Would you like to improve your job ads and attract more diverse candidates? Rewriting a job ad can help make it more inclusive and appealing to a broad audience. We’re sharing practical steps for companies to optimize job ads and maintain consistency in style and content.
Why Rewrite Your Job Ads?
Rewriting a job ad is important to ensure your texts are consistent, accessible, and inclusive. Companies with many employees often find that the writing style in job ads differs between departments, which can confuse candidates.
By regularly rewriting job ads, you can ensure that the message and tone remain consistent and appeal to a diverse group of candidates. This not only helps attract diverse talent but also strengthens employer branding.
How to Write Good Job Ads
A good job ad is more than just a list of tasks and requirements. It’s about finding the right tone, clear language, and showcasing your company culture. By keeping the job requirements clear and focusing on what truly matters, you make the ad more accessible to a wide range of candidates.
Tips for Writing a Great Job Ad
- Be specific about the role: Clearly describe tasks and responsibilities. Instead of saying “good communicator,” specify the type of communication needed, such as “you keep colleagues and clients well-informed about project progress.”
- Use neutral and clear language: Avoid vague terms like “team player.” Instead, describe specific behaviors, such as “you work well with different departments.”
- Showcase company culture: Highlight what makes your company unique. Do you have an innovative, open work environment? Briefly mention it in the job ad.
By including these elements, you can ensure the job ad resonates with a broad audience and gives candidates a better understanding of both the role and the work environment.
What Shouldn’t Be Included in a Job Ad?
Not everything can or should be included in a job ad. Terms that specify age, gender, or other personal characteristics are often problematic and can even be perceived as discriminatory. Using terms like “young and dynamic team” can also deter people.
What to Avoid in a Job Ad
- Age discrimination: Do not specify age ranges or ages you are looking for, as this can be seen as discriminatory.
- Unrealistic requirements: Too many or overly demanding requirements can discourage qualified candidates from applying.
Ensure your job ad is inclusive and does not unintentionally exclude candidates. This increases the likelihood that everyone feels welcome to apply.
Steps to Rewrite a Job Ad for Inclusivity
Rewriting an inclusive job ad starts with critically reviewing the current text. Here are some steps to ensure your job ads are accessible and appealing to everyone:
- Analyze the current text: Check for stereotypical terms in the text, such as “go-getter” or “team player,” and replace them with clear behavioral descriptions like “someone who completes projects independently.”
- Limit job requirements to the essentials: Avoid including unnecessary requirements. For instance, instead of asking for a specific degree, focus on the relevant experience needed for the role.
- Add a diversity statement: This statement can show that your organization values diversity.
An example is: “We believe different perspectives make us stronger and welcome candidates from all backgrounds.”
By following these steps, you ensure the job ad is inclusive and inviting, which can help attract a more diverse pool of candidates.
Tips for Maintaining Consistency in Your Writing Style
Maintaining a consistent writing style across all job ads can be challenging. A style guide can help by defining the desired tone, style, and language. Our tool ensures that all job ads meet the same style and content standards. This gives candidates a clear picture of your company culture and makes them more likely to be attracted to your organization.
Common Mistakes When Rewriting Job Ads
Many companies make the same mistakes when rewriting job ads. Here are some errors to avoid to increase the appeal of your ad:
- Use of jargon: Jargon can confuse candidates. Keep the language simple and understandable, especially for roles requiring less specific experience.
- Overly strict requirements: Setting high demands can discourage candidates. Be critical about the requirements and limit them to what’s truly necessary for the role.
- Overly detailed diversity statements: While a diversity statement is important, it should be concise and genuine. Overly lengthy statements can miss the mark and seem less authentic.
By avoiding these mistakes, your job ad will be more inviting, increasing the likelihood of applications from a wide range of candidates.
Practical Tips for Testing Inclusive Job Ads
A good way to test if your job ad is inclusive enough is to have it reviewed by a diverse group of employees. Ask them to provide feedback on the language and tone of the text. Their input can help improve the ad further.
Additionally, we offer valuable support by providing feedback on language use and inclusivity during the writing process, enabling you to quickly and easily create inclusive texts. This ensures your job ad appeals to a wide audience without unintended exclusions.
Writing consistent, inclusive job ads can be challenging, especially in large organizations. We provide a solution by offering immediate feedback on language use and inclusivity during the writing process. The tool helps you find the right tone and ensures all texts meet set standards, increasing the appeal of your job ads. With these job ads, you achieve the following:
- Improve readability.
- Use inclusive and gender-neutral language.
- Maintain a consistent and effective writing style.
By using the recruitment module, you can easily create job ads that appeal to a wide audience and increase diversity among applicants. Read our five tips for more success with effective job ads.