Job description and person specification

Acas advises employers to avoid references to age in both the job description and the person specification. It adds: “Qualifications have changed and developed over the years. Make sure that the qualifications you specify are not disadvantaging people at different ages. Ask yourself:

• are the qualifications really necessary?

• are they still current?

• are there other ways of specifying the skill level you require?

If you are going to be specific about qualifications be sure you can justify their need in objective terms and make it clear you will consider equivalent or similar level alternative qualifications.”