Society is and always will be diverse. And that’s the ultimate truth, even if we skip cringe-inducing metaphors that depict each candidate as a unique snowflake (which we will). So, how do you promote this type of attitude? How will you show that diversity truly makes a massive difference? Start by learning how to write inclusive job ads.
An efficient, unbiased recruitment strategy is your best ally, and carefully composed roles and responsibilities are your most reliable tools. Now, get ready to learn a few simple recruiting and linguistic styles and approaches that will help you attract and hire more diverse people and build up a healthy, heterogeneous environment.
What is an inclusive job description?
There are a few secret ingredients to make any job description clear, engaging, and objective. It all starts with the right job title that shows what the role will actually look like. But there are also some key points to keep in mind when it comes to promoting diversity and inclusion. So, yes – you can take good care of these essential aspects through your postings.
Here’s the basic definition we’re bound to mention: an inclusive JD communicates the company’s genuine commitment to attract and retain a diverse pool of talents. Its aim is to allow potential hires to envision a successful career within a specific firm. Or, in much more simple terms – this type of job ad includes everyone and excludes no one.
A sneak peek into a successful future: Why is inclusive hiring important?
Writing and distributing an inclusive job posting can start a chain reaction – and lead to amazing results! Still, it’s only the beginning of a fantastic journey, so you will have to deal with other parts of your hiring process & make them better. How to do so?
Once you’re clear regarding your hiring needs and have outlined a fail-proof strategy, make sure to remove all bias from your resume screening, interviews, and all communication. Because what follows is worthy of every extra effort you’ve invested! Here’s what you can count on:
- Improved recruitment processes,
- Increased motivation and productivity,
- Stronger company culture,
- Better employee experience and engagement,
- More unique ideas and new approaches,
- Enhanced results and quick problem-solving,
And more!
Finally, your company will be recognized as an employer every job seeker will gladly meet and recommend. So, as turning candidates into brand ambassadors is the ultimate goal, promoting diversity through your actions, online presence, and inclusive job advertisement is the best possible way to reach it.
5 simple tips on how to write an inclusive job ad
So, how do you write an inclusive job ad? Well, there are a few ingredients you must add. And quite a few recipes for a disaster you can easily avoid. First, set up clear goals and make a strategy that will lead you toward them. Then, mind the language, be flexible, amplify your knowledge (and your employees’ awareness), and make sure you’re not excluding any individuals or groups from your pool. Now, let’s start from the beginning.
Inclusive job ads mean using a gender-neutral language
We’ve all heard of Buffer, a popular social media management tool. Well, according to their data from 2015, only 2% of their applicants for positions in development teams were female. This was a staggering discovery. However, they’ve got a clear idea of what went wrong pretty quickly. Their vacancies were promoted by using lots of male-coded words, like a “hacker.” And although this may sound like a long stretch, studies show that 55% of applicants actually do pay attention to the wording.
So, stop relying on words and phrases that have been associated with either the male or female gender throughout the years behind us. These terms could leave talents under a wrong impression, narrow down your pool of candidates, and make skill-based hiring impossible.
Best examples of inclusive job descriptions don’t include jargon
Remember those ridiculous LinkedIn titles that induce chuckles… or major cringe? Well, the same rules apply for all job titles and other sections of your JDs. Keep it nice and simple, and be very precise about the role and key requirements. Aside from avoiding terms like ninjas, lasers, pirates, and other epithets that are likely to lead to massive backlash, you should dodge some of the business jargon as well. Listings that rely heavily on corporate terminology used mainly by its staff can scare away some of the candidates. So, even though you are hoping for an experienced industry professional to apply, strive to attract them with phrases that are not strictly industry-specific.
Highlight policies and benefits that reflect your attitude toward diversity & inclusion
Employee benefits matter a lot when attracting, hiring, and retaining valuable team members. And the best and most comprehensive benefits packages involve a great deal of personalization. So, once you come up with the right approach, be sure to outline it in each JD and throughout the distribution process.
It’s best to start with the official mission statement. Align these key perks with it and showcase your values. Think about what your new hires and loyal teammates truly want and need. Is it more paid time off, increased flexibility, remote work, or something else? Creating a genuinely welcoming opportunity starts with a JD that’s thoughtful and considerate toward people with different backgrounds, aims, and necessities. Keep that in mind at all times.
Pro tip: organize diversity training for employees and mentor programs for people of underrepresented groups.
Speak out to people with disabilities
When focusing on making your recruitment tactics and JDs as unbiased and thoughtful as possible, you can’t afford to forget about candidates with physical or cognitive disabilities. These days, it’s not uncommon to spot a job posting that includes language that feels acceptive toward candidates of different ages, races, or gender. But some still seem exclusive to applicants with disabilities. So, if a role you’re recruiting for entails some hard work and physical aptitude, it’s best not to say it in terms of “must do some heavy lifting.” Instead, keep these points tied to a position itself – and not the candidates. That way, you won’t alienate talents with disabilities.
Pro tip: Use dyslexia-friendly fonts to reach out to “neurodivergent” candidates and inspire them to apply.
Spot & eliminate age, culture, and racial bias
Knowing how to write an inclusive job posting means seeing the red flags and spotting potential misunderstandings in a snap. Moreover, it means striving to truly understand what it’s like to feel left out and why some biases are so common yet so harmful.
Now, these are the key takeaways:
- Any racially or culturally explicit words or requirements shouldn’t be added to your JDs,
- Some dress code policies can also exclude specific groups of people, so be very careful when composing these expectations and rules,
- Certain language abilities are often phrased inadequately, like when companies look for native English speakers, while some of the non-natives possess tremendous knowledge and can often do the work equally well.
Now, we also have a massive need for digital natives these days. And if you’re hiring Gen Z candidates or Millennials, the odds are in your favor. You could entice a tech-savvy individual in a snap with a phrase like this. However, the term itself sounds like you’re recruiting someone who’s probably under 30. So, if you want a bigger pool of skilled industry professionals, rephrase and be more specific about the technologies, tools, or platforms you actually want them to be familiar with.
Bonus tip: Use a recruitment tool for inclusive language in job ads
All in-house recruiters and each recruitment agency are in need of a tool or two that will help them enhance their processes and get better results faster. So, when it comes to job postings that attract diverse candidates, recruitment automation tools come to the rescue!
Take a sneak peek at Textio. This solution is made to eliminate poorly written phrases and all biased speech from your JDs. It detects traces of narrow or partial lingo and offers better alternatives. So finally, it works like magic for your reputation and has a tremendously favorable impact in the long run since it encourages diverse applicants to submit their resumes.
Follow these easy steps & learn how to write inclusive job ads
Writing inclusive job ads and promoting diversity in the workplace is a tested way toward improved results, strong culture, and an awesome reputation. And these are just a few of the buzzworthy perks you’ll get. So be sure to use this simple guide and boost your results through unbiased and all-embracing recruitment strategies.
And if you’re looking for an expert team to help you out with this super important point: this is your chance to embrace the best practices and get honest, impartial ads.
