Your job posting is a friendly handshake between you and your potential new hires. As one of the first touchpoints in the application process, it carries a lot of weight—your job post needs to set the right tone, include the right information, and communicate to the best talent: “You’d be a great fit! Apply here!”
Keep reading to review a series of great sample job postings and learn how you can make yours stand out too.
It’s well-known that a diverse workforce is a healthy, high-achieving workforce. And the first step to building a diverse workforce is to have diversity and inclusion in recruitment. Attract and support diverse talent from the very beginning with a well-crafted job posting.
The way you communicate about your company and your open positions can make or break your talent acquisition strategy. More than ever, job seekers are looking to work for companies that promote diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI). Some candidates even rethink job opportunities if their potential employer isn’t inclusive enough. Show your commitment to DEI from the very start with an inclusive job posting.
Your employer brand might prioritize the problem-solving capabilities of diverse teams or the financial benefits diverse teams bring. Maybe increasing innovation through DEI is a top goal, or maybe your company pursues DEI simply to build a more inclusive and just world.
Make sure each job ad and posting aligns with your company culture and goals. Use inclusive language to show all candidates are welcome. Highlight the ways your organization supports a diverse workforce, such as through mentorship programs or flexible work opportunities. Share pay ranges to increase transparency and help close the pay gap. Whatever you do, keep your company’s goals top of mind as you’re writing inclusive job descriptions.
Job postings have to work hard. They need to include a lot of information and communicate it quickly. Include these essentials so that your job postings attract as much talent as possible.
Inclusive language is one of the most important components of a successful job posting. Inclusive postings have gender-neutral job titles and content. The text is easy for applicants to read. They avoid ableist language, offensive lingo, or references to personal details that aren’t related to the job. Inclusive language makes everyone feel welcome to apply.
Make it clear that your company is committed to hiring a diverse workforce with an equal opportunity statement. It’s a good idea to include a short paragraph or two that outlines your dedication to treating all applicants and employees fairly. Communicate your company’s zero-tolerance policy for discrimination or harassment, and indicate that all job seekers will be given a fair opportunity to advance in the hiring process.
More and more, remote work is becoming the norm. Continue to meet the preferences and expectations of your applicants by offering flexible work options. Flexible hours are great for caregivers or parents, remote work is inclusive of employees across the globe, and offering results-oriented work, rather than having hourly requirements, appeals to workers of younger generations. Promoting part-time work can be a great way to draw candidates in too.
Pay transparency in job postings has increased by 147% in the United States over the last three years. Not only is it becoming one of talent acquisition’s best practices, but pay transparency is also invaluable to diverse applicants. Transparency helps people of color negotiate better pay, closes the gender pay gap, and increases the quality of job applicants. Get candidates’ attention by sharing the expected salary range for each new position.
Paying too close attention to education history or experience background will cause you to miss out on ideal candidates. Not all job seekers had the same opportunities to pursue elite education or achieve in their careers due to poverty, racism, sexism, or other bias. Level the playing field by asking for certain soft and hard skills in your job postings instead of experience-related job requirements. You’ll get more—and better prepared—applicants.
An effective job posting will attract diverse candidates by demonstrating your company’s inclusive environment. The post’s messaging is welcoming. It offers alternatives for job seekers who require accommodations. And it highlights opportunities for growth and support for underrepresented employees, like mentorship programs, resource groups, or professional development programs.
Now that you know what goes into an inclusive job posting, let’s take a closer look at a few inclusive job description examples.
Show your commitment to inclusivity and avoid alienating potential candidates with gender-neutral job postings. This is especially important when sharing new positions that have been traditionally associated with one specific gender.
Nike’s posting for a supply chain specialist avoids pronouns altogether. Instead, it speaks directly to the applicant.
Demonstrate cultural sensitivity by acknowledging various cultural backgrounds and experiences in your job post. This will attract diverse candidates and job seekers who value their employer’s approach to DEI.
Target’s job posts make it clear that they value unique perspectives and job seekers of all backgrounds.
Highlight flexible work arrangements such as remote work or flexible hours in your job posting. This appeals to candidates with different needs, such as caregiversor workers who prioritize work-life balance.
This Raytheon job post for a Collins Aerospace position offers flexible arrangements and support for hybrid workers.
Job postings that attract diverse candidates focus more on transferrable skills than traditional qualifications or an elite education. You’ll widen your candidate pool and get great talent from non-traditional backgrounds.
Disney’s National Geographic brand has a job posting for a photo production coordinator that lists preferred experiences, rather than education or years-of-experience requirements.
A strong job posting emphasizes opportunities for continuous learning and professional growth. This appeals to candidates who value development within their roles and can be helpful to job seekers who are underrepresented in their field.
Cielo Talent advocates for employee career development in their job posting “Learn to be a Recruiter.”
Foster inclusion by including information about your company’s employee resource groups (ERGs). This highlights your ongoing commitment to an inclusive workplace and will appeal to top talent.
GE’s career site highlights eight ERG groups that employees can join.
More than ever, job seekers want to work for a company whose values align with their own. Provide a job posting that emphasizes the positive impact their role would have on the company’s mission. Candidates motivated by purpose-driven work will be drawn to apply.
This job post from Southern Poverty Law Centers appeals to job seekers who hope to support democracy and work on diverse teams.
Include a job posting with a clear salary range. Transparent compensation practices demonstrate fairness and attract candidates from various backgrounds. This also ensures compliance with new pay transparency laws that are being passed across the country.
This software engineer job posting from Apple outlines employee pay, stock programs, and other health benefits.
With these examples as guidance, your job postings can be just as inclusive and attract top candidates right away.
Set clear goals and measure the success of your inclusive job postings. For example, consider tracking how many women apply for each role, how culturally diverse your candidate shortlists are, or employee engagement rates for new hires. Other things like turnover rate, company productivity, and job satisfaction, can be valuable data too.
If possible, ask for feedback on your job postings from new hires. Find out what drew them to the role and if there was any important information missing. Do more of what’s working, and fix what you can.
With inclusive job description examples in your toolbox and the rationale behind them, you’re ready to share job postings that attract more diverse and qualified candidates.
Want to take things to the next level? Consider using an inclusive job description tool to ensure your language is as inclusive as possible. You’ll have everything you need to build a thriving, diverse workforce, one job post at a time.
Jackie brings over a decade of HR technology experience to Clovers. She’s passionate about helping companies build talented and diverse (dream) teams and delivering an incredible hiring experience to everyone involved.