{"id":1492,"date":"2012-09-04T14:10:06","date_gmt":"2012-09-04T21:10:06","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/recruitloop.com.au\/blog\/?p=1492"},"modified":"2023-05-15T11:12:18","modified_gmt":"2023-05-15T18:12:18","slug":"avoiding-discrimination-in-job-ads","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.zippia.com\/employer\/avoiding-discrimination-in-job-ads\/","title":{"rendered":"“No Indians Or Asians”: Avoiding Discrimination in Job Ads"},"content":{"rendered":"

A recent job ad posted in Tasmania sparked a huge outcry for using the phrase \u2018no Indians or Asians please<\/em>\u2019. Written by a cleaning sub-contractor for Coles, it was clearly a case of blatant racism and condemned as such by everyone, including the management of Coles.<\/p>\n

It was probably written as the result of ignorance rather than malice, but it got me thinking about the recruitment ads I see from time to time that seem discriminatory to me, but in much more subtle ways.<\/p>\n

Excluding Oldies<\/strong><\/h2>\n

One phrase I see regularly is \u2018person sought for young, vibrant company\u2019. Obviously because they know they can\u2019t advertise for a young person (which would be ageist), they get around it by describing their company as young and vibrant, thus implying that they are looking for similar applicants, sending a clear message to me that older applicants need not apply.<\/p>\n

According to anti-discrimination legislation, you are allowed to advertise for a \u2018junior\u2019, if the job pays a junior salary or if you advertise it as a \u2018junior position\u2019 within the hierarchy of the company. Using the words \u2018young\u2019, \u2018vibrant\u2019, \u2018mature\u2019 or \u2018senior\u2019 to describe a desired candidate are not allowed however and can attract a claim of discrimination.<\/p>\n

You can use those words in other ways though. For example, it is not considered discriminatory to advertise for someone who has a \u2018mature outlook\u2019, because both old and young people could arguably possess this quality.<\/p>\n

Similarly, if you advertise for someone with 10 years experience (clearly an older person), that is discriminatory, but call it \u2018considerable\u2019 or \u2018extensive\u2019 experience instead and that is fine. Seems a bit like word games to me.<\/p>\n

Boys (or Girls) Only<\/strong><\/h2>\n

I still see gender-specific terms like \u2018tradesman\u2019, \u2018storeman\u2019 \u2018salesman\u2019 and \u2018Girl Friday\u2019 used in job ads, but by and large, people seem to have learned the lessons regarding sexual discrimination and are mostly quite PC about how they advertise jobs that could be performed equally well by either sex.<\/p>\n

Something called \u2018new age\u2019 discrimination seems to have appeared in its place though. This is discrimination against someone because of a disability and, here again, a form of \u2018double speak\u2019 seems to be employed.<\/p>\n

Whereas advertising for \u2018able-bodied\u2019 candidates is clearly discriminating against those who have a disability, saying that someone \u2018must have a driver\u2019s licence\u2019 when it is clearly a desk job, is a more subtle way of doing the same thing.<\/p>\n

Bilingual Bias<\/strong><\/h2>\n

Another common requirement in many job ads is \u2018English must be your first language\u2019. Admittedly the jobs being advertised are writing jobs that require a certain ability with words, but surely the question of whether English is your first or second language should not come into it. Could you not be someone who speaks both languages equally fluently?<\/p>\n

Because the job boards I am referring to are visited by lots of people from foreign countries, I would be more inclined to interpret \u2018English must be your first language\u2019 as \u2018no Indians or Asians please\u2019.<\/p>\n

This more subtle form of discrimination in job ads would seem to be very much in the eye of the beholder. What I see as discriminatory, you may not.<\/p>\n

How to Avoid Discriminating<\/strong><\/h2>\n

The test for what is deemed discriminatory is whether a reasonable person with no special knowledge would consider it so. I consider myself a reasonable person, but maybe I\u2019m overreacting.<\/p>\n

    \n
  • Avoid gender-based discrimination:<\/strong>\u00a0Ensure your job title doesn\u2019t include terms like \u201cwaitress\u201d, \u201cadmin girl\u201d, “mail man” or \u201csalesman\u201d. That way you won\u2019t find yourself in hot water.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n
      \n
    • Avoid racial discrimination:<\/strong>\u00a0Even if the ability to speak a foreign language is critical to the role, it\u2019s the proficiency in the language as opposed to one\u2019s country of origin that is key. So \u201cthe ability to speak Mandarin is essential\u201d is far more favourable than \u201cyou must be Chinese\u201d.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n
        \n
      • Avoid age discrimination:<\/strong>\u00a0Never mention an age requirement or refer to a specific number of years someone has worked in a particular field \u2026 ever.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n
          \n
        • Avoid disability discrimination:\u00a0<\/strong>If physical activity is key to the role (such as a baggage attendant at the airport), ensure that the task (such as \u201cheavy lifting\u201d) is an absolute necessity and not just \u201cpreferred\u201d.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n

          Remember the purpose of a recruitment ad is to find the best candidate for the job. If you exclude various groups for whatever reasons, you are limiting the pool of applicants and thereby reducing the likelihood that the ideal candidate will be amongst them.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

          A recent job ad posted in Tasmania sparked a huge outcry for using the phrase \u2018no Indians or Asians please\u2019. Written by a cleaning sub-contractor for Coles, it was clearly a case of blatant racism and condemned as such by everyone, including the management of Coles. It was probably written as the result of ignorance […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":3,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":[],"categories":[73,7],"tags":[],"yoast_head":"\n"No Indians Or Asians": Avoiding Discrimination in Job Ads<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"A job ad is deemed discriminatory if a reasonable person with no special knowledge would consider it so. 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