Inclusive language in job advertisements

The language used in job advertisements determines who applies. Some phrases lead to certain groups of people (e.g., in terms of age, gender or disabilities) feeling that they are not being addressed. As a result, suitable candidates may not apply in the first place.

In order to promote diversity and inclusion and to attract diverse talent, we at VPPL department have looked into the topic of “Inclusive language in job advertisements” and have intensively researched best practices and supporting technologies. To improve job advertisements at ETH we have validated and implemented the following measures:

• An “Equal Opportunity Employer Statement” in all job advertisements shows ETH Zurich’s commitment to equal opportunities and diversity. It aims to encourage candidates from diverse backgrounds to apply to ETH Zurich.
• To also address people who don’t feel represented by a binary gender identity, we have introduced the gender colon and the addition (m/f/d) in all German job advertisement job titles.
• In the existing guide "Convincing Job Advertisements for Scientific Functions", tips were developed and added on how recruiters can approach a diverse pool of candidates.
• Two AI-based Text analytic tools “Diversifier” and “Textio” were tested for a year and have helped recruiters create around 50 job advertisements in an inclusive language. Dealing with the two tools has made a significant contribution to raising awareness of the topic at ETH Zurich. We will refrain from further use of the tools because in our point of view, they are technologically unsuitable for uncomplicated use at ETH Zurich. Instead, we share our learnings here on our website in written form.