von Koen Brummelhuis | Dez 28, 2022
Is your target audience all made up of exactly the same people? No, right? But do you take that into account enough in your communication to your target group? That question is probably followed by a less convincing no. Sure, you have the best intentions, but inclusive communication is unfortunately not yet a given.
While it is actually so simple. Communicating inclusively is nothing more than making your communication understandable to the largest possible group. This means that you:
- choose understandable language;
- add explanations in images;
- and make your communication accessible to people with disabilities.
It starts with the right language level
You communicate on the basis of what you know. And that is immediately a big challenge between sender and receiver. Especially when it comes to written communication. Take the language level in which you write. Often that is a level you understand well yourself. But the language skills of readers vary. A large majority understands texts at language level B1. But for 20% of the population that is too difficult. For that group, you write at A2 level. Or, better still, you also provide the text in another form, such as an information video.
Don’t forget recognisability either
What word is recognizable? Right, there it is again, recognize. Communication should be recognizable for everyone. But you write on the basis of what is recognizable to you. As a result, bias lurks. And you may unconsciously exclude people in your communication. Whereas your text should be recognisable to everyone. That is what inclusive communication is all about. You write for readers of all ages, genders and cultures.
Why inclusive communication is also important within your own organization
Not only your target audience, but also your colleagues are not all the same, right? Like society, organizations are also increasingly multicultural. Organizational psychologist Hofstede saw this years ago. That is why it is also important to communicate inclusively within one’s own organization. We call it intercultural communication.
It is about understanding each other’s norms, values and codes of conduct. And speaking a language that everyone understands. By knowing mutual cultural differences in the workplace (and acting accordingly), you prevent your own interpretation from influencing your expectations of others. This is necessary to communicate efficiently and get your message across properly to your colleagues. It makes for better collaboration and helps to achieve results faster.
Inclusive communication
Comprehensible language, avoiding bias and recognizable writing… It all sounds so easy. But is it? Unfortunately, it isn’t. Unless you don’t turn down a little help. Because at Textmetrics, we have the solution for you. As text improvers, we know exactly how to communicate inclusively and thus effectively.
We developed the platform for text optimisation. A simple approach, for a challenging task. The platform gives you suggestions and advice that make writing more fun and more efficient. You write good, inclusive texts in understandable language, appealing to your entire target group.
von Koen Brummelhuis | Okt 9, 2022
Do you remember your last bad hire? How did you feel when you hired someone who wasn’t right for the job? Probably not great. For a long time, this risk was part of the job of a recruiter. We had to make decisions based on gut feeling and manual resume screening alone. It’s no surprise that not every decision was the right one!
These days, we can use data-driven recruitment to minimize the chances of a bad hire. This innovation limits the chances of hiring a candidate who isn’t the best fit for the job. In addition, it reduces bias in the recruitment process. How? By utilizing data to optimize the recruitment process.
Top 3 benefits of data-driven recruitment
You can use data-driven recruitment to make more informed decisions and achieve your diversity and inclusion goals. But that’s not all. Let’s look at three more benefits of data-driven recruitment:
1. Improve the quality of hires
Using data-driven recruitment can significantly improve the quality of your hires. You’re more likely to hire a candidate that is a perfect fit for the job. And these hires are also more likely to stay in the job for longer. So your turnover rate decreases while productivity increases.
2. Decrease the time-to-hire and cost-per-hire
You can use data-driven recruitment to collect a lot of data on potential candidates. This enables you to make a stronger shortlist before you hold your interviews. So you’ll need to invite fewer candidates. Therefore, the time-to-hire decreases.
Less time needed for a hire also decreases the cost-per-hire. You can also use data to understand where candidates find your job ads. Perhaps an expensive jobs platform you use doesn’t lead to many applications. When you know this, you can save money by no longer advertising there.
3. Improve the candidate experience
A shorter, more efficient hiring process enhanced by data-driven recruitment practices also improves the candidate experience. Candidates don’t appreciate a tedious and lengthy recruitment experience. They will thank you for keeping the process as brief as possible.
The role of Textmetrics in data-driven recruitment
The Textmetrics platform can play an important role in your data-driven hiring process. The platform uses artificial intelligence algorithms to read and analyze your writing. And gives you real-time suggestions for improvements. You’ll write job descriptions that are free from bias so they appeal to everyone in your target group. You’ll write better job descriptions with an inclusive tone. Just what you need to find the very best candidate for the job.Want to know more about our Smart Writing Assistant? Click here.
von Koen Brummelhuis | Aug 26, 2022
Do you receive very few responses when you post a job online? If so, this can lead to several problems. One is the very limited number of suitable candidates to choose from. Another is a lack of diversity among the candidates that do apply. It’s time to find out why so few people apply.
Something we see often is that job ads are written at a language level that is too complex for most people to understand. Luckily, there are ways to overcome this readability issue. One is by writing job ads at language level B1.
The different language levels
The Common European Framework of Reference for Languages (CEFR) distinguishes six language levels. There are three main categories (A, B, and C) and two sublevels per category. Category A is the lowest proficiency and category C is the highest. About 80% of the population can understand language level B1. Contrary to what you might think, most job ads are written at language level C1. Clearly, that’s not the way to reach most of the people in your target group.
What to consider when writing at language level B1
Language level B1 is considered the intermediate level. When we consider reading, language level B1 means that people can understand:
- texts that consist mainly of everyday or job-related language;
- the description of events, feelings, and wishes in written content.
The most important thing for writing at language level B1 is keeping it simple. Don’t use difficult words, and keep sentences and paragraphs short. Give your job description a clear heading and subheadings. And don’t forget to add some bullet points.
Use Textmetrics to write at language level B1
The importance of writing at language level B1 is clear. Although it might seem simple, we know that it’s actually quite difficult. Luckily, you can use the Textmetrics platform to write at language level B1. The platform uses AI algorithms to assess the readability of your job ad. And gives you real-time suggestions on how to reach the desired language level. It’s truly as easy as it sounds! You just need to follow the instructions. Before you know it, you’ll have a job description at language level B1. One that almost everyone in your target group can understand. And one that will help your company become more diverse.
Want to try Textmetrics? Click here for a free trial!
von Koen Brummelhuis | Aug 2, 2022
Let’s talk about your company’s diversity and inclusion goals. How are things going? Are your goals within reach? Or does it seem impossible to be successful? If so, you might need to consider hiring a chief diversity officer. This person is responsible for reducing workplace discrimination. People of all ages, genders, races, religions, disabilities and sexual orientations should be treated equally. And they should be equally represented in your company. It’s a chief diversity officer’s job to make sure this happens. But how do you find the right person for this job? By writing the perfect chief diversity officer job description.
The chief diversity officer job description
To write a good chief diversity officer job description, you need to know what this person needs to do. And what skills are needed to perform the job.
You hire a chief diversity officer to promote equality in your company. For them to do so, it might be necessary to organize training sessions. And for the chief diversity officer to advise about the effects of discrimination. Equality issues must be brought to everyone’s attention, and it’s vital to promote change. Of course, minority employees need to feel heard, and the chief diversity officer must be easy to approach.
To be able to fulfill these tasks, the chief diversity officer needs to be:
- A good listener;
- Able to relate to a large group of people;
- A confident and patient person; and
- A good negotiator.
Besides the qualifications above, it’s advisable for a chief diversity officer to have good verbal and written communication skills.
Use Textmetrics to write a chief diversity officer job description
How do you write a chief diversity officer job description that appeals to as many people as possible? To men and women alike, and to people of all ages.
You can use the Textmetrics platform to write the perfect chief diversity officer job description. An inclusive job description with a gender-neutral tone of voice. One that contains words that appeal to both men and women. And that is free of any bias (such as age bias or gender bias).
In other words, job posts that attract diverse candidates and help you find the best candidate for the job.
Once hired, your chief diversity officer can use the Textmetrics platform as well. Because inclusive job descriptions are the first step toward the recruitment of diverse candidates. And they will make the job of a chief diversity officer a lot easier.
Want to try Textmetrics? Click here for a free trial!
von Koen Brummelhuis | Jul 29, 2022
As a recruiter, you probably already know a thing or two about search engine optimization (SEO). It’s a technique your content colleagues use to improve the findability of your website on search engines like Google. But why is it important for recruiters to know about SEO as well? As you’ve probably noticed, you don’t receive as many applications as you did a couple of years ago. It’s difficult to find suitable candidates for the jobs you post. Using SEO in job descriptions can help you gain a new audience and create a new pool of candidates. Just what you need to find the right talent. And to further diversify your company’s workforce.
The benefits of SEO in job descriptions
When you post a new job online, you probably have a target group in mind. Especially when you have diversity and inclusion goals to reach. But how do you reach this target? SEO in job descriptions is the answer. It’s a great way to target the correct audience. You’ll use a search term in your job descriptions that your target group searches for online. So when they find your job ad, it’s exactly what they are looking for.
Besides optimizing your job descriptions for SEO, you should also optimize your careers page. Because nowadays, people want to read more about a company online before they apply. If jobseekers cannot find more information on your brand, many of them won’t apply. You will miss out on a lot of potential candidates.
Use Textmetrics to write SEO job descriptions
You can find plenty of information online about how to optimize your job descriptions for SEO. But since this can take up a lot of your time, Textmetrics has something for you. Our platform has a special recruitment module to write SEO-optimized job descriptions. It provides you with real-time suggestions for improvements. Perhaps you need to mention the keyword once more in your job ad. Or you forgot to add the keyword to a subtitle. If you implement all the suggestions, your job descriptions will have the perfect SEO score. And, as a result, they will be easy to find online. Just what you need to attract a diverse group of talented candidates.
Want to know more about our Smart Writing Assistant? Click here!