Advertising
In order to attract a broad pool of talent from which to select the best candidate you need to make sure that you advertise job vacancies as widely as possible and that your advertising isn't putting off suitable candidates. Remember that at this stage potential candidates are choosing you, not the other way around
What to include in your advert
About the job
- the job title
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a brief description of role, ie the main purpose and day to day tasks
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salary
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contract length or tenure
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the setting of the job, i.e. location and usual hours of work
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benefits, including holiday and pension entitlements
- promotional prospects
About the company
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the company name and branding
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a brief description of the organisation's activities
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a statement of the company's commitment to equal opportunities, diversity and inclusion, for example: ‘We welcome enquiries from everyone and value diversity in our workforce’; ‘We are willing to consider flexible working arrangements’; ‘We are able to meet our legal responsibilities under the Equality Act’
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any relevant accreditation, such as the Two Ticks scheme or Stonewall Workplace Equality Index
- include references to relevant policies – for example, if you have a guaranteed interview scheme where you interview all disabled applicants who meet your selection criteria
About the candidate
Practical information
- clear guidance on how to apply including the deadline for applications
- contact information for any enquiries
Advertising tips
presentation should be clear and eye-catching
write in plain English (unless recruiting for foreign language speakers), avoiding jargon and complex terminology
don't overstate the responsibilities and duties of the job
make sure the advert is suited to the target audience (eg graduates)
adverts need to appeal to all sections of the community using positive visual images and wording
think about the image of your company that you are putting across – potential applicants are selecting you, not just vice versa
be specific – avoid vague terms like 'attractive salary' or 'appropriate qualifications' as these may discourage suitable candidates
all advertisements should carry the same information, whether for internal or external use
advertisements should be genuine and relate to a job that actually exists
Images
Images used in relation to advertising the job (brochures, websites, press releases etc) reflect the organisation's image. They also signal what type of people work in the company or what types of people are sought after. Therefore, great caution should be taken when choosing images.
For example, if an advert for a construction job includes images of men this may reinforce stereotypical gender perceptions of the sector. Not only can female applicants find it difficult to identify with the images, but the images can also signal that female employees are not wanted. This kind of exclusion can happen in relation to all aspects of diversity, so take care not to exclude or alienate certain groups of people.
However, using images of only minorities in the adverts runs the risk of appearing tokenistic. Thus, finding a balance is extremely important.
Where and when to advertise
Options
Follow the links below for information on the various recruitment channels.
Advertising in specialised publications aimed at (for example) a particular ethnic or religious group, women, or lesbian, gay and bisexual readers can demonstrate that applications from that community are welcome. However, minority groups are more likely to look for job advertisements in mainstream media rather than specialised media.
There are also legal risks, as advertising a job in specialised publications may discriminate against potential applicants from outside that community. Therefore, this may be an appropriate method for raising the organisation's profile among under-represented communities, but not for advertising specific vacancies.
Young white males prefer to access company brochures for information, with women and ethnic minorities accessing them through the internet. Ethnic minorities also prefer to obtain information about organisations through the print and broadcast media (See R.L. Hogler, C. Hencle and C. Bemus, "Internet recruiting and employment discrimination: A legal perspective", Human Resource Management Review, Volume 8, Number2, 1998, pages 149-164).
Helpful pointers
See further information on accessible advertising for disabled candidates at the EHRC website
Legal issues
The Equality and Human Rights Commission can take legal action against employers it believes have placed discriminatory advertisements. For these purposes, an advertisement counts as any form of letting people know about a vacancy, no matter how informal.
Terminology
You could face legal action from potential candidates if you use inappropriate terminology which suggests that the job is only suitable for people from particular groups.
Direct discrimination and genuine occupational requirements
If the advert explicitly states that the job is only open to people from a particular group (based on age, disability, race, religion/belief, sex or sexual orientation) or is not open to people from one of these groups, this would be a case of direct discrimination and is therefore illegal. The only exception is where there is a genuine occupational requirement (GOR) that the position be filled by someone who belongs to a particular group.
Indirect discrimination
If the content of the advert or the chosen recruitment channel is likely to disproportionately affect a particular group of people (based on their age, disability, race, religion/belief, sex or sexual orientation) this may be a case of indirect discrimination. Indirect discrimination is illegal unless it can be objectively justified.
