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Job Descriptions That Don’t Exclude: Essentials vs Desirables, Plain English and Fair Tests (UK)


If your job description reads like a wish list, you’re shrinking your talent pool and raising legal risk. A good JD does three things: states measurable outcomes, lists only true essentials, and tells candidates exactly how they’ll be assessed. Everything else is noise—or worse, a barrier.


Start from outcomes, not adjectives

Open with the mission and the 3–5 outputs the role is accountable for this year. Then name the capabilities that directly drive those outputs. Keep the lens tight: if removing a criterion wouldn’t stop someone doing the job, it belongs in onboarding, not in “requirements”. CIPD’s inclusive recruitment guidance is clear: make role requirements specific and behaviour-based, strip biased language, and be transparent about terms.


Essentials vs desirables (the discipline that unlocks diversity)

“Essentials” should be few, job-critical and testable. “Desirables” are for development, not screening. Public-sector and city guidance echo this: focus on skills and competencies needed now, avoid overlong essentials lists, and think hard before insisting on academic credentials if the job doesn’t truly require them. If a degree stands in for a skill, write the skill and how you’ll test it.


Keep adverts lawful—and inviting

Under the Equality Act 2010, discriminatory adverts are unlawful. EHRC’s guidance spells this out, and ACAS gives plain-English examples of wording to avoid. GOV.UK also warns against phrases like “recent graduate” unless genuinely required, as they can amount to age discrimination. Use neutral titles and criteria tied to the work. Add an explicit invitation to request adjustments during the process.


Write in plain English (and make it readable)

Drop jargon and internal acronyms; follow the GOV.UK style guide for clarity. For on-screen readability, apply dyslexia-friendly formatting (clear headings, left-aligned text, sensible line length and spacing). This isn’t cosmetic—it measurably improves comprehension and reduces cognitive load for many readers.


Watch for gender-coded wording

Masculine-coded terms (“dominant”, “rockstar”, “ninja”) lower women’s sense of belonging and reduce applications. The evidence base is robust: classic experiments by Gaucher, Friesen and Kay showed gendered wording changes how appealing a role feels. Use neutral, behaviour-anchored language instead.


Say the quiet parts out loud: pay, flexibility, adjustments

List the salary or range and your core benefits. Offer flexible working by default where possible and name the options (for example, hybrid patterns, adjusted hours, compressed weeks). This increases qualified applications and reduces negotiation penalties; CIPD explicitly recommends including salary in adverts and being transparent about flexibility. Also, state how candidates can request reasonable adjustments (and provide a named contact).


Tell candidates how you’ll test the job

If collaboration, analysis or writing is core, say you’ll use a work sample or structured task mapped to those competencies—not a speeded puzzle or a culture-fit chat. This keeps validity high and barriers low, and it helps candidates decide whether to invest time.



A cleaner template (edit to taste)

Purpose: one sentence on what success changes for customers or colleagues.Outcomes (first 6–12 months): three to five concrete deliverables.Essential capabilities: keep to what’s truly needed on day one; make each item observable.Nice to develop: keep short; these are taught on the job.How we’ll assess: name the interview format + any work sample.Conditions: salary/range, location, flexibility options, application deadline, adjustments contact.



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