Hiring: writing a fair job description and advert
For hiring managers, HR coordinators and HR generalists who already write job descriptions (see 'Job descriptions and requisitions') and want them to stand up to scrutiny. You'll separate essential from marginal duties, give every requirement a job-related reason and a fair way to check it, remove advert wording that discourages people with protected characteristics, and plan advertising and application arrangements that reach a wide range of people. It covers two jurisdictions: US federal rules (EEOC guidance, the ADA and its regulations) and Great Britain (Acas and GOV.UK guidance on the Equality Act 2010). State, local and Northern Ireland rules can differ. This course is general guidance, not legal advice, and gives no HR or legal qualification. Your company's recruitment policy and HR or legal advisers come first.
- Level
- Intermediate
- Length
- About 68 minutes
- Contents
- 4 lessons · final exam
- Status
- Published · updated 10 Oct 2026
Skills you'll practise
- Identify the essential functions of a role and separate them from marginal duties
- Write requirements that are job-related, each with a reason and a fair way to check it
- Identify advert wording that could discriminate and rewrite it to describe the job
- Choose advertising channels and application arrangements that reach a wide range of people and allow adjustments
Course outline
- 1.Identifying the essential functions of a roleLesson · 15 min
- 2.Writing requirements that are job-relatedLesson · 17 min
- 3.Identifying advert wording that could discriminateLesson · 14 min
- 4.Choosing channels and application arrangements that include peopleLesson · 12 min
- 5.Hiring: writing a fair job description and advert: knowledge checkKnowledge check · 13 questions
- 6.Hiring: writing a fair job description and advert: practical exerciseKnowledge check · 1 question
- 7.Final exam8 questions · passing it completes the course, so people who already know the material can test out
Sources it draws on
The lessons and questions are written from these references, so learners can go back to the original.
- EEOC: Prohibited Employment Policies/Practices (job advertisements, recruitment, application and hiring)
- EEOC: The ADA: Your Responsibilities as an Employer (essential functions, reasonable accommodation)
- 29 CFR 1630.2: Definitions (essential functions, reasonable accommodation, qualification standards), via Cornell LII
- 42 U.S.C. 12112: Discrimination (ADA Title I, qualification standards and selection criteria), via Cornell LII
- Acas: Advertising a job
- Acas: Following discrimination law (recruitment)
- GOV.UK: Employers: preventing discrimination (recruitment)
See it with your own jobs and topics
Tell us about your team and we'll walk you through setup, from choosing jobs to your first skills check.