Writing job postings that attract passionate and skilled people can be challenging, especially when job seekers may have many employment options. The Commonwealth of Massachusetts offers strong guidance on how to develop and format job postings along with templates that you can use to save time. While the guidance is designed for hiring into state positions, much of the information can be easily adapted to job postings for local public health. One key takeaway: hiring managers should focus on all of the skills and experiences – including lived experience – of job seekers rather than looking primarily at education and other credentials. This “skills-based hiring” introduces a more diverse and interesting pool of applicants to hiring managers and provides career opportunities for traditionally marginalized communities and those with less formal training or experience who may have been overlooked in the past.
To create a job posting that attracts diverse, qualified applicants and those with experience providing services to culturally and linguistically diverse communities, we offer the following recommendations about what to include – and what to avoid – in job postings.
Tips to Improve Your Job Postings
Include:
- A mission statement that describes the agency’s commitment to implementing the CLAS Standards and DPH’s Strategic Plan to Promote Racial Equity.
- Detailed description of the job with CLAS-related responsibilities.
- Examples: Provide outreach to LGBTQ youth; Conduct focus groups in Latine communities to identify strategies for vaccination access.
- Minimum and preferred skills, experience, degree, licensure, and other qualifications including CLAS-related experience, skills and training.
- Examples: Licensed Registered Nurse. Bicultural and bilingual in Vietnamese; experience collaborating with Black grass-roots community organizations; experience developing protocols for transgender and nonbinary inclusive services; Experience conducting CLAS Self Assessment.
- Detail the work schedule including days and hours.
- Specify the work location, whether it is on a public transportation route, whether the position requires working at a single or multiple sites, whether home visits are required, and whether there is the option to work remotely or hybrid options.
- Include the salary or salary range and details of the benefit package including vacation days and health plan. Health plan information is essential for job seekers who have medical conditions and disabilities and for people with family members who have medical conditions or disabilities.
- Provide details of the hiring process and timeline.
- Provide simple application instructions using Clear and Plain Language.
- Include information on how to request disability accommodations for the interview and how to submit the job application in alternative format for people with disabilities who use assistive technology (remember that it is not permissible to ask whether an applicant has a disability; but informing applicants of how to request accommodations ensures accessibility).
- When including photos with job postings, be sure to include diverse representation in the images including diverse skin color, gender, size, disability, hair color and texture. Include images of LGBTQ+ people and families. Show people of marginalized social identities in various contexts, not only as service-recipients.
Avoid:
- Jargon and acronyms. Especially for entry level positions, this can feel confusing or alienating to job seekers.
- Gendered employment language. For example, “We’re seeking someone to man the office” or “We’re looking to increase our manpower.” This implies that those who are hiring have men in mind for the position. Instead use staff.
- Gendered services language. For example, “We provide services to men and women with substance addiction”. This excludes people who don’t identify as being a man or a woman. Instead use “people”, “adults” or “youth”.
- Stigmatizing language. For example, the term “substance abuse” is often perceived as a shaming, judgmental term. Instead, use the term “substance addiction” or “substance use disorder”.
For additional guidance, the Commonwealth has developed recommendations for writing inclusive job postings.