How to Write More Inclusive Job Descriptions

In this blog, you will learn:

• Why inclusive job descriptions are important.
• How to write more inclusive job descriptions.
• How more inclusive job descriptions will attract new talent.
• Discover more about our recruitment services. 

In today's day and age, writing inclusive job descriptions is more important than ever. When writing job descriptions, you should always make sure that you’re not unintentionally excluding individuals based on gender, race, religion and any other factors that may be seen as discrimination. 

Making job descriptions inclusive can appeal to a more diverse pool of candidates, ensuring everyone feels valued and welcome.

Research from Centre for Ageing Better suggests that inclusive language in job adverts will widen the talent pool and avoid deterring potential applicants.

Throughout this blog, we uncover how to write more inclusive job descriptions, why they are important and how they attract a diverse pool of talented candidates. 

Why inclusive job descriptions are important

Writing inclusive job descriptions are important because they create a diverse workplace by attracting a wide range of jobseekers from different backgrounds, experiences and perspectives.

Inclusive job descriptions help to remove biases that may deter qualified candidates from applying. They also highlight your company's commitment to inclusion and diversity, which can increase your employer brand and employee satisfaction.

By using inclusive language and highlighting values such as equity, you create a welcoming workplace that values everyone's contributions. 

How to write more inclusive job descriptions

How to write more inclusive job descriptions:

• Use gender-neutral language.
• Highlight commitments to diversity.
• Check for unconscious bias.
• Show support for disabled candidates.
• Focus on skills and abilities. 
• Be inclusive to all age groups. 

Use gender-neutral language

When writing job adverts, you should avoid gender-specific terms such as ‘he ‘ or ‘she’ and replace it with ‘they’ or ‘them’. If a candidate assumes the role is more aimed at the opposite gender they may not apply and you could be missing out on high quality candidates. By using gender-neutral language you are making everyone feel included. 

You should also avoid biassed language that is typically known to be coded for male and female audiences. Some examples of gender bias language are:

• Female coded words - Loyal, committed, understanding, honest and dependable.
• Male coded words - Aggressive, competitive, dominant, expert and driven.

Highlight commitments to diversity

Highlighting your commitments to diversity in your job descriptions is important as it shows jobseekers that your business looks for a variety of perspectives and backgrounds. Sharing the fact that diversity matters to your company not only helps attract a diverse group of candidates but also shows your company's dedication to creating an inclusive and equitable workplace. 

According to Glassdoor, 76% of jobseekers and employees report that a diverse workforce is an important factor when evaluating companies and job offers so including this in your job descriptions can be a unique selling point. 

Check for unconscious bias

Checking for unconscious bias is a vital step in ensuring a gender-neutral approach when writing job descriptions. 

You want to ensure you're not unconsciously discriminating against anyone due to religion, gender, sexuality, ethnicity or disability. Unconscious bias can discourage talented candidates from diverse backgrounds from applying, meaning you’re narrowing your talent pool. 

You could ask diverse colleagues to check over your job description before posting to see if they notice any unconscious bias you have missed. There are also useful online tools such as Gender Decoder that can analyse the language used in a job description.

Show support for disabled candidates

Showing support for disabled employees is essential when creating inclusive job descriptions. To do this you could collaborate with disabled colleagues and see if there is anything they think you should include in the description to be inclusive. 

You could also state that all application formats will be accepted whether that be email, phone or audio. Using easy-to-understand language will also help those with learning disabilities and those who have english as a second language. 

Focus on skills and abilities rather than experience

When writing job descriptions, focusing on skills and abilities rather than experience opens opportunities for candidates who may have gained relevant skills through different experiences or are transitioning from other fields. 

This approach creates a merit-based hiring process where candidates are assessed on their actual capabilities and potential to contribute to the role. 

Just because someone isn't as experienced in a specific area doesn't mean they don’t have the skills and abilities to succeed in the role. By focusing on skills over experience, you’re not excluding anyone and will find you’ll probably have a lot more high quality candidates applying. 

Be inclusive of all age groups

Creating job descriptions that are inclusive of all ages opens up more opportunity for you to find the perfect fit for the role you’re advertising. If you’re using age biassed language you're going to reduce your chances of receiving quality applications. 

The candidate's age doesn't dictate what they are capable of; being inclusive of all ages gives your business more opportunities for success. A group of mixed ages employees will have different perspectives and ideas meaning there will be more opportunities for creativity. 

Some age bias language to avoid in your job descriptions:

• Young and energetic team.
• Digital native. 
• Tech-savvy. 
• Senior. 
• Graduate. 
• Junior.

How inclusive job descriptions attract top talent

Inclusive job descriptions attract top talent as they are welcoming all to apply. When job descriptions are not inclusive, candidates may be put off applying for the role which means you reduce your talent pool and chances of finding high quality candidates. 

Once you get the hang of writing an inclusive job description and know what to include, you will increase your likelihood of more applications and improve your employer brand. 

Who is Spencer Clarke Group?

Established in 2017, we’re a vibrant and progressive recruitment agency based in the heart of the North West. 

We continually reimagine the recruitment process to challenge convention and defy expectations; from creating a better recruitment experience to remodelling employee engagement, we thrive off doing things differently and turning heads along the way. 

We operate in two sectors:

Private Sector

Public Sector 

In eleven specialisms:

Accountancy & Finance

Education & SEND

Construction, Trades & Labour

Healthcare, Social Care & Nursing

Housing

Corporate Functions & Business Support

HR & Workforce Development

IT & Digital

Property & Asset Management  

Planning, Development & Regeneration 

Highways, Infrastructure & Engineering