United Nations Sustainable Development Goals Open Pedagogy Fellowship
Analysis and Assessment of Job Advertisement Language
Matthew Bloom, Maricopa Community Colleges (Arizona);
Monica Affleck, Kwantlen Polytechnic University (BC, Canada)
2021-2022
Introduction:
You are a part of a collegewide effort to increase access to education and empower students
through "open pedagogy." Open pedagogy is a "free access" educational practice that places you
- the student - at the center of your own learning process in a more engaging, collaborative
learning environment. The ultimate purpose of this effort is to achieve greater social justice in
our community in which the work can be freely shared with the broader community. This is a
renewable assignment that is designed to enable you to become an agent of change in your
community through the framework of the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals
(SDGs). For this work, you will integrate the disciplines of English Composition and Human
Resource Management to achieve SDG #10: Reduced Inequalities. With a focus on Target 10.2:
By 2030, empower and promote the social, economic and political inclusion of all, irrespective of
age, sex, disability, race, ethnicity, origin, religion or economic or other status.

Learning Objectives:
1. Analyze the impact of language on job advertisements and job candidates
2. Assess job ads for inclusiveness and persuasion
3. Identify potential for bias in commonly used recruitment terms

Purpose/Rationale:
Organizations often hire for “best fit” candidates, which means hiring employees who are not
only technically qualified to do the job but are also a good match with the organizational culture.
While this may help keep things running smoothly, it can also exclude a diversity of backgrounds,
approaches, and philosophies, and even result in the perpetuation of systemic inequality.
Sometimes the language of a job advertisement reflects these biases.

Instructions:
Find a job ad that looks interesting to you (students can look for their dream job) on job listing
sites such as Indeed, Monster, government job sites, etc.
Renewable Option 1: Assess the language of a job advertisement for persuasiveness and
inclusivity
·
Explain how rhetorical concepts are applied and shape the message of the ad. Is there bias
embedded in the language chosen?
·
Assess the persuasiveness of the ad based on the AIDA model and with reference to
rhetorical appeals (ethos, pathos, logos).
·
Assess for inclusive/exclusive language. In reviewing the requirements of the job (must
haves and nice to haves), are there any potential barriers to certain demographics (protected
groups?). Who might be left out?
·

Would you apply for this role? Explain what would persuade you to do so.

·
Re-write the ad so that its language and composition is more inclusive. Or, if you think that
it is already sufficiently inclusive, explain why in no fewer than 250 words.
Renewable Option 2: Consider the implications of the “best fit” convention and provide
suggestions for its use
·
Explain what hire for “best fit” means and its possible implications (both positive and
negative) to include or exclude certain demographics of people.
·
Describe what action someone in a recruiting role can take to ensure inclusiveness when
hiring for “best fit”.

Format Requirements:
Either renewable option contributes to an open resource guide for anyone writing job ads. This
OER will be housed in Pressbooks.

Analysis and Assessment of Job Advertisement Language is licensed by Matthew Bloom,
Maricopa Community Colleges (Arizona) and Monica Affleck, Kwantlen Polytechnic University
(BC, Canada) under the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International (CC BY-SA)