Removing Barriers of Entry – Inclusive Job Postings will Attract Diverse Talent

Excerpted from The SHRM Blog by Jessica Miller-Merrell

Too often, I’ve heard job seekers talk about obstacles that prevent them from applying for jobs with a company they’re genuinely interested in because they don’t feel like that company’s job postings speak to them. As HR professionals we struggle with candidate connection, but less-than-inclusive job postings might just be the reason it’s so difficult. Companies have a diversity problem – not just racial diversity but also for other minority groups including women, veterans, and people with disabilities.

I spend a lot of time working with both candidates and recruiters who are frustrated by the barriers of entry and unrealistic job requirements (expecting 10 years of on the job experience from an entry-level candidate, for example – and that’s a real-life example!). Recruiters are working with hiring managers to create job postings that will tick all of the boxes, but hiring managers are not being trained on the delicate balance between “must-have” and “nice to have,” or on biases that may prevent overlooked pools of top talent from applying for your jobs.

How to Remove Barriers to Entry to Your Jobs and Attract Diverse Talent

As HR leaders, we have to work to remove barriers of entry that are preventing a large pool of candidates from applying to our postings, from gendered language to jargon to unrealistic job requirements. We don’t all have the latest AI-based recruitment software that includes screening the text of job postings for gendered language or improper pronoun use. We’re taking apart our job postings and rebuilding them from the ground up. Here are some tips to do just that:
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