Since the recruitment process essentially begins with the job posting, you want to craft a compelling description — something that grabs the attention of those rockstar candidates you just can’t wait to hire.
Therefore, taking the time to create an inclusive job description is of utmost importance.
Carelessness in how you phrase things could mean you lose the best person for the position simply because the job listing sounded like it was created for one specific type of person.
To help you access a talent pool brimming with the best of the best, this step-by-step guide walks you through all you need to know to generate enticing and inclusive job descriptions.
How to Write Inclusive Job Descriptions
Companies who want to strengthen their existing teams and increase overall performance by creating a more diverse workforce must pay close attention to how they craft their job descriptions.
When writing inclusive descriptions, the goal is to convey a sense of belonging. You want to make every qualified candidate feel welcome and accepted for who they are so they can put all their attention towards doing excellent work.
Here are the biggest things to pay attention to when creating an inclusive and compelling job description:
1. Focus on Job-Related Skills and Abilities
When listing the skills you’re looking for, it’s important to emphasize the ones required for the job. Don’t list personality traits or attributes that aren’t relevant to success within the role.
For example, list technical knowledge requirements, collaboration or communication preferences, or anything directly related to the position.
Anything that’s not directly related (like a specific personality type) should be left out.
2. Use Gender-Neutral Language
Instead of using specific pronouns in your description, use gender-neutral language, subbing “their” for he or she. For example:
“The ideal candidate will be able to demonstrate their proficiency in…” is much more inclusive than if you were to say, “The ideal candidate will be able to demonstrate his or her proficiency in…”
Additionally, steer clear of gender-coded language. This wording is typically associated with or can be a stereotype of feminine or masculine traits and can allude to one gender or another without explicitly mentioning either.
3. Highlight Your Company’s Existing Employee Value Propositions
Listing all your existing EVPs is an excellent way to tempt qualified candidates while also showing them that you support a diverse workforce.
Along with the typical benefits, such as health and dental insurance, showcase any other perks or offerings your company provides. These can include parental leave or hybrid/remote work opportunities.
Mention all the benefits that align with your company culture: perhaps you encourage a healthy work-life balance amongst employees, or pride yourself on promoting from within. Maybe there are additional wellness-related incentives you provide, such as gym memberships, unlimited sick time, etc.
By supporting all types of people, each with their own goals and lifestyles, you’re showing that yours is an inclusive work environment. You’re demonstrating that equal opportunity initiatives are integral to your organization’s commitment to its employees.
4. Mention a Commitment to DEI Initiatives
Including a short blurb about your company’s current DEI program in the job ad can be helpful or adding a snippet about your existing DEI-related mission. This immediately lets potential candidates know that it’s an inclusive workplace with a serious commitment to eliminating gender and racial bias.
At the very least (and in compliance with state and federal law!), it’s important to note that you are an equal-opportunity employer and can make reasonable accommodations for people with disabilities in accordance with ADA regulations.
5. Focus on Culture Add
It used to be that companies sought a candidate who they deemed would fit in well with the culture, i.e., someone who was just like everyone else on the team.
This resulted in a lack of innovation and creative ingenuity, as teams of like-minded people were unable to match the high performance of their diverse counterparts.
When companies started looking for candidates who could add to their existing culture — bolstering creativity by bringing on diverse recruits with fresh new perspectives and ideas — the results spoke for themselves.
Diversity helped position these companies as a force to contend with. The diverse candidates brought new insight, which helped level up their problem-solving abilities and sharpen their ingenuity exponentially.
When considering the culture add perspective, take a look at your current culture and ask, what’s missing?
In what areas do you currently excel, and what is needed to help in areas where you’re struggling?
Then, do your best to craft your job listing in a way that speaks to the candidates who have what you’re looking to add to your existing culture, rather than someone who simply fits in.
See also: Why Culture Add Outweights Culture Fit
6. Pay Attention to the Writing
The tone used to write your job advertisements should be conversational in nature.
Avoid jargon, lingo, colloquialisms, or descriptions that could lead a qualified candidate to believe they’re unqualified, or wouldn’t fit in with company culture.
If possible, when listing the job requirements, omit limiting qualifications such as years of experience if it’s possible to do so without compromising the quality or integrity of the hire you’re seeking. An exact number of years can be somewhat arbitrary and hard to quantify.
If hands-on training is provided, make sure to add that to the job listing to let potential candidates know some skills will be taught.
The job title is also important. It’s the first thing people see, and they usually use it to determine if the position interests them.
Use the job title to draw candidates in, and showcase that you’re hoping to attract a diverse group of candidates.
7. Be Cognizant of the Wording
To make sure you’re creating inclusive job descriptions, it’s essential to re-read what you’ve written to ensure that it does not have anything that could be misconstrued as offensive or discriminatory, or contain any unconscious bias.
One trick for doing this is to read it from the perspective of different candidates:
How would a person with a non-binary gender, another ethnicity, or a completely different background interpret the job description?
If possible, ask hiring managers and others involved in the recruitment process to read it as well. This is a great way to ensure you don’t miss anything and double-check that it doesn’t come across as offensive.
Finally, avoid language that could be misinterpreted or contradict company values. For example, “fast-paced and highly competitive” contradicts values such as “work-life balance, wellness, and a supportive and inclusive environment.”
Make sure that there’s no confusion or contradictions over who you are and what your organization stands for.
Inclusive Job Description Template
Here is a helpful template for writing inclusive job descriptions that will attract top-tier candidates.
Feel free to modify it as needed to better suit your objectives.
The Job Title
Your title can indicate that you’re looking for people with diverse backgrounds. For example:
“Innovative Company Seeks Diverse Talent”
Avoid gendered titles like “mailman” or “waitress.”
Brief Welcome and Company Overview
Here’s where you can quickly mention your company values, initiatives, and commitment to ecological, social, and DEI principles.
Purpose of the Role
Include all the objectives and summarize how the position relates to the specific project or overall company goals. It’s also important to list the hourly pay or salary range.
Key Responsibilities
Here’s what you need to be mindful of when filling out this part of the job description:
- Use language free of gender bias.
- Avoid unnecessary jargon.
- Put more emphasis on skills than requirements.
- Focus on outcomes, goals, and culture add aspects.
Required Qualifications
Focus on the knowledge, skills, and competencies necessary to succeed in the role. The candidate’s knowledge of these things and proficiency in them should matter more than where they went to school.
Be sure to mention if a certain number of years in the field is equivalent to a degree. For instance, “a bachelor’s degree or 4 years of relevant experience in the field.”
Include any soft skills that are well-suited to the role. These could include effective communication, teamwork, and the ability to self-motivate.
Preferred Qualifications
These nice-to-haves fulfill that culture add portion of the job listing. You can mention that you welcome candidates with unique experiences and backgrounds, as well as a relevant skillset.
Commitment to Fair Hiring Practices
It’s always important to note that you are an equal-opportunity employer and strive to make reasonable accommodations to ensure every employee is set up for success. Not only is it the law, it’s also an invitation for everyone to apply.
Be staunch in upholding your DEI principles, and emphasize your commitment to welcoming all, regardless of:
- Sexual orientation
- Gender identity
- Religious beliefs
- Ethnicity
- Background
Benefits and Other Perks
The benefits you offer are excellent ways to attract qualified candidates.
As you highlight each benefit, you’re providing additional incentives.
Yet perhaps even more importantly, you’re also showing that, as a company, you value your employees.
The additional incentives you offer demonstrate all the ways you’re willing to go above and beyond what’s expected, providing each employee with perks and incentives to boost their overall health and well-being.
How to Apply
List all the necessary information on how to apply for the position, as well as any additional documentation you require along with the application (such as a resume).
Also, provide a brief overview of the recruitment and hiring process. For example, if candidates must do a phone screening or assessment before being invited to a formal interview, lay out each step in the order in which it occurs.
Additional Tips for Success
For those who are serious about talent acquisition, here are some final tips that can help lead to overall success.
Turn to Company Values for Inspiration and Guidance
If you’re ever struggling with what to include in the job description or want to make sure what you’ve written accurately reflects the organization as a whole, it can be extremely helpful to consult the company mission statement.
Make sure what you’ve written accurately reflects organizational values and conveys the gist of who the company is and what you stand for.
Expand Your Recruitment Efforts
When it comes time to post your job listings, it’s important to ask yourself: Are you reaching everyone?
Probably not. People often use the same places to post their listings, forgetting that there are always newer, better sites geared toward getting the word out.
Therefore, expanding your recruitment efforts and attempting to reach a more diverse audience can be incredibly beneficial.
One way to do that is to partner with companies that have made it their mission to support underrepresented groups.
Here at Obsidi®, our priority is being a resource for diverse professionals in tech.
Our membership of 100,000 professionals (and counting!) gets access to our thriving platform, where they can network and educate themselves on exciting and new tech-related innovations. The businesses who partner with us get their job vacancies seen by each of our qualified members. Plus, they get the opportunity to collaborate with us, host Tech Talks, and more.
Expanding your recruitment efforts so that your job listing reaches a broader pool of candidates is a surefire way to not miss out on that diverse talent you’re hoping to land.
