Quick Guide to Our Highlight 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.

Highlights point you in the right direction

So, what do our five guidance highlight colors mean? Here’s an easy reference key for when you’re editing:

• Gray - LANGUAGE MECHANICS: Grammar and spelling mistakes

• Green - KUDOS: Something that does well with candidates (keep it up!)

• Blue - IMPROVE CONTENT: Wordy/impersonal language and corporate-speak/jargon that you can easily update

• Red - REMOVE CONTENT: Critical errors and soft skills that are known to impact the quality and diversity of candidate pools (delete, delete!)

• Yellow - INCLUSION: Biased language that is important to review critically (make sure you’re not inadvertently telling a group of candidates that they’re not welcome to apply)

Additional reading:

• Bias Guidance for Inclusive Job Descriptions

• Soft Skills Aren't Necessary in Job Descriptions