Temporary Staffing Agency Insurance: Job Posting Hiccups
Creating the perfect job posting requires extensive attention to detail and excellent choice of diction. Positioning a job well can help bring in more qualified and promising applicants, while a poorly planned post can have disastrous effects. There are a few things you should avoid when writing a job posting to help prevent allegations about inequality, misrepresentation and illegality. Many of the most common mistakes are subtle and typically the result of improper understanding of local and federal employment regulations.
Employers, staffing agents and hr reps should never list U.S. citizenship as a requirement for a position. It is actually illegal in most circumstances and considered employment discrimination to require that an applicant be a resident, except when explicitly mandated by law. To avoid any legal complications employers may ask for proof of eligibility to work in the U.S.
It is all too easy to conjure a specific idea about what the best candidate for the position will look, sound or act like, however it is essential to display no preference or bias during the hiring process, especially in the job posting. Focusing on the desired qualities, skills and work habits of a successful candidate can help prevent allegations of discrimination or failure to hire. Federal and state laws prohibit hiring discrimination based on age, gender, race, color, national origin, family status and more, thus it is important to keep any mention or suggestion about these elements out of a job posting. Avoid descriptions that would imply age such as “recent graduate” and “mature” or gendered phrasing such as “perfect for stay at home moms” and gendered nouns such as “fireman.”
It is essential to emphasize the essential functions of the position. Instead of specifying the desired attributes of a candidate let the job description speak to the types of candidate you are seeking. Descriptive adjectives such as “able bodied” can often be left up to interpretation and in some cases may lead to claims of discrimination. For example, if the position requires a large amount of lifting heavy objects instead of outwardly stating that your are looking to hire a “strong” or “able-bodied” individual, list out the necessities of the position and allow the job functions to weed-out unqualified candidates.
At World Wide Specialty Programs we are dedicated to providing the staffing industry with comprehensive risk management services and solutions. Our Temporary Staffing Agency Insurance programs offer complete coverage to help protect every layer of your business. We specialize in Professional Liability, Employment Practices Liability and other specialty policies designed to protect the unique exposures of the staffing industry faces. For more information about how to procure our offerings for your staffing industry clients call us today at (877) 256-0468.