service:
Marketing: CMO, VP Marketing, Head of Marketing, Marketing Manager, Growth Manager, Performance Marketing Manager
Sales: VP Sales, Head of Sales, Sales Manager, Business Development Manager
Operations: COO, Head of Operations, Operations Manager
HR: Head of HR, HR Manager, Talent Acquisition Manager
IT: CTO, VP Engineering, Head of IT, IT Manager
Not sure which titles to use? Try AI Job Titles Search under People filters.
Contains vs. Exact Match
Contains (recommended, default)
Typing "CEO" matches "CEO," "CEO / Founder," "Interim CEO," and other variants. Job titles are inconsistent, so this catches the real-world variety.
Exact Match (use sparingly)
Use only when you need strict control, for example only "SDR," not "Senior SDR." If you don't have a specific reason, leave Contains on.
What is seniority-level targeting?
Search has a Seniority Level filter under People filters (for example Owner, C-Level, VP, Director, Manager), plus a Department filter. Use them with Job Title, or build seniority into your title list:
C-Suite/Executive: CEO, Founder, President, COO, CTO, CMO
VP-level: VP Sales, VP Marketing, VP Engineering
Director-level: Marketing Director, Sales Director (always paired with department)
Manager-level: Marketing Manager, Operations Manager, HR Manager
The Seniority Level list has overlapping options, such as VP and Vice President (VP), or C-Level, CXO and Chief X Officer (CXO). Select every variant of the level you want.
Expected outcome
You should now be able to:
Build a job title list that captures both leadership and department-specific roles
Avoid title pollution from generic terms
Target seniority with the Seniority Level filter or your title list
Troubleshooting / FAQs
How many job titles should I include?
Typically 8–15 per search, depending on your offer.
Why am I seeing irrelevant roles?
You're likely using a generic title (like "Director") without a department attached.
Should I include junior roles?
Only if they influence or champion purchases (for example, SDRs for a sales tool).
Can I reuse job title lists?
Yes. Save the filter set with Saved filters. See: How do I save and reuse a search in ListKit?
Is there a dedicated Seniority filter?
Yes. Seniority Level is a People filter in Search, next to Department.