How do you create the best job postings to attract the most diverse set of candidates to your applicant pool?

Position descriptions and job postings are often untapped opportunities to inform and market your position, team, and the employer to potential candidates.

I will highlight three suggestions today.

• First, review your job postings with a diversity equity, and inclusion lens before the recruiting process even begins. Besides ensuring that the job posting reflects the duties and responsibilities of the position, be certain that it repels no potential applicants.
   
• Second, remember to market the inclusive culture of your company, and highlight your company’s commitment to valuing diversity for people of all ilk. You can do this by including contributing to an inclusive workplace as a required qualification for all position descriptions and job postings. For example, you might add, “Demonstrated commitment to valuing diversity and contributing to an inclusive working environment.”
   
• Third, don’t write a position description based solely on some “ideal” candidate based on the image of someone you might have employed, or wish to employ. Your perfect employee might be anyone out there so remember not to use him/her or he/she or any gender-specific terms or pronouns. To avoid falling prey to these issues in your job postings, consider using a gender decoder tool and gender-neutral language. You can find additional gender decoder tools online through a simple web search on "gender decoder tool." But remember to ensure that the tool is reputable and evidence backed before proceeding.

By ensuring that position descriptions and job postings are inclusive and appeal to a broad audience, an employer can attract and build a more diverse workforce. Please remember to consult your Littler attorney if you need, or are seeking guidance on these issues.