How To Attract The Best Job Applicants With Inclusive Language

Seventy-two applications. Two women. Seventy men.

That was the response to a job posted by one of my friends, a hiring manager at a mid-size business. And no, it wasn’t a tech position. It was for the role of Staff Accountant.

The US Department of Labor statistics from 2017, 60.3% of all accountants and auditors employed in the US are women. So why were only 2% of this job’s applicants women?

Recent studies and data analytics technology point to something as simple as the job description. Specific words, phrases, even the company benefits you choose to highlight can entice – or turn away– your best potential hires. And that’s not just because of the candidate’s gender. Hiring managers often don’t realize they are missing out on good candidates of all ages and experience levels. Luckily, with a little data and a big thesaurus, hiring managers can write more inclusive job descriptions for candidates of all genders, ages and experience.

1. Avoid buzzwords

What do you picture when you hear the word “ninja”? Likely, a person in a dark outfit with a pretty sweet pair of nunchucks. Lately, however, “ninja” is one of many buzzwords popping up in job descriptions that is gender-coded (and confusing). Was the ninja you pictured a woman or a man? Female candidates, according to a study published in 2011 in the Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, won’t apply to jobs with masculine descriptions because they don’t feel a sense of belonging – not because of a lack of perceived skill. When hiring managers use buzzwords like “ninja” and “guru,” they may be turning away potential female candidates.

An article by a HubSpot employee identified a few key adjectives and descriptors. Words like “encourage,” “partnering with,” and “transparency” attract female candidates, but maybe your hiring manager is looking to broaden a position’s appeal to men. Language such as “killer instincts,” “ambition,” or “superior skillset” will attract more male applicants.

2. Focus on requirements

Does this position need an “expert in affiliate marketing”? Or does it need someone proficient in affiliate marketing, with the skills to become an expert?

Data shared by the Harvard Business Review shows that while men will apply to jobs where they meet only 60% of the listed job requirements, women won’t apply unless they meet 100% of requirements.

The language you use in your job descriptions might have your copywriter’s approval, but it turns out that your flashy language may read as jargon. Worse, the words you use are likely to keep qualified potential hires from even applying.

3. Think beyond the ping-pong table

A diverse company is not just inclusive in gender and race. A diverse company is also age-inclusive. Many job descriptions, especially those for startup companies, list benefits like unlimited vacation or a beer fridge. But when you’re looking to hire someone for management or a technical position with 5-10 years of experience, your ping-pong table may be a turn-off.

Job applicants with children may be interested in your remote work or paternity leave policy. What about retirement plans, or HSA matching schemes? Consider highlighting a diverse set of benefits on your company’s career page to attract candidates of all ages.

It doesn’t take much effort to be more inclusive in your job descriptions. My hiring manager friend is also going to try a few additional tools to help him “stop writing like a copywriter, and start writing like a hiring manager.” Check out Textio and the Gender Decoder for Job Ads for more inclusivity tools.

Sources:

1. (2017, February 14). Your Job Descriptions Are Hurting Your Hiring Pipeline. HubSpot. Retrieved October 22, 2018, from https://thinkgrowth.org/your-job-descriptions-are-hurting-your-hiring-pipeline-52b5a406fb8f
2. (2018, January 2018) Employed persons by detailed occupation, sex, race, and Hispanic or Latino ethnicity. Retrieved October 22, 2018, from https://www.bls.gov/cps/cpsaat11.htm
3. Mohr, T. S. (2018, March 02). Why Women Don't Apply for Jobs Unless They're 100% Qualified. Retrieved October 22, 2018, from https://hbr.org/2014/08/why-women-dont-apply-for-jobs-unless-theyre-100-qualified
4. Gaucher, D., Friesen, J., & Kay, A. C. (2011, March 07). Evidence That Gendered Wording in Job Advertisements Exists and Sustains Gender Inequality. Retrieved October 22, 2018, from http://www.fortefoundation.org/site/DocServer/gendered_wording_JPSP.pdf?docID=16121