I’m not going to make you wait for some big reveal - we’re talking about that sentence people like to add to job posts that usually goes: “If you don’t meet all the requirements, apply anyway!”

Most people seem to think that adding a sentence that says "If you don't meet requirements, apply anyway!" is making an inclusive job post. That is wrong. First of all, bias is a much larger issue than one sentence at the bottom of your post will ever begin to address. But here’s the bigger issue to me, and it doesn’t even have to do with inclusion.

If most recruiters actually looked in their database when opening up a new post, OK, great. Tell job seekers to apply anyway. But most recruiters I know? Their database is a place where resumes go to die.

How Do People Get Jobs? It’s Not “Dug Around An Old List”

Source of hire is a fuzzy metric at best because most candidates can’t actually remember where they saw the job first. I mean, I can barely remember what you told me to add to the grocery list. You want me to tell you which website I was on when I applied to job 8 of 34 in a week? Probably not.

There’s some universal truth to the made up data, though, and most of it says Job Boards are the source of anywhere between 30% and 60% of hires. So in theory, you’ve got a good chance of getting in if you apply anyway.

The catch is that recruiters are getting an incredibly high volume of applications from job boards now. I mean, really, I’m convinced job boards are trying to kill recruiters with that whole “one click apply.” All that to say, recruiters are being bombarded by applications from every angle. What are they going to do with your unqualified application? Well, that depends.

When You Should Include The Apply Anyway Line 

If it’s a role where they hire that person all the time - think a factory with 100 workers - they absolutely may keep your resume on file. You may get a call in a few weeks.

If it’s a specialized role - think VP of Marketing (there’s only 1) - it’s not worth your time to add the sentence about applying anyway to your posting. At a minimum, if you do want to add a sentence that tells people to apply anyway? You need to do your side - things like emailing openings as a newsletter once a month with some kind of helpful job search tip. No one expects 1-1 outreach.

But seriously, don’t add that stupid sentence if you’re not going to source your database for candidates.

What's More Effective For Inclusive Job Postings?

If you are worried about inclusion and want qualified people (or even almost qualified people) to apply? Tell the truth in your job posting. Remove ridiculous requirements like that college degree for a marketing job. Downgrade excessive years of experience requirements.

Inclusive job posts don't exaggerate requirements. They tell the truth. That's why we feel the need to put "apply anyway" in the first place: because hiring leaders know the job post is not accurate and someone fully qualified may not consider applying.

You really want to make an inclusive job post? Train your team to write better job postings. Teach them what biases exist and how to talk to hiring managers about them. I can help. Book a meeting any time. Let me tell you about what I've learned about inclusive hiring.