How to Make Job Descriptions Used in Job Posts Better
When you want to hire someone to work with you, posting ads online helps. Most people look for job opportunities online. You can attract the best people for the job if you write the ads correctly. When the potential applicants see issues with how you worded the ads, it could be a problem. Instead of attracting more people for the job, you will see them running away and finding better options. Here’s how you can improve the wording of the job descriptions.
Remove gender-coded words
Make sure you don’t use a specific gender to refer to certain job posts. You want everyone with the capacity to do the job to give it a shot. You might turn some people off because they think they’re not worthy of applying due to the use of gender-coded words. Apart from the pronouns, any word that might be associated with a male or female role should be removed. For men, the words “aggressive” or “head-strong” might be used and it’s a big no.
Eliminate racial bias
Apart from gender bias, you should also eliminate racial bias. Welcome everyone to be a part of your team, regardless of race or nationality. You want people to feel like they belong to your group. If you start discriminating, you might lose the most qualified individuals for the job.
Start by removing phrases like “fluent in English” or “native English speakers only” as they might eliminate people from certain places.
Try winning over experienced workers
Of course, you want seasoned employees to work with you. However, you might turn them off because of how you word the responsibilities and job descriptions. Make sure you set the right expectation. You should also be open to people fresh off of college if they have sufficient experience and skills to do the job well.
Don’t be an ableist
Your job description must also allow for accommodations. You can’t only discriminate people with disabilities. You might be surprised to find potential candidates who are suitable for the job, but decide against applying because of how ableist the wording of the job ad is.
Highlight the need for diversity
Your company must make it clear that diversity is welcomed. You don’t want anyone to feel left out because of how you use certain words in the ad. Besides, there are tons of benefits in diversifying your team. You should remove the mentality that only certain groups of people or only graduates from specific universities are qualified for the post. Even if you believe you have the right “formula,” you should be more open-minded. Everything changes quickly, and your standards in hiring candidates for the job must also change.
Take your time to reflect on how you word your job posts. If you can’t hire the best people, there might be an issue. You can also run it by your associates. They might have suggestions in improving the ads.
Photo Attribution:
1st and featured image from https://www.betterup.com/hubfs/Blog%20Images/Ways%20to%20recognize%20employees/ways-to-recognize-employees-two-employees-clapping-during-meeting.jpg
2nd image from https://www.cio.com/article/230924/how-to-craft-highly-effective-job-descriptions.html
