Can I decide the type of person I want to advertise for?

Your advert should relate directly to the skills and experience needed to do the job rather than focusing on the type of person you require. You should take particular care with the wording of the advert to ensure that you are not being discriminatory, for example - against someone’s age, gender, sexual orientation etc. You cannot ask for ‘a young female’ in your advert as this would discriminate against anyone who is not young and not female. When putting an advert together you should remember to consider the following points:

• draw on the job description and person specification to ensure that you give a realistic picture of the job and are precise about your requirements;
• think carefully about the language and avoid using phrases that, for example, imply age restrictions such as "young graduates" or "mature person". You also should think very carefully about more subtle use of language when advertising roles, e.g. “Energetic” and “Vivacious” could also be problematic as they imply you are hoping to attract younger applicants;
• give clear instructions about obtaining the application form and job information and who to contact; and
• make sure you include a closing date for applications and the interview date(s).

What does the Equality Act 2010 cover?

The Equality Act 2010 details legislation on discrimination and equality. for further information see the Equalities section of this website.