Posts about Writing Job Descriptions

Employer Required to Pay $250K for Poorly Written ADA Job Description

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The placement of a single bullet in a University’s job description cost it $250,000 under the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA). Job descriptions, under the ADA, can be the “evidence” that courts use to rule in a lawsuit. This is a cautionary tale for employers, especially those who consider rotating work schedule to be an… Read more »

5 Free Hacks for Writing Effective Job Descriptions

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I’d love it if you used Ongig’s Text Analyzer software for writing job descriptions. But it’s not free and I understand we might be beyond your budget. So, in the meantime, here are 5 free “hacks” (tools) for you to write more effective job descriptions. Note: For more tips on writing job descriptions, check out How… Read more »

about us section in job postings

Why Starting Your Job Postings with “About Us” is Usually a Mistake

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Where should your “About Us” section go in a job posting? The start? The middle? The end? If you guessed the start, you’re not alone, but you might be in for a surprise about its effectiveness. An informal survey of job postings on Indeed, Glassdoor and Google for Jobs shows that 53.8% of employers start… Read more »

10 Tips for Recruiting People with Disabilities in Job Descriptions

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People with disabilities can, of course, be your most productive workers. But just one word or phrase could make them feel excluded. This bias against people with disabilities is also called ableism. One type/example of ableism in job descriptions is the words we use to describe physical demands. If a candidate has a physical disability,… Read more »

5 Things to Look for in a Gender Neutral Writing Tool

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Gender bias is a hot topic! There is an absolute movement right now to attract more women in the workplace. Check out these 3 recent news stories: California became the first state to require that public companies have at least 1 woman on their board of directors Catalyst (the non-profit) launched #BiasCorrect as a gender… Read more »

favorite job description articles

20+ of My Favorite Articles About Writing Job Descriptions [that aren’t mine!]

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I’ve written what I hope you find useful content on job descriptions (see job description articles,  job ad articles and our free Job Descriptions Guide. But there are so many awesome articles out there written by others. And I love giving shout-outs where they’re due. Here are my favorite articles on job descriptions, job postings and job ads. 20+… Read more »

New Study Shows Gender Bias Against Women for “Brainy” Jobs

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Women are less likely seen as good candidates if the job mentions a high degree of intellectual ability, according to a new study. In 3 tests, published in the journal American Psychologist, more than 1,150 participants were asked to refer individuals for a job. Half of the participants were told that the job description required… Read more »

5 Examples of “Complex Words” That Hurt Your Job Ads

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Every word in your job ad counts. But your job postings often have complex words or phrases you don’t need  — they sound more like legalese than a job advertisement.  Replace or cut these complex words/phrases and your job ad’s apply rate can see a major boost. You’ll also often see an increase in good candidates…. Read more »

5 Reasons to Use a Text Analyzer for All Your Job Descriptions

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If you are hiring more than 50 people per year, you can benefit in a big way from using Ongig’s Text Analyzer for your job descriptions. Let me give you 5 examples: 1) To See How Your Job Descriptions Compare to Peers A good text analyzer compares your job descriptions to the industry on things… Read more »

A List of Offensive (Exclusionary) Words Used in Job Descriptions [2020 Update]

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There are quite a few words and phrases that can crush your job descriptions. Use just one of these phrases and you could lose 50%+ of your candidates. These words are considered “exclusionary” by some and just plain offensive words by others. Exclusionary words in job descriptions are so rampant, that Ongig’s Text Analyzer now flags… Read more »

How Long Should a Job Title Be?

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I’m sometimes asked how long a job description title should be. Below are a few opinions from others I trust. Note: This article is part of our ongoing series called Job Titles: The Definitive Guide.  1 to 3 Words Job titles with 1 to 3 words had an apply rate twice as high as those with… Read more »

7 Tips on How to Write the Most “Readable” Job Descriptions

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You’ve heard me talk about “readability” in job descriptions recently. It’s vital. I now think of readability as one of the 3 main levers for writing a more effective job description (the other 2 are gender-neutrality and positive sentiment). The more readable your job descriptions, the higher the apply rates (we’ve measured this with machine learning)…. Read more »

My Diversity Recruiting Webinar “Sneak Peek”

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I’m a white man — so what do I know about diversity? Perhaps not as much as you. But I’ve studied it. Closely. My super-niche Ongig business has one focus: job descriptions. And Ongig has built diversity tools to make your jobs gender-neutral, higher in positive sentiment and more readable. Our software helped 4X the… Read more »

Why I Write my Job Postings at the 8th Grade Reading Level (or Lower!)

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The goal of a job posting is simple. It’s to capture the right candidate’s attention with truthful content to help them decide whether to apply. Note: Check out our free Job Descriptions Guide — it tells you everything we know about writing job descriptions! What if I told you I could improve the effectiveness of your… Read more »

Hemingway App analyzing job description text

5 Free Tools to Write Better Job Descriptions

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If you need to write better job descriptions, there are a few great free tools to use. If a free tool isn’t getting you what you need for writing job descriptions, check out Ongig’s Text Analyzer. For more tips on writing job descriptions, check out How to Write a Job Description — Best Practices & Examples. 1. Hemingway App… Read more »