Six tips to make your job adverts more inclusive

If you've tried to recruit recently, you'll know that fundraising candidates are getting harder to find than sea turtles. But it’s not just you. Despite the abundance of fundraising roles across the sector, many charities are struggling to fill vacancies.  

Assuming you read our blog post on recruiting and retaining fundraisers, and you’ve tackled the issues of low pay, flexible working practices, and staff burnout, what else can you do to attract top fundraising talent? Make your recruitment process more diverse.

This will not only give you access to a wider talent pool and enable you to build a workforce that better reflects your donor base; it could also improve your bottom line.

Research has found that organisations with a diverse workforce are up to 35% more likely to outperform their competitors.

To reap the rewards of a diverse workforce, your recruitment process needs to be inclusive from start to finish, but it all starts with the job ad. 

Here are six tips to make your job ads more inclusive.

1.     Keep it simple, stupid! (KISS)

It may be a design principle, KISS is equally applicable to job adverts, particularly if you consider 1.5 million Brits have a learning disability.

Make your ads accessible by keeping the language simple. Avoid complex descriptions, jargon, wordiness, and awkward phrasing.

You also need to consider the layout. According to the British Dyslexia Association, some fonts and font sizes are more readable than others. They recommend Arial, Verdana, or Calibri in a 12–14-point size. And avoid italics; they’re not accessible to all.

How are you asking candidates to apply? If there’s an online application form, offer alternative formats i.e., a large print form or an audio recording for visually impaired candidates and/or those who struggle with backlit screens.

2.     Mind your language

In a candidate-driven market, you can’t afford to lose applicants at the initial stage because you use jargon or biased language in your job ad.

You need to ensure the language you use is inclusive.

Inclusive language consists of words, terms and phrases that communicate a respect for diversity, sensitivity to differences among people from various backgrounds, and equitable opportunities for all people.

Here are some things to bear in mind.

Age bias

A third of workers in the UK are aged 50+. If you want to attract candidates in this bracket, avoid phrases such as ‘digital natives’ or ‘tech-savvy’. This is a sure-fire way to turn them off. Conversely, specifying that a candidate needs ‘seven years’ experience’ or an ‘extensive portfolio’ puts older candidates at an advantage.

Rather than asking for a certain amount of experience as a pre-requisite, focus on the required skills. After all, jobseekers with seven years’ experience can differ greatly in terms of their abilities.

Racial bias

Avoid phrases that could be seen as perpetuating negative racial, cultural, or faith stereotypes. For example, ‘do you want to join our gang?’ can have negative racial connotations.

Also, bear in mind that phrases such as ‘strong English-language skills’, or ‘native English speaker’ could alienate non-native English speakers.

Gender bias

If your ad is unintentionally gender-coded, it can skew the gender-weighting of applicants for your roles.

Academic research by Duke University and the University of Waterloo found that women can be discouraged from applying for a job if the ad uses masculine coded terms such as ‘independent’, ‘aggressive’ and ‘decisive’. However, men are unaffected if a job description uses feminine words like “considerate”, “collaborate” and “loyal”.

Use this Gender Decoder Tool to check your ad is gender neutral.

Bonus tip: Microsoft has an in-built inclusive language checker. Run your copy through it before publishing. This is how to access the tool.

3.     Keep ‘key skills’ to a minimum

Research has found that men will apply for a role if they meet 60% of the requirements, but women will only apply if they can tick off 100%.

This means many women screen themselves out of the process before putting pen to paper.

A long list of essentials can also be off-putting for younger candidates who haven’t had time to build up their skills and knowledge.

Don’t include anything as a ‘prerequisite’ or ‘must-have’ unless it literally is. If you can train new hires to perform a particular skill, leave it off your list of requirements.

If you’re asking for the world and expecting to find a unicorn candidate, you run the risk of deterring potential fundraising superstars.

4.     Don’t ask for a degree

Going to university is expensive — prohibitively so for people in lower socio-economic brackets. If you include a degree qualification requirement in your job ad, you’ll exclude lots of great potential candidates.

Unless it’s essential, focus on the required skills rather than educational background.

5.     Highlight your commitment to EDI

State your commitment to equality, diversity, and inclusion in the ad. Let applicants know you welcome applications from all qualified candidates, regardless of their race, gender, disability, religion/belief, sexual orientation or age.

Need some help building a diverse fundraising team? Give us a call on 020 3750 3111 or email us at info@bamboofundraising.co.uk.