3 Ways Coded Language is Costing You Applicants

Job postings are often the first interaction job seekers have with your brand and may be your only opportunity to engage a given candidate. You need to make a great impression, especially if you want the most in-demand talent to apply.

But what if coded language is sabotaging your efforts? 

The way you communicate matters and every word or phrase in your job description has the potential to deter qualified candidates from your application process. You must learn to recognize coded language so you can correct it — before it costs you more applicants.

1. Biased language signals that some demographic groups aren’t welcome to apply

Biased language in job postings is often unconscious and unintentional, which can make it challenging to avoid and all the more important to deliberately unravel. 

This includes language that is:

• Gender-coded. Job postings with masculine-coded language like ambitious, confident, and independent are less appealing to women, making them feel they don’t belong in those roles. Feminine-coded words like dependable, interpersonal, and loyal are slightly less appealing to men but don’t generally affect their sense of belonging.
• Ageist. Phrases such as young company or high energy are often used in job descriptions without much reservation, but they dissuade older workers from applying. Some job posting language is even more overt, including phrases like digital native or recent college graduate to describe the ideal candidate.
• Ableist. Many common words — like see, hear, and stand — in job descriptions can be unintentionally ableist. For instance, not everyone is able to type, though they may be able to input or record data another way.
• Nativistic. Language-based qualifications can put multilingual candidates at a disadvantage. For example, requirements for strong English skills or native German speaker can deter immigrants and people from different ethnicities who are otherwise qualified for the role. 

Take the time to educate yourself and your team around biased language so you can write more inclusive job descriptions. This isn’t always intuitive, so you might also consider using tools like a gender decoder, the U.S. Department of Labor’s Ableist Language Detector, Textio, or Textmetrics to help you recognize and correct coded language in your job descriptions. 

Inclusive language will appeal to more candidates, helping them feel a sense of belonging so they know they’re welcome to apply. 

2. Common job description phrasing may misrepresent your company culture

Skilled candidates are in high demand. Savvy talent acquisition teams are updating their job descriptions to attract and convert more qualified job seekers — but some of these changes may be doing more harm than good. 

Common job description phrasing can be interpreted as coded language and dissuade candidates from applying. For example, using the phrase fast-paced environment is intended to make opportunities sound exciting, though candidates may take it to mean they’ll be subject to high levels of stress. Similarly, phrases like looking for self-starters can signal a lack of support and willing to wear many hats can feel like a recipe for burnout. 

If these phrases are reflective of your company culture and paint a realistic picture of the role, by all means use them. You want your job postings to help you attract the right talent. For example, the phrase must handle stress well is fitting for an ER nurse or a highly competitive sales environment. Sharing this information in the job description allows the right candidates to self-select, saving everyone time in the recruiting process and potentially reducing employee turnover in the long run.

But if candidate perceptions don’t align with your company culture, coded language in your job postings may be to blame. Ask team members to review your job descriptions before they’re published and survey candidates regularly to learn how they perceive your employer brand. Adjusting your language can improve your quality and quantity of applicants.

3. Superfluous job requirements can dissuade otherwise qualified applicants

Some job postings read like a laundry list of qualifications and skills — most of which may not actually be necessary to be successful in the role.

For example, years of experience is a common requirement in job postings. Employers often stipulate the number of years a qualified applicant has spent in their occupation, managed people, or performed a specific skill. 

The problem is that years of experience don’t indicate ability or career growth aspiration. A candidate with too little experience may be a better manager than someone with decades of leadership experience. And an “overqualified” top performer may be happy in their job level with no interest in climbing the ladder. Using a set experience range can lead highly competent candidates to believe they’re not a fit and deter them from applying.

Similarly, many job postings list degree requirements as a minimum qualification, with some stipulating a minimum GPA. Companies, increasingly, are focusing on skills rather than schools, in part because education requirements disparately impact candidates from historically marginalized communities. 

Degree requirements may send the message that “you need to have money to make money.” They may also signal that your company isn’t a good place for neurodiverse professionals who may learn or display knowledge differently than the formal education system allows.

Use your job postings to focus on the role’s responsibilities, how success will be defined, and any must-have skills a candidate should possess or learn to attain their goals if hired. Job posts that focus on responsibilities rather than requirements receive 14% more applications per view.

Final thoughts: Eliminate coded language to boost qualified applicants

Your job postings should help you attract and engage the right talent, deterring only those who aren’t qualified for the role. Eliminating coded language helps you keep qualified candidates in your pipeline so you can have more successful hiring outcomes.

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