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<p><strong>“Wanted: Strong young man for warehouse work.” You can bet that young, muscular men will apply for this job. But employers aren’t allowed to use language like that in their job postings. Yet it still happens. Although many companies are aware of the importance of inclusivity, many job postings could be a lot more inclusive. “Many job postings exclude certain groups based on gender, education level, or age,” says Kyrill Poelmans of Textmetrics. His company offers a writing tool that reviews job postings for companies and highlights what needs to be changed—to make them more inclusive. This process is fully automated, using artificial intelligence.</strong></p><p><img src="https://cms.aihub-oost.nl/uploads/Jofwb_R_Gpb_Vqd_S9_NF_3_R2_AX_3_YW_Mn2_Sf5d_Gw0_Pei_NH_3_5d779d13bb.jpeg" alt="JofwbRGpbVqdS9NF3R2AX3YWMn2Sf5dGw0PeiNH3.jpeg" srcset="https://cms.aihub-oost.nl/uploads/thumbnail_Jofwb_R_Gpb_Vqd_S9_NF_3_R2_AX_3_YW_Mn2_Sf5d_Gw0_Pei_NH_3_5d779d13bb.jpeg 234w,https://cms.aihub-oost.nl/uploads/small_Jofwb_R_Gpb_Vqd_S9_NF_3_R2_AX_3_YW_Mn2_Sf5d_Gw0_Pei_NH_3_5d779d13bb.jpeg 500w," sizes="100vw" width="509" height="339"></p><p>The writing tool works similarly to the spell-check feature we’re familiar with in Word, but it’s much more comprehensive. Users type their job posting into the program and select which details they want to have checked. For example, the inclusivity of the job posting: does it avoid terms like “men/women,” and does it exclude certain age groups? Another option is to check the text’s readability level. “B1” is a commonly used term. If the text contains complex words that would turn off the average reader, or if the sentences are too long, the program will flag these issues.</p><p>“The program goes so far as to even flag instances where the language is geared too much toward men or women,” says Poelmans. “For example, men are drawn to terms like ‘taking responsibility’ and ‘getting things done,’ while women feel at home with words like ‘teamwork’ and ‘empathy.’<br>Similarly, industries and job roles have their own terms that resonate with the target audience. Examples of such “motivators” include “company car” and “bonus” when recruiting a sales representative. Recruiters are encouraged—and permitted—to use such terms.”</p><p><br>Technical jargon also has a unique function. Words that might not fit a language level like B1 at all, but are familiar to everyone in the relevant field, are not counted as errors but rather as correct.</p><p>According to the co-founder of Textmetrics, the result of all the writing tool’s smart features is that companies reach more applicants, and those applicants are more diverse.</p><h2>Human Rights</h2><p>Textmetrics’ writing tool originated from an SEO tool that, based on keyword analysis, indicated which words should appear in a text and in what proportions to rank highly on Google. “That keyword option is still in the tool, but these days it goes much further,” says Poelmans. “That further development was driven by requests from clients. They asked us if we could come up with a way to prevent them from unintentionally discriminating in job postings. We then sat down with the Netherlands Institute for Human Rights. In the Netherlands, this organization ensures that job postings, among other things, are inclusive.”</p><h2>Enormous Vocabulary</h2><p>Four years after it was launched in Dutch, the tool is now available in thirteen languages. “It’s quite a task to train the system for each language. Take Japanese, for example. For that, we need a linguist. After all, the system needs to be equipped with a massive vocabulary.”<br>The fact that the writing tool supports no fewer than thirteen languages enables Textmetrics to compete internationally. “There’s a larger American company, but we still regularly beat them in the race for contracts. That’s because they only offer English, while we offer multiple languages.”</p><h2>Trust in AI</h2><p>With all the experience Textmetrics has in applying AI to the business world, Poelmans has a tip for fellow entrepreneurs. “What’s most important is the explainability of your AI product. Our program, for example, can tell a recruiter why they should rephrase a sentence in a job posting, but the user needs to have confidence to rely on it blindly. In other words, who or what is this tool that knows better? We explain how we’ve fed the tool with information.”</p><p><br>“We’ve collected an extraordinary amount of data. Studies on the vocabulary of men and women, for example, keyword analyses, terms from various language proficiency levels, and much more,” Poelmans summarizes. “And we continue to expand the data. Take a word like ‘quarantine.’ It was initially considered a difficult word. In a B1-level text, it would therefore be highlighted in red, as a hint for the user to replace it with an easier word. Nowadays, ‘quarantine’ is suitable for any language level because the word has become so widely accepted.”</p><h2>Future</h2><p>“Currently, our writing tool provides users with advice on adjusting words and sentences. In the future, we hope to use AI in such a way that we can focus more on text generation—meaning the program will write texts on its own,” Poelmans says, looking ahead. “A recruiter provides keywords, and the program uses them to draft the text—ensuring it’s inclusive, easy to find, and understandable for the relevant target audience.”</p><p>Incidentally, this doesn’t make people—such as recruiters—obsolete. “Absolutely not. The tool takes over the simpler tasks, such as writing the text. But a professional is always needed to provide the tool with the right keywords and to give the text its ‘soul.’ Only people can do that.”</p>

Kyrill Poemans, Textmetrics: "Algorithm Prevents Discrimination in Job Postings"

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<p>“Wanted: Strong young man for warehouse work.” You can bet that young, muscular men will apply for this job. But employers aren’t allowed to use language like that in their job postings. Yet it still happens. Although many companies are aware of the importance of inclusivity, many job postings could be a lot more inclusive. “Many job postings exclude certain groups based on gender, education level, or age,” says Kyrill Poelmans of Textmetrics. His company offers a writing tool that reviews job postings for companies and highlights what needs to be changed—to make them more inclusive. This process is fully automated, using artificial intelligence.</p>