Diversity, equity and inclusion are paramount in the field of talent acquisition. These days, an effective hiring process is one which is intentionally balanced and inclusive. If your firm is committed to hiring a diverse workforce, every step of your recruitment strategy, including your job postings, should reflect this commitment. Here are 4 important aspects to keep in mind when writing inclusive job postings:
Cultural diversity among teams can be directly correlated with increased creativity and innovation. And job seekers today (especially those between the ages of 18 and 25) tend to want to work for inclusive organizations who embrace progressive values and advocate for what they believe in.
For these reasons, many job postings nowadays mention diversity and equal hiring practices. But a generic, canned statement at the very end of the job posting might not be sufficient. Instead, an efficient technique adopted by many top companies is to start their job postings with a heartfelt statement on their commitment to DE&I.
When writing a diversity statement, be forthright. Using an empathetic tone and staying away from copy-pasted messages is a must, since an honest and original message is much more likely to resonate with candidates. And remember: a genuine diversity statement is not a legal obligation, but a reflection of attitudes and policies already present within an organization.
Language is a powerful tool. The way we choose to express thoughts and ideas in corporate communications can have a substantial impact on colleague interactions, company culture, and application rates. For example, unintentionally using gender-coded language in job postings can leave women feeling unwelcome and result in a severe gender imbalance within your teams.
Thankfully, many companies and organizations striving for workplace equality provide helpful resources, such as inclusivity style guides and DE&I glossaries, which index and define terms related to race, ethnicity, disability, immigration, sexual orientation, gender identity, drugs and alcohol, and geography. Using inclusive language in job postings can look like:
As seen above, using gendered nouns and pronouns such as ”salesman” and ”he” excludes women and non-binary people. Also, words like ”talk” and ”walk” could inadvertently deter people who are disabled from applying. Using inclusive language in job postings is crucial to building a thriving, diverse workforce.
Studies have shown that publishing pay ranges can reduce hiring biases and help close the wage gap. Job seekers are overwhelmingly on board with this trend, as shown by a recent Talent.com survey in which 81% of respondents report being in favor of salary transparency laws and a similar percentage thinks salary transparency has a positive impact on women and racial minorities.
Displaying salary information directly on job postings is a great way to show one’s commitment to diversity, equity, and inclusion. Unfortunately, only around 12% of jobs on Talent.com currently contain salary information. Recruiters not in a position to disclose pay ranges can focus instead on other perks and benefits which can be financially helpful to employees such as healthcare, free snacks, paid time-off, fitness subsidies, or employee discounts.
Our multicultural world is becoming more connected and progressively adopting inclusive practices. Throughout cultural evolutions and policy changes, one thing to remember is to have an open mind regarding adaptation. The struggle for equality is not over, and a periodic introspection of our own processes can be very effective.
A growth mindset can be reflected in job postings in the form of statements such as ”If there is something we can do to help make the recruitment process or the job more accessible, let us know.” With such statements, we are keeping the door open for job seekers and people in general to help us learn, grow, and build a more inclusive workplace and society overall.