Job Ads when hiring women

Let’s get it right for women on site

The more people who apply for a job, the more chance you’ve got of getting the best employees. But the law states some clear do’s and don’ts when it comes to hiring. Dave’s a bit confused about it all – particularly when it comes to women.

Dave: So there’s things I can and can’t ask in a job interview? What’s that all about?

TradeCareers: You’re not legally allowed to ask someone if they have children if they’re planning on having children, or how old they are.

We all want a free, fair, and safe place to work and live, right? The Human Rights Commission helps to make that happen. They’ve put an easy-to-read guide together to help you with the employment process so you can make sure nobody is missing out on an opportunity and a fair go. Give it a read

Dave: Easy peasy. What about writing job ads? Anything tricky about that?

TradeCareers: The language you use might be gender-coded.

Dave: Gender What-ed?!

We’re all smart enough to know what’s blatantly sexist but there are subtle language differences that could put women off applying for positions you need to be filled.

If your wording is a bit too blokey, some women might feel like they won’t be able to do the job or they won’t fit in.

If that sounds like a minefield, or a bit too hard – don’t panic! There’s a tool for the job. It’s called the gender decoder. Basically, you type or paste in the text for your job ad. Then instantly see if the wording is in any way biased.

Dave: But if I write job ads just for women, won’t I miss out on getting some good blokes on site too?

TradeCareers: This isn’t about writing job ads for women. It’s about writing job ads for everyone. The more people the position appeals to, the more chance you’ve got of finding the best person for the job – and it might just be a woman.

Dave: Aaah. Makes sense. Spoilt for choice. CHOICE!

Give it a red hot go!

Copy the text from a tradie job ad on TradeMe. Paste it into the gender decoder to see how it rates.