Job ads
[ch 4: pages 28-29]Reps and negotiators should push employers to advertise jobs in publications that reach a wide section of the community, including the ethnic minority press. Social media can also be a useful means of targeting specific potential recruits. If employment agencies or job centres are used to place advertisements, they should be told to implement the employer’s policy on diversity as well as the law.
Job adverts and job descriptions should be “equality-proofed” to avoid requirements that may act to discriminate on race grounds, such as speaking English as a first language. (However, there are legal requirements on public sector workers in customer-facing roles having “fluent English”, see page 44.) And employers should avoid automatically rejecting applicants who do not have UK qualifications, such as GCSEs or Scottish Highers. Where appropriate, they should state that the employer accepts comparable qualifications and skills gained abroad.
Photographs and so on used in job adverts should project an image of diversity. They could also include a statement encouraging applicants from under-represented groups to apply.