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How to write an inclusive job description

How to write an inclusive job description

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An inclusive workplace fosters a sense of belonging, encourages authenticity and open communication, and supports the career growth of all employees, regardless of race, gender, sexual orientation, religion, age, education, or background. This is a tall order, but many companies are working hard to improve inclusivity through shifts in company culture, leadership development, and employee education.

All too often, however, these efforts bypass the job description and seriously undermine inclusion as a result. Job descriptions are the initial touchpoint for a large segment of your prospective talent and where candidates get a ‘gut feeling’ about whether they’ll feel valued and welcome to be themselves at work. It’s increasingly clear that this matters, and not just to minority groups. A 2023 Deloitte survey found that inclusion is very important to employees when choosing where to work. Nearly two-thirds of millennials (64%) and three-quarters of Gen Z (72%) look for information about a company’s commitment to diversity and inclusion before applying for a job.

Read on to learn how to write inclusive job descriptions, so candidates sense they’d be valued by your organization and are more likely to click ‘Apply.’

Make your inclusion and diversity goals clear

Simply sharing the fact that inclusion and diversity matter to your company goes a long way toward attracting a diverse group of applicants. You can convey this company value throughout the job description. For example, you may lead with a brief “What We Offer” or “Working With Us” section that states your commitment to diversity goals, career growth, and work-life balance. In the list of requirements for the role, you can also include the ability to work effectively with a diverse group of employees to further demonstrate that your organization takes inclusion seriously.

Avoid exclusionary language

Certain words used for job titles and descriptions can be off-putting to some people. Though it’s pretty common knowledge that including ‘ninja,’ ‘rockstar,’ ‘wizard,’ and ‘genius’ can make older candidates and women scroll right past your job posting, they still show up in job descriptions. These words hint at a youth-centered workplace and the so-called ‘bro culture’ that is known to make women feel unwelcome. Also, while it’s important to feel confident in what you bring to the table, ‘genius’ or ‘guru’ is not how many highly talented people would describe themselves.

Additionally, keep gendered language to a minimum in job descriptions. For example, words like ‘competitive’ and ‘hard-driving’ are generally associated with masculinity, while words like ‘supportive’ and ‘collaborative’ have more feminine connotations. This doesn’t mean these words should be thrown out entirely, but if you overuse either masculine or feminine words you will unwittingly narrow your applicant pool.

Make sure perks have broad appeal

Highlighting only the presence of a fancy espresso machine or cozy lounge chairs in your job description is a mistake if that’s all you mention. Similarly, mentioning quirky team-building activities like laser tag and bowling afternoons or exclusively offering craft beer at company events might not resonate with everyone. While these activities are not enjoyed by men exclusively, they are more associated with male than with female interests. Include activities that have broader appeal, such as team cooking classes or offering beer, wine, and cocktails at company socials.

Distinguish between requirements and nice-to-haves

A long bullet list of required skills and experience is known to minimize applicant diversity. That’s because women tend to apply for jobs only when they meet most requirements, while men apply even when they meet only some of them. Decide what the ‘must-haves’ are for the role and clarify them on the job description. Then, in a separate section, list the skills that would be great for candidates to have but are not vital.

Back it up

Finally, make sure the picture of an inclusive workplace you are painting in the job description accurately reflects your real office culture. When you foster an inclusive culture at every level of your organization, you’re more likely to retain the wider group of talent your improved job description attracts.

Need hiring assistance? Contact us.

Hudson RPO

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The Hudson RPO Content Team is made up of experts within the Talent Acquisition industry across the Americas, EMEA and APAC regions. They provide educational and critical business insights in the form of research reports, articles, news, videos, podcasts, and more. The team ensures high-quality content that helps all readers make talent decisions with confidence.

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Performance Measurement of Diversity, Equity & Inclusion Strategies

Performance Measurement of Diversity, Equity & Inclusion Strategies

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This is 10 Ways to incorporate Diversity, Equity and Inclusion into your Talent Acquisition Strategy. Whether you have just begun or are already advanced in your DE&I journey, measuring your progress is a crucial part of any strategy

DE&I measurements can provide a place to start, a baseline to keep track of progress or pinpoint areas in your organizational strategy that need improvement. Measuring diversity, equity, and inclusion can be difficult and should always include input from your employees. This blog discusses how data and metrics can provide important learnings and the common pitfalls to avoid in DE&I measurements.

Data & Insights

Data collection can be done in various ways and, depending on the way you collect your data, will provide different insights. Collecting data should typically be the starting point of a DE&I strategy, as it can provide a baseline for you to track your progress and highlight unexpected areas for improvement in your approach.

Quantitative data can include demographics, such as sexual and religious orientations, ethnicity, or family status. However, it is not always permissible to ask for or use this information, and employees may feel uncomfortable with sharing this kind of information.

An example of another form of quantitative data that could provide useful insights is employees’ participation rate in targeted inclusion initiatives such as training, committees, or employee resource groups.

Quantitative data is helpful for data collection and insights on diversity, but the numbers alone will not tell you the full story. It is important to not only focus on diversity but also on equity and inclusion. This is where qualitative data can help you answer questions like: How are employees feeling about their workplace, do they feel part of their team, and how do their values align to those of the organization? Engagement surveys are a widely used tool to identify potential management issues, but a network analysis can also highlight how knowledge sharing, collaboration, and networks in your organization support DE&I goals.

Analysis & Correlational Metrics

Once you have collected your relevant data, analysis and correlational metrics are the next step to understanding how you should address your DE&I goals or where improvement is needed. When seeking leadership buy-in for your objectives, it can be helpful to use correlational metrics to support the value that your program can bring to the organization.

Correlational metrics can be storytellers when measured against your organizational, hiring or recruitment data. How are different groups making it through your hiring process? Are screening and selection tools applied evenly? Are staff overturns higher in one job family or seniority level? Examples of other correlational metrics include promotion rates, pay rates, and employment status (full time or contract).

Diversity KPIs

Nicki McCulloch, Client Services Director APAC, shares how diversity KPIs can help deliver diversity outcomes. Diversity KPIs need to be considered carefully to make sure they drive the right behavior in your organization. To be successful in DE&I, an organization needs a leadership team that is fully invested in a program and a joint understanding of what objectives should be met across the business.

Pitfalls to avoid in DE&I Measurements

Measuring diversity, equity, and inclusion can be challenging. However, input from a company’s employees is critical to its success. While there are some best-practice examples, copying what other organizations are doing without tailoring your approach to your organization and goals will not be effective long-term. Other common pitfalls are:

  • Authenticity
    Focus your research on what is relevant for your organization and how your data can contribute to insights for your DE&I strategy. A one-time survey is not enough to improve your DE&I.
  • Accessibility
    Make sure the results of your research are accessible to all, as well as the research method itself. For example, make sure the participants of your survey understand what their time and contributions will be used for, how their data will be used and anonymized, and take the necessary steps to ensure everyone who wants to is able to participate.
  • Transparency
    Even if the survey answers are anonymized and confidential, the conclusions of your research and the follow up of the outcomes can still be shared. This will also help assure employees that their time and contributions are valued, taken seriously and that your interest in improving DE&I is genuine.
  • Equity & Inclusion
    As previously mentioned, it is not about diversity alone. It is important to measure equity and inclusion too. DE&I is about more than having a diverse workforce; it is about creating a workplace where everyone feels included and empowered to contribute to your organization’s goals.

Hudson RPO can help you finetune your DE&I goals and advise on the appropriate metrics and technology for your organization. Contact us to find out how we can help. If you would like to learn more about DE&I, download 10 Ways to incorporate Diversity, Equity and Inclusion into your Talent Acquisition Strategy or listen to our podcast.

Hudson RPO

Content Team

The Hudson RPO Content Team is made up of experts within the Talent Acquisition industry across the Americas, EMEA and APAC regions. They provide educational and critical business insights in the form of research reports, articles, news, videos, podcasts, and more. The team ensures high-quality content that helps all readers make talent decisions with confidence.

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Unlocking talent: 3 signs your business needs Recruitment Process Outsourcing

Unlocking talent: 3 signs your business needs Recruitment Process Outsourcing

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Recruitment Process Outsourcing (RPO) is a unique and highly effective talent acquisition solution. RPO is defined as outsourcing all or portions of your organization’s recruitment process. By doing so, you can achieve significant benefits, including cost savings, enhanced efficiency, improved quality of hire, and more. In this article, we’ll explore three significant signs that your business may benefit from an RPO partnership to address your talent acquisition needs more effectively. 

RPO is not just about finding the right talent; it's enabling agility and scalability in the recruitment function and ultimately, optimizing the entire recruitment process and strategy to boost efficiency, improve quality, and reduce overall costs. In a competitive market, RPO can give you the competitive edge to acquire the skills you need in your business."

1. Uncertainty of hiring needs and difficulty with workforce planning is requiring your organization to be more agile and scalable:

With today’s economic uncertainty, geopolitical unrest, and unprecedented skills shortage, many organizations are challenged with creating agility within the recruitment function. In recent months, this has caused the need to reduce headcount within talent acquisition with some fear that hiring needs will shift extremely quickly causing the business to turn to higher cost solutions to hire. RPO partnerships are designed to shift a traditional fixed cost infrastructure to a variable cost and deliver an outcome-based result. Hudson RPO’s “always on” approach will scale to meet the needs of your business and deliver a world-class experience for candidates and hiring managers alike.  

2. Recruitment costs are climbing:

An RPO partnership reduces the overall costs in the talent acquisition function by reducing or eliminating the need for agency hiring and delivering higher productivity through the efficient use of tools, training, and technology. Additionally, an RPO can also inherently help improve your employer-of-choice status which will help engage and persuade top talent to join your organization.   

3. Outdated, or lack of access, to recruitment technology:

Recruitment teams rely on technology to find, engage, and persuade, top talent for enhanced candidate experiences. Building a technology stack that is both fit for purpose and budget-friendly can be transformative but challenging. RPO partners serve as subject matter experts and provide the right technology in their solutions that enable the recruitment operation. They seamlessly implement and integrate customized technological solutions into your RPO solution.

Leveraging an RPO partnership can deliver the agility and scalability you need to survive and flourish in the current business climate. It can also deliver your desired talent acquisition outcomes including process efficiency, tech-enablement, and overall cost savings. As a comprehensive, scalable, and cost-effective approach to talent acquisition, a quality RPO partner can serve as a strategic asset that drives your organization’s success. 

To learn more about how an RPO partner can save costs and drive exceptional results, reach out to a Talent Expert to find out more. 

Hudson RPO

Content Team

The Hudson RPO Content Team is made up of experts within the Talent Acquisition industry across the Americas, EMEA and APAC regions. They provide educational and critical business insights in the form of research reports, articles, news, videos, podcasts, and more. The team ensures high-quality content that helps all readers make talent decisions with confidence.

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Six benefits of MSP partnerships

Six benefits of MSP partnerships

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Managed Services Program (MSP) partnerships are custom solutions wherein a company outsources the management of their contingent workforce. Managed Services Program partnerships drive cost savings, process efficiencies and improved quality of hire in contractor management. On average, MSP partnerships can deliver 10-20 percent cost savings in the first year. However the benefits of MSP stretch far beyond cost savings.

1. Transparency and control

Losing oversight and control of a contingent workforce is the most common challenge experienced by our clients. Gaining back control and creating a transparent and consistent extended workforce framework is also the most important benefit of an MSP partnership. Through a systematic, strategic, and tailored approach, your MSP partner will streamline the end-to-end process to ensure a reliable ‘one-source-of-truth’ is the foundation of your contingent workforce.  

2. Cost savings

Partnering with an MSP can bring significant cost reductions to your contingent workforce management. We delivered 380k AUD in cost savings for our client in six months. Depending on the model, you either centralize your workforce management with one vendor or let the MSP handle vendor contracts. Additionally, managed services program providers can reduce time-to-fill and minimize productivity gaps.

The benefit of an MSP partner stretches far beyond cost savings. Improved processes, unparalleled scalability and partnership, and the peace of mind that comes from entrusting operations to expert hands is transformative. ”

3. Reduced risks

Compliance is a critical aspect of flexible talent management. An MSP model means your partner will take on the risk and compliance management of your contingent workforceA high-quality MSP partner will be well-versed in regulatory requirements and can ensure that all aspects of your contingent workforce remain compliant. They’ll also provide guidance and implement processes to mitigate risks in your hiring process, tenure management, and policy adherence, regardless of location. 

4. Increased efficiencies

Utilizing automation and advanced recruitment technology platforms, your MSP partner also streamlines candidate sourcing, onboarding, time and attendance management, and invoicing. This ultimately creates an efficient ecosystem for your contingent recruitment and employment workflows, giving your team back precious time to focus on more strategic tasks. 

5. Contractor and hiring manager experience

An MSP provides access to a team of talent experts with in-depth knowledge of your industry and unique requirements. As part of your custom solution, they will streamline your end-to-end contingent workforce processes and source top-quality candidates through expert talent strategies. With expertly crafted processes and strategies, you’ll soon recognize elevated experiences for both contractors and hiring managers  

6. Scalability and flexibility 

An MSP provides the agility and flexibility your organization needs. It adjusts resources as needed, whether for rapid growth requiring hiring or scaling back during slower periods, ensuring you have the appropriate talent when it’s needed most. 

Is MSP right for you?

Managed Services Programs offer numerous benefits. From driving process efficiencies to risk mitigation, MSPs play a key role in contingent workforce management. Leaving your flexible talent management in the hands of trusted experts allows you to remain focused on your core business. Learn more about our Managed Services Program service or talk to one of our talent experts today.

Hudson RPO

Content Team

The Hudson RPO Content Team is made up of experts within the Talent Acquisition industry across the Americas, EMEA and APAC regions. They provide educational and critical business insights in the form of research reports, articles, news, videos, podcasts, and more. The team ensures high-quality content that helps all readers make talent decisions with confidence.

Related articles

Nabil Kamleh Joins Hudson RPO as Managing Director, Middle East and Africa

Tampa, Fla., June 11, 2024 – Hudson RPO today announced that Nabil Kamleh is joining Hudson RPO as Managing Director, Hudson Middle East and Africa. In this role, Kamleh will spearhead efforts to increase the firm’s presence and stature throughout the region and will be responsible for overseeing the firm’s talent acquisition efforts there.

Kamleh has nearly 15 years of recruitment industry experience, with more than a decade of those years in the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC).

Kamleh is an English and Arabic speaking leader in delivering Middle East and Africa recruitment solutions. He has led recruitment delivery teams for regional and global multinationals within the region and has been ultimately responsible for full delivery of service for nearly 2,000 hires per year for leading organizations in several industries, including energy, finance, healthcare and automotive.

Previously, Kamleh was a Co-Founder and Partner with Parisima, a leading end-to-end talent acquisition firm based in Dubai.

He also served as Director, Recruitment Process Outsourcing, for IBM (Kenexa), Middle East and Africa, and as a Senior Talent Acquisition Partner at Michael Page International.

Kamleh has degrees in Business Management and International Business from the University of Lethbridge.

About Hudson RPO

Hudson RPO is a leading global provider of flexible and scalable recruitment solutions. We service all levels of client organizations, from entry-level to the C-suite, focusing on mid-market and enterprise-level organizations worldwide. Taking a consultative and collaborative approach, we partner with talent acquisition, HR, and procurement leaders to build diverse, high-impact teams and drive business success. Learn more at hudsonrpo.com.

Media Contact

Tracy Kurschner
Global Communications Manager, Hudson RPO
[email protected]
612.309.3957

Hudson RPO Recognized as a Star Performer and Major Contender by Everest Group

Tampa, Fla., June 11, 2024 – Hudson RPO today announced that it has been named as a Major Contender and Star Performer in Everest Group’s Recruitment Process Outsourcing (RPO) PEAK Matrix® Assessment. The Star Performer designation is based on Hudson RPO’s significant Year over Year (YoY) movement up the Matrix.

The report cites several accomplishments in Hudson RPO’s offering that led to its elevated ranking, including demonstrated growth and resilience in terms of hires managed and global revenue amid a global slowdown in the RPO market.

The organization has also seen measurable global expansion with organic growth by setting up an entity in Ireland, and inorganic growth with the acquisition of Hudson Singapore.  Hudson RPO has also enhanced its offering with a dedicated Executive Search team and expanded advisory services.

“Hudson RPO has made concerted organic and inorganic investments to expand its global RPO footprint across most of the major RPO markets. Its expertise in hiring white-collar professionals across key industries, such as pharmaceutical and life sciences, BFSI, and manufacturing, has enabled Hudson RPO to demonstrate significant resilience in the downturn of 2023,” says Arkadev “Arko” Basak, Partner, Everest Group. “Its continued investments in advancing its talent advisory services and its partnership-based technology ecosystem have strengthened its position as a Major Contender and Star Performer on Everest Group’s Recruitment Process Outsourcing (RPO) Services PEAK Matrix® Assessment 2024 – Global.”

“Buyers highlighted Hudson RPO’s strong account and stakeholder management, which leads to significantly superior recruitment outcomes and better candidate fit,” said Hudson RPO Global CEO Jake Zabkowicz. “As we continue to expand and excel in the marketplace, we look forward to offering clients best-in-class results, including DEI, advisory, permanent and contingent workforce planning and technology consulting.”

For the RPO Services PEAK Matrix®, Everest Group analyzes the RPO landscape and the performance of 32 service providers, looking at these providers’ vision for RPO, their capacity to deliver on that vision, the impact that they have had on the wider market, including the scope of services offered, and level of innovation and investments. The assessment also considers third-party RPO deals as well as approximately 5,200 multi-process RPO deals. The report divides RPO providers into three main categories: Leaders, Major Contenders and Aspirants.

About Hudson RPO

Hudson RPO is a leading global provider of flexible and scalable recruitment solutions. We service all levels of client organizations, from entry-level to the C-suite, focusing on mid-market and enterprise-level organizations worldwide. Taking a consultative and collaborative approach, we partner with talent acquisition, HR, and procurement leaders to build diverse, high-impact teams and drive business success. Learn more at hudsonrpo.com.

Media Contact

Tracy Kurschner
Global Communications Manager, Hudson RPO
[email protected]
612.309.3957

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