Quick Guide to Our Guidance Colors
Understand our guidance colors.
The language you use in your job post impacts candidates. Datapeople will help you use inclusive language that makes all candidates feel welcome to apply.
Job posts are first impressions
Candidates are typically reading your job post on a third-party website, not a careers page that shows how multicultural you are. So, how you sound on this one document literally sets the tone for candidates.
Your goal is to be clear and inclusive. Things like corporate jargon, gendered wording, and even how you refer to job seekers (e.g., ‘the ideal candidate’ rather than the preferred ‘you’) impact how candidates perceive your culture. Here, Datapeople will offer replacement words you can add with one click.
Words convey your culture
Maybe you’ve never thought of it this way before, but the words you use to describe ideal candidates also communicate your company culture. This can be especially tricky, and sometimes even unintuitive.
There are words and phrases in the English language that have been coded over centuries to describe certain types of people. If you say you’re looking for a sales rep who is ‘aggressive’ and ‘independent,’ could you make female candidates think twice about applying? Absolutely.
It’s not because they don’t think of themselves as independent or aggressive. And not all women will react negatively, but that’s not the point. Rather, it’s that they may read into your team culture and how they fit in. Is this a supportive, collaborative team? Maybe not from the way this sounds…
Looking at it from another angle, our data shows that historically represented groups (e.g., men) still apply at the same level whether these sentiments appear. And by using inclusive language, you’re welcoming candidates from historically represented groups while not deterring candidates from historically underrepresented groups. You’re inviting every and all candidates to apply.
Our guidance points you in the right direction
So, what do the five guidance colors mean? Here’s an easy reference key for when you’re editing:
- Red - REMOVE CONTENT: Critical errors and soft skills that are known to impact the quality and diversity of candidate pools. These impact the score the most!
- Yellow - INCLUSION: Biased language that is important to review critically. These impact the score less than red guidance, but more than blue and gray guidance.
- Blue - IMPROVE CONTENT: Wordy/impersonal language and jargon that can make the job description more difficult to read. These impact the score less than red and yellow guidance but more than gray guidance.
- Gray - LANGUAGE MECHANICS: Grammar and spelling mistakes. These have a very minor score impact.
- Green - KUDOS: Something that does well with candidates. These positively impact your score!
What's the difference between a highlight and an underline?
Highlighted issues impact the score more than underlines. Since highlights are more visually obvious, they're meant to draw your attention to the issues that matter most.