Angela Gardner, Lead Diversity Consultant at AMS, kindly helped provide the information for this article.
A large piece of the jigsaw puzzle in attracting more diverse talent is the job advert. How you write it will have a huge impact on who applies. This article will teach you how to write inclusive job adverts that attract a more diverse talent pool to your organisation.
How to structure your job advert
Job advertisements should follow a template (download your free job advert template here). This ensures consistency with your other job advertisements, company branding, and employee value proposition.
A job advert acts as a mirror to a CV. A CV should give recruiters a flavour of the candidate and their skills and strengths. A job advert should do the same, but in reverse. It should be a hook to attract the right candidate for your job.
Once the candidate attends an interview, you can give them more details, but your advert should only list essential duties and essential candidate criteria.
And when I say essential, it needs to be essential.
According to Harvard Business School, men will apply for a job if they meet 60% of the criteria. Women will apply if they meet 100%. Therefore, as Angela rightly points out, the more bullet points you list in ‘essential candidate criteria’, the more women you potentially discourage from applying.
List the ‘softer skills’ needed, even for technical roles. These can help attract female talent to your organisation.
Also, consider whether the Education requirements you stipulate for the job (such as a ‘2:1 or above’ University degree) really are essential. Could someone who, for whatever reason, missed out on a strong University degree be able to do the role? Such stringent requirements may lock out potential talent, even if they have the relevant skills and experience to do the job.
Use language wisely
Some words in the English language have more masculine connotations: ambitious, challenging, decisive, outspoken, etc.
Other words are more female-oriented or neutral in tone: collaboration, empathy, responsiveness, inclusive, etc.
It’s important to strike a balance. That doesn’t mean eliminating all ‘masculine’ words – some will be central to the description of the role you are advertising. However, you should avoid writing a job advert that is overly masculine in tone if you want to attract diverse talent.
To check your advert for gender bias, use Kat Matfield’s Gender Decoder. You copy and paste your job advert onto the site, and it will indicate if your advert is feminine-coded or masculine-coded. Be aware that it doesn’t provide all the answers. You still need to use your own judgment, but it can provide a helpful steer.
When writing inclusive job adverts, avoid jargon or in-house terminology that external applicants wouldn’t understand. And avoid hyperbole: ‘excellent communication skills’, ‘brilliant people manager’, ‘top performer’. Keep your job adverts outcome-focused, defining what needs to be done rather than focusing on how the job should be delivered. This presents less of a barrier to those with a disability or neurodiversity.
Flexible working is key
The World Economic Forum has a great case study on Zurich on their website:
In 2019, Zurich became the first firm in the UK to advertise all its vacancies with the options of “part-time”, “job-share” or “flexible working”. Combined with gender-neutral language, this led to nearly 20% more women applying for management roles, according to a study conducted with the UK government-backed Behavioural Insights Team.
The number of women hired for senior positions also rose by a third (33%) as a direct result of the initiative over the same period, a separate Zurich study showed. Many of these positions had not previously been advertised on a part-time or flexible basis, and female staff members had reported that this made them less likely to apply.
So, unsurprisingly, women are attracted to jobs that offer flexible working.
Therefore, if your job vacancy can offer some flexibility, be done on reduced hours, as a job-share or alternative working pattern, let candidates know! I guarantee female applicants will be all over your job and recommend you to their friends.
Likewise, if someone returning from a career break could do your job and your organisation can provide coaching and support to help them transition back to work, let job seekers know. This will help widen your net even further.
To read all the reasons flexible working can benefit your business, read the blog post – How does flexible working benefit your business?
Finishing touches
Having another person run their eyes over the job advert is always a good idea to ensure there is no hint of bias.
Staying up-to-date
Ensure job adverts are reviewed every time they’re used – even if you regularly advertise for the same roles.
These steps will ensure you write inclusive job adverts and help you attract a more diverse talent pool to your organisation.
If you have any questions, send me a message here. I would love to hear from you.
Thanks again to Angela Gardner, Lead Diversity Consultant at AMS, for her input into this article.