Desde HBR

Today’s Tip

Write a Better Job Description

One of the ways that organizations miss an opportunity to attract top talent is by writing — or even recycling — lackluster job descriptions. Your goal is to attract and invite people to join your company, so the words you use matter. Don’t overinflate the qualifications for the role: You may end up discouraging good candidates from applying. Avoid language that may seem normative or limiting to women or candidates of color. For example, research tells us that women are more hesitant to apply when descriptions include more typically masculine characteristics, such as “outspoken,” “competitive,” and “ninja.” To check your unconscious bias, read your job description through a different lens. If you’re white, how might the job description read for a person of color? If you’re a driven, career person, would what you’ve written invite an applicant who needs to work from home? Consider testing the job description with a diverse group of colleagues before you post it. This may reveal any blind spots. Finally, use language that reflects and promotes your corporate values. People want to feel energized and passionate about what they do, so show them that the job offers an opportunity to contribute to your company’s collective mission. Rather than focusing on specific skills, you can use words like “high-performance creativity” and “optimistic” to describe the kind of candidates you want to apply. Hiring an individual whose values align with your organization is a win-win. It’s worth taking the time to craft a job description to invite those candidates to apply.

This tip is adapted from “Write a Job Description That Attracts the Right Candidate,” by Whitney Johnson