Exclusionary words creep into job ads. And, some are more obvious than others. Finding them (plus more inclusive words to replace them) is a time suck.
Here are 75 examples of biased language I often find in job ads, with more inclusive replacements. I divided them into categories for easier reading.
Note: If you’re writing job ads at scale, using a tool like Ongig to flag and replace bias automates the process…and saves you time. This list is a sampling of the 10,000+ words Ongig flags automatically.
Inclusive Language List for Race
Exclusionary Words | Inclusive Replacements |
---|---|
a cakewalk | an easy task |
blackball | deny |
blacklist/blacklists | blocklist, denylist |
brown bag session | lunch and learn, learning session |
culture fit | culture add |
English native speaker | fluent in English, proficient in English |
legal alien | immigrant |
minorities | underrepresented groups |
mixed people | people from a mixed ethnic group |
native feature | built-in feature |
nitty-gritty | details, essentials, core |
peanut gallery | group, crowd, audience |
segregate | segment, divide |
servant leadership | growth leadership, supportive leadership |
tribe | team, network |
Inclusive Language List for Gender
Exclusionary Words | Inclusive Replacements |
---|---|
a champion | a sponsor, a promoter, an advocate |
chairman | chairperson, chair |
foreman | supervisor |
man-hours | staff hours |
mankind | humanity |
a ninja | a pro |
overachiever | dreamer, self-starter, doer |
poster boy | role model, influencer |
servicemen | veterans, former military |
tackling | taking on, embracing, managing |
Inclusive Language List for LGBTQIA+
Exclusionary Words | Inclusive Replacements |
---|---|
guys | folks, people |
he or she | they, you |
herself/himself | yourself, themselves |
lifestyle choice | sexual orientation |
maternity/paternity leave | parental leave |
men and women | people, the team, everyone |
moms and dads | parents |
non-straight | queer |
sexual preference | sexual orientation |
transgendered | a transgender person |
Inclusive Language List for Disability
Exclusionary Words | Inclusive Replacements |
---|---|
abled-bodied | a person without a disability |
afflicted by | has [name of disability or condition] |
crippled | person with a disability |
mute | a person who cannot speak |
restricted to a wheelchair | a person who uses a wheelchair |
stand | be upright, stationary |
suffering from | experiencing an illness |
vertically-challenged | person of short stature, a little person |
vision-impaired | a person with limited vision |
walk | move, traverse |
Inclusive Language List for Elitism
Exclusionary Words | Inclusive Replacements |
---|---|
a degree from an elite school | a college degree |
a degree from a top business program | a business degree |
an elite college degree | a college degree |
an Ivy League education | a college education |
attended a top college | attended college |
graduated at the top of your class | graduated from college |
graduated from a top 25 engineering school | graduated from an engineering school |
MBA from a top university | have an MBA |
strong score on the SAT/ACT | took the SAT/ACT |
top-tier college degree | college degree |
Inclusive Language List for Mental Health and Neurodiversity
Exclusionary Words | Inclusive Replacements |
---|---|
basket case | nervous |
crazy | a person who has an emotional disability, neuroatypical |
dummy value | sample value |
mad | a person with a mental health condition |
mentally handicapped | a person who has an emotional disability, neuroatypical |
mentally ill | have a mental health condition, neuroatypical |
non-autistic | neurotypical |
sanity check | review, audit, double-check |
slow learner | neurodiverse, neuroatypical |
struggling with depression | have depression |
Inclusive Language List for Age
Exclusionary Words | Inclusive Replacements |
---|---|
digital natives | people passionate about technology |
geezer | older person |
new graduate | graduate |
the elderly | older people |
just graduated | has graduated |
Inclusive Language List for Former Felons
Exclusionary Words | Inclusive Replacements |
---|---|
convicted felon | former felon, a person with a felony history |
criminal background check | background check |
criminal history check | background check |
ex-offender | returning citizen, parolee |
felon | former felon, a person with a felony history |
Why I wrote this?
Ongig’s mission is to create effective and inclusive job descriptions. Our software has a built-in inclusive language list to flag (and remove) bias, to help you attract more diverse talent.