Recruitment Advertising also needs to be legal, honest and decent

Commentators still claim it is too early to assess the overall impact of Age Discrimination Legislation, but the signs are that there is still some way to go in helping employers to appreciate the extent of new laws. However, early observances are that one area employers still seem to struggle with is that of recruitment advertising.

It would appear from recruitment advertisements in the press that simple and sometimes obvious mistakes are still being made. The language being used is proving a reliable indicator as to the level of understanding on the part of employers.

Recruitment advertising can be expensive in terms of money and time, and employers are urged to get their advertisements right first time. This will pay dividends in terms of cost effectiveness, attracting the right applicants for the job, and at the same time coping with the demands of legislation.

Irrespective of the introduction of the legislation, in most cases there is no rational reason for employers to discriminate on the basis of age.

There are now quite obvious words that should not be used ñ young, old, mature, older, younger. But according to the Employers Forum on Age, there seems no doubt that terminology such as ëseniorí and ëjuniorí continue to cause problems.

It appears the terms ëdynamicí, ëenergeticí, ëpotentialí and ëkeení continue to feature in advertising and consequently attract far more attention than they deserve. Of course, while none of these terms can be deemed ëageistí if used alone, when used together they can infer an underlying requirement for ëyouthfulnessí on the part of the recruiter.

The Governmentís Age Positive initiative, run by the Department for Work and Pensions, helps employers see the business benefits of age diversity, and tackles ageism in the workplace. The initiative actively encourages employers to realise the business benefits of employing older workers as part of an age diverse workforce.

And this is where Age Positive comes as the only provider of free guidance on age. Age Positive provides good practice guidelines and offers a FREE ëBe Readyí personnel organiser, full of fact sheets, tips, contact information and employer case studies to help employers understand the requirements of the age discrimination legislation. Also included is a CD Rom containing all the current Age Positive publications.

Employers can request a copy of their own free organiser directly by visiting www.age.positive.gov.uk, calling 0845 715 2000 or by emailing apg@trgeuropeplc.com

Age Positive wants all recruiters to focus on the job and the skills required to do it rather than on the individual. It is all about recruiting an individual on the basis of what they can do and bring to the business, rather than what their date of birth might be.