Avoid Job Ads that Don’t Track

It’s official: a diverse workforce performs better than the alternative. Indeed, research has shown that diverse groups are better decision makers than homogenous ones. Management consulting firm McKinsey found that companies that rank high on gender, racial or ethnic diversity benefit from financial returns that are above national industry medians. Building a diverse team of diverse contributors starts with a large applicant pool with high numbers of candidates from underrepresented groups. As you grow your pipeline, be sure to avoid these four ways you may be inadvertently turning certain applicants off:

1) Using gendered language. It’s illegal to limit your job search to just one gender, but wording in a job post can suggest a gender preference. Studies have found that words like “competitive,” “dominant” or “leader” are associated with male stereotypes, while words such as “support,” “understand” and “interpersonal” are associated with female stereotypes. Try Textio or Gender Decoder to uncover gender-biased language in your ads.

2) Using ageist language. It’s also illegal to exclude candidates by age (except teens and children). As I have pointed out in another blog, code words like “energetic,” "digital native,” "fresh,” “cultural fit,” “flexible,” and “recent graduate” will discourage older candidates and shrink your applicant pool.

3) Including too many “nice to haves.” Studies, including one from LinkedIn, have found that women will only apply to jobs if they meet 100% of the criteria; men will apply if they meet just 60%. Stick to the essential attributes for the job to get more women to apply.

4) Providing too few specifics. You may get fewer entry-level applications from black applicants if you don’t provide enough detail. Handshake, an online job posting platform, studied a year’s worth of black students who filed applications with their service. They found employers would get 13% more of Handshake’s black candidates to apply if they disclosed the compensation; 36% more black students applied to jobs when relocation assistance was listed. Let applicants know what’s in it for them. Mentioning your commitment to learning and development, to diversity and inclusion, and to providing a full suite of benefits like paid parental leave and volunteer time off can highlight your job posting for a wide range of candidates.