Diversity and Inclusivity in job advertising

Diversity and Inclusivity in job advertising

Practising inclusive advertising takes more than adhering to the laws and guidelines on what you can and cannot include in an advertisement. The subtleties of language and ad content are essential in ensuring people of all different backgrounds feel welcome in applying to the role based on their experience, skills and professional suitability to the job.

What is inclusive advertising and why is it important?

Inclusive recruitment practice is connecting with, assessing and selecting diversity in individuals during the recruitment process.

This starts with the organisational and individual practices that value diversity and are bias free. Inclusive advertising aims to welcome candidates regardless of sex, age, ethnicity, religion, economic status or disability to apply for a role that complements their skills and work experience.

The advertising stage of the recruitment process has a huge influence in reconstructing biases in the workplace and society. When done correctly and mindfully, recruiting with inclusivity at the forefront of mind will allow for tremendous benefits not only for diversifying workplace culture but deconstructing stereotypes and biases in our current society.

Inclusive language

Using language that is clear, concise and neutral is essential. It has been shown that words associated with masculine or feminine stereotype undertones can influence a candidate pool. Words like ‘competitive’, ‘dominate’ and ‘driven’, could attract men while ‘supportive’, ‘compassionate’ and ‘caring’ could attract more women.

This is the same for age biases, such as ‘up and coming’ or ‘go getter’, which can insinuate a desire for younger applicants and dissuade mature candidates from applying. Instead use language to describe the duties and expectations of the job and the specific, required qualifications. For example, neutral titles like ‘engineer’, project manager’ or ‘developer’. Using neutral language will not only help avoid bias, but signals to candidates your organisation’s understanding of the value of an inclusive and diverse workplace.

Instead of this…          Consider this…

Businessman               Businessperson

Cameraman                 Camera Operator

Construction man        Construction Operator

Chairman                     Chairperson

Fireman                        Firefighter

There are great tools out there that will decode your writing and come back with feedback on how it could be more inclusive:

• Inclusive Language Tool for disability inclusivity awareness – https://inclusiveness.thefield.jobs/
• Gender Decoder for gender neutrality – https://gender-decoder.katmatfield.com/

Mention role benefits

As well as including the required skills and information of the role, make sure the job ad welcomes candidates of all abilities and circumstances through including a list of benefits of being a part of the company. These may include paid parental leave, paid family sick leave or flexible working arrangements. These benefits go a long way in supporting diversity and inclusivity in the workplace.

Include essential job requirements only

Consider what skills and experience are essential in being successful for the role and leave out the rest.

Research shows that the longer a job ad is, the less candidates apply, which can lead to a decrease in diversity, within the candidate pool. For example, women will typically apply for a job only when they meet all the requirements and qualifications, whereas men are likely to apply to jobs once they meet just 60%.

Evaluate what the concrete skills are and what other skills can be taught during the training period.

Emphasise your commitment to Diversity and Inclusion

It’s a good idea to let your applicants know you are taking strides to become more welcoming and inclusive in the workplace. Stating your commitment to diversity and inclusivity as well as demonstrating how you are taking action to achieve this will encourage a diversified pool of candidates.

Conclusion

Through building an environment that values differences, recruiters can attract talented candidates that come with a wide range of perspectives, knowledge and ideas in an environment that feels comfortable to voice them. This leads to overall higher productivity and improved employee retention.

We all have biases that can be unconscious and unintentional. Reviewing your job ads to be more inclusive and raising awareness in the workplace on the value of diversity and inclusivity will in turn have remarkable benefits for the organisation.

References

https://wfanet.org/knowledge/item/2022/01/21/WFA-launches-guide-to-diversity-and-representation-in-media-planning-and-buying

https://www.kantar.com/inspiration/advertising-media/the-power-of-inclusion-and-diversity-in-advertising?utm_source=linkedin&utm_medium=social&utm_source=linkedin&utm_medium=social&utm_content=inspiration&utm_campaign=best-of-2021

https://www.shrm.org/hr-today/news/hr-magazine/pages/0601thaler-carter.aspx

https://hr.fas.harvard.edu/files/fas-hr/files/recruiting_for_diversity_9.17.13_0.pdf

https://www.techtarget.com/searchhrsoftware/feature/How-to-create-effective-and-inclusive-job-ads-4-tips

https://creativeaccess.org.uk/latest/how-to-write-an-inclusive-job-advert