Language and copy, as a standalone element, is commonly seen as the key to unlocking diversity and inclusion; but at RoleMapper we know that - although extremely important - it is only one small part of the whole solution. But nevertheless, it is definitely still important.
"The average user reads, at most, 20% of what’s on a page" - Jakob Nielsen
Usability expert Jakob Nielsen tells us that over 80% of people skim read – they tend to scan not read content - and read at most 20% of what’s on a page. When you write more, people understand less. Writing guru Ann Wylie’s research that shows when average sentence length is 14 words, readers understand more than 90% of what they’re reading. At 43 words, comprehension drops to less than 10%.
When you write more, people understand less
Research by the USA Press Association found that the longer the sentence, the greater the strain. Readers find sentences of 8 words or less very easy to read; More than 25 words are very difficult to read – just not “accessible” to readers. So, between 14 and 17 words is the sweet spot.
Short Vs Long Sentence Structure
Long, complicated sentences force users to slow down and work harder to understand what they’re reading. This isn’t something people want to do, even if they’re familiar with the subject or language you’re using.
Jargon And Complexity Deters Candidates From Applying
There are a lot of confusing terms commonly used in job adverts. A study found that using jargon in adverts actually had a negative impact on the confidence of early careers applicants. It made them feel like they “don’t deserve” a role or were “not good enough” to apply as they felt “intimidated” by the job
descriptions or “unsure” as to what they’ll be facing.
Jargon is not only stopping people applying for jobs but it also means employers are missing out on talent.
Women Are Less Likely To Apply For Jobs That Are Stereotypically Masculine. The Language You Use Is Really Important
Research has found that there are words that are stereotypically masculine and others that are stereotypically feminine. The research goes on to conclude that men and women react at an unconscious level to masculine-coded or feminine-coded words.
Gendered-themed words have the greatest effect on women - women are less likely to identify with jobs that are stereotypically masculine.
Highly masculine wording used in the job posting reduces women’s appeal of the job because it signals that women do not fit or belong in that job. Masculine coded such as ‘drive’, ‘competitiveness’ or ‘assertiveness’ may put women off. It’s subtle and subconscious but tremendously powerful.
LinkedIn research found that more definitive terms, such as 'ambitious' or 'high-pressured' were off-putting: 44% of women would even be discouraged from applying for a role if the word ‘aggressive’ was included in a job description – only a third of men felt the same.
Break Bias In Your Job Adverts With Intelligent Job Design
So, in summary, what you write and the way you write it has an impact on how people read, engage with and the attractiveness of the jobs you promote. Good job adverts are easy to read, with short headings, bulleted content and simple vocabulary and gender debiased language.
The challenge is that when it comes to creating job description content, in most organisations, it is all a bit back-to-front. The job gets designed and the job description created in a way that make sense to the Manager community. Then the recruitment function scramble to decipher, de-code and re-write the content to appeal to the external marketplace.
Apps are available to decode the language, but it’s a bit of a back-to-front approach - addressing it from the ‘outside-in’ rather than the ‘inside-out’. Like plastering over the cracks, putting a band-aide on the problem rather than addressing the root cause.
By adopting an intelligent job design approach, you can challenge the words you use and the sentences you write at the heart of where you create your jobs.
Whatever you are creating – be that job profiles, job descriptions or job adverts – with intelligent job design you connect the dots on all job documentation and ensure that all the content you write is inclusive, wherever you come into the process. This way your recruiters can spend more time recruiting and less time having to translate complex job descriptions.
Sources
Sentence length: why 25 words is our limit - Gov.uk
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