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how to write equitable job descriptions that put candidates first
at poe., our mission is to create equitable access to opportunities by reshaping the way companies evaluate and engage with talent. we focus on helping companies build more inclusive and fair hiring processes and tools with an approach anchored in minimizing the impact of unconscious bias on everyday hiring practices.
because the positive impacts that inclusive, deliberately-crafted job descriptions (“JDs”) have on a company's talent brand and applicant pool cannot be overstated, it is one of the first things we focus on when working with client companies.
we believe that JDs should accomplish the following goals:
put candidates first - tell the applicant more than what you need. tell them why they should be excited about the opportunity, how they could perform the role, and how they can contribute to the company. these are details they need to write a cover letter and prepare for any potential interviews.
lead with transparency - provide full visibility, focus, and clarity about the position and your organization to create shared alignment between you and an applicant and how you will evaluate potential candidates.
support a growth mindset - allow for candidates with career paths and experiences with which you may not be familiar but who possess (or can learn) the necessary skills and qualifications for the role to see themselves reflected enough to apply.
we’ve developed the following JD template to serve as a guide toward these outcomes.
poe.’s JD template
ABOUT [INSERT YOUR COMPANY NAME]
in this section, you should introduce your company and its mission.
if your organization is large, it’s possible that your marketing team already has agreed-upon language that you should (or are required) to use in this section. if no such language yet exists, we suggest viewing the ‘about’ section as an opportunity to introduce your company to prospective candidates—similar to how you might describe a friend to a stranger.
we recommend that newer organizations place the ‘about’ section at the beginning of a JD to provide the context potential candidates need to learn about who you are and what you are doing. well-established brands may opt to place this section at the end.
tip - the ‘about’ section should provide relevant context about your organization, such as when it was founded, the type of work on which it focuses, and its mission. this is also an opportunity to highlight what aspects of the company are most relevant to the role. for example, if you are a startup in growth stage, the role may require someone with experience and knowledge about how to lead, build, and engage a growing team.
THE ROLE
in this section, you should discuss the role’s unique responsibilities, the scope of work involved, and the position's challenges. we can't overemphasize the importance of this section. many times, we want to list all the skills and qualifications and skip over what someone would use their skills and qualifications to accomplish.
one way not to limit applicants is to state what types of outcomes they would be working towards or what the role would ask them to use their skills and qualifications to complete. this allows applicants to see how their experience can be transferable to this position.
we encourage you to connect how potential candidates can support the organization's mission through the position. highlight the impact they could produce by using their experiences and knowledge in this position to support the key goals and initiatives.
tip - we suggest sharing the top three most relevant or essential responsibilities or elements tied to this position. in this section, start to think about how to sell and communicate the value someone could bring to the role, a company's current strategy, or overall mission. how would you message it on your LinkedIn?
QUALIFICATIONS
in this section, share qualifications or specific skills or knowledge needed to perform key responsibilities of the role. we define key responsibilities as the 1-4 things a person has to be able to do when they start the position.
the qualifications highlighted in the JD should not be "all or nothing", but should be skills and experiences integral to the high performance and success in this role. doing this allows for experience-related qualifications to be transferable from parallel experiences.
we recommend not using a specific number of years and education specification (unless the role is highly specialized). it may create an unnecessary barrier for applicants.
tip - the ‘qualifications’ section should focus on introducing key responsibilities of the position that are tied to business outcomes. this section should only include "must haves" for the position for an external job description. the long lists of specific duties and functions should be kept for your internal position description. focusing on the must haves in the external job description helps ensure gender balance in the applicant pool. here’s why.
DIVERSITY STATEMENT
this is where you should put your organization's diversity, equity, and inclusion (“DEI”) statement.
tip - your diversity statement should reflect your organization's values and the importance of DEI to your business. if your organization has specific DEI goals, issues, or initiatives, you should highlight them here.
for example, here is poe.’s DEI statement:
when making decisions in all aspects of our work, poe. puts people first. we believe diversity of talent exposes an organization to different career journeys and ways of understanding and engaging in the world. our work centers racial (Indigenous, Black, People of Color) and gender (Women) equity and shares power when changing systems to create sustainable, equitable access for talent and support more diverse hiring outcomes. we are passionate about achieving this through tools, processes, and methods that empower people to practice perspective taking and take responsibility for their biases, enabling them to recognize and value a candidate’s unique journey.
WHAT [COMPANY NAME] OFFERS
in this section, share the salary, time-off, 401k information, and any benefits that help a candidate understand the total compensation for this position. we encourage you to lead with as much transparency as possible so that candidates don’t have to guess if a role that inspires them can also provide the income and benefits they need. providing as much salary- and benefits-related information in the JD upfront is also considerate of your hiring team’s and candidates’ time as it minimizes the chance that a candidate will withdraw from a process or reject an offer due to compensation-related reasons after considerable time has already been expended.
tip - if you don’t have an exact base salary, you should share a range. when sharing a range, be mindful that candidates will gravitate towards the higher end of the range when deciding to apply. accordingly, we recommend not sharing a range too large (for example, a $50,000 spread) if the high end is not realistic at the end of a hiring process.
furthermore, your team should be clear on what experiences, qualifications, and skills would command a starting base salary at the higher end of the range and be prepared to articulate as much should a candidate to whom you’ve extended an offer ask.
APPLICATION INSTRUCTIONS
in this section, tell candidates exactly what you expect to see from their submitted materials. materials could include cover letters, resumes, portfolios, writing samples, etc. depending on the role.
tip - try not to create too much work for candidates upfront. expecting candidates to complete a number of tasks before they are invited to interview will create an access barrier, and likely will reflect poorly on your talent brand.
let’s connect!
we’re glad you’re taking the steps to write more inclusive, equitable job descriptions, and we hope these tips and template help. questions? our inbox is always open. email hello@peopleovereverything.com
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