3 Requirements To Reconsider When Writing Inclusive Job Postings
By Katrina Kibben on KatrinaKibben.com – July 14, 2020
Around the 1700s, history reports the first job postings popping up along the shores and docks. “Men wanted for hazardous journey. Safe return doubtful.” They say over 5000 people lined up to interview for that job. Seriously.
Fast-forward three hundred years, and the postings don’t look much different from today. Made-up job titles. Miscellaneous recommendations about years of experience. Bullshit benefit lists.
However, there is one distinct difference that stands out: the gendered language and blatant racism. There was no concern for inclusive job postings. A lot of them said “the man wanted” or “white and colored.” Back then, they didn’t think twice about bias or gender discrimination.
While the last 300 years has removed that biased language, it hasn’t removed the bias. Some of the same techniques that infused discrimination all those years ago are still practiced every day.
As companies invest in action to become more inclusive, we also need to evolve the way we talk about work to attract and recruit diverse populations. We need to break the 300+-year-old rules that never really worked in the first place.