Job advertisement writing guidelines

• Tell enough about the job so that those reading the ad can decide whether they are interested and whether they are qualified. This is necessary whether it is a four-line ad in the classifieds column or a full-page four-color spread in a professional journal.

• Give the job title, along with a brief description of duties, especially if the job title is ambiguous.

• List the minimum educational, experience and skills levels that are acceptable.

• Point out any special criteria such as extensive travel or relocation that would immediately weed out applicants unwilling to take on those aspects of the job.

• Avoid language that could be interpreted as discriminatory.

Discriminatory language in advertisements. Clearly, Title VII prohibits an employer from indicating a preference based on sex in its employment ads, unless sex is a bona fide occupational qualification (BFOQ) for the position. So, in the absence of a sex BFOQ, a statement of absolute preference for members of one sex is discriminatory.

Using phrases such as women or minorities are encouraged to apply has not been a source of liability, but the term seeking, in phrases such as seeking stay-at-home-Moms, denotes an unlawful preference for a particular group. And, according to an informal EEOC discussion letter, adding the phrase or others to the ad probably would not render it lawful. On the other hand, an ad seeking couples would not be prohibited by EEOC-enforced laws since none of those laws cover discrimination based on marital status or any other status pertaining to couples (but state or local law may protect against discrimination on the basis of marital status).

A more difficult question is presented where, rather than explicitly stating a preference based on sex, an employer uses sex-referent language in an employment ad. Sex-referent language refers to the use of masculine or feminine terms such as patrolman or metermaid.

Similarly, the use of trigger words (words and phrases that refer to age such as recent college graduate,young executive,athletically inclined, etc.) can create problems with respect to potential age discrimination. In order to determine whether an advertisement is discriminatory, the ad must be read in its entirety, taking into consideration the results of the ad on the employer's hiring practices. However, under federal law, employers may favor older workers over younger workers and the use of terms such as over 60,retirees, or supplement your pension are permissible. But such advertisements may be prohibited by state or local law.