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If you’re using the word “strong” in your job descriptions, you might be limiting your candidate pool. Using more inclusive synonyms for “strong” can help remove masculine bias from your JDs.
Why is “strong” a masculine word?
“Strong” is considered a masculine word based on research from various studies, including one published in the Journal of Personality and Social Psychology. “Strong” and other masculine words like lead, expert, and aggressive are proven to deter women from applying for jobs. Using another word for “strong” helps remove gender bias in job descriptions, helping you attract more diverse talent.
What’s another word for “strong”?
You can use Dictionary.com to find another word for “strong”, but you might still be replacing a masculine word with another masculine word.
The 12 synonyms for “strong” below don’t contain gender bias (according to Text Analyzer) AND they fit the context for job description language.
Synonyms for “strong”
- able (e.g., able in managing large teams)
- proven (e.g., proven track record in sales)
- exceptional (e.g., exceptional communication skills)
- sound (e.g., uses sound judgment)
- excellent (e.g., excellent project management skills)
- steady (e.g., a steady voice)
- durable (e.g., durable social networking skills)
- solid (e.g., a solid track record)
- experience in (e.g., has experience in graphic design)
- zealous (e.g., zealous in performing duties)
- dedicated (e.g., a dedicated worker)
- dynamic (e.g., dynamic energy)
More examples of synonyms for the word “strong”
Here are 5 more examples to help guide you when you are writing your job postings:
- Instead of “Looking for candidates with strong customer relationships,” write something like “Looking for candidates with solid customer relationships.”
- Instead of “Strong interpersonal skills and strong attention to detail,” write something like “Excellent interpersonal skills and exceptional attention to detail.”
- Instead of “The creation of strong solutions,” write something like “The creation of dynamic solutions.”
- Instead of “Use excellent judgment and strong decision-making skills,” write something like “Use excellent judgment and sound decision-making skills.”
- Instead of “with a strong executive presence,” write something like “with a zealous executive presence.”
Using Text Analyzer to find a synonym for strong
Ongig’s Text Analyzer job description software flags “strong” (and other masculine words) in your JDs, taking out the guesswork of finding “strong” synonyms.
Here’s a screenshot of a job posting for a sales role that uses the masculine word “strong” 3 times. The pop-up gives options for another word for “strong” that you can easily click on to improve your JD score:
Note: To see other examples of most-used words causing gender bias in job descriptions, check out The Top 10 Masculine Biased Words Used in Job Descriptions.
Why I Wrote This?
Ongig’s mission is to help you attract top-tier diverse talent. If you want to remove gender bias in your job descriptions, we’re happy to show you other masculine job description examples. Just click the demo request button to learn more about Text Analyzer!
