A job posting will usually give a brief rundown of the type of candidate that the company is looking for. Maybe they want someone with good leadership qualities, excellent communication skills or a specific college degree.
One thing that potential candidates want to watch out for, however, is evidence of discrimination within these job postings. It may not be overt and intentional, but it could still exist. Below are two examples of how this could occur.
Recent college graduates and digital natives
Since it is common for companies to look for employees with college degrees, the owner may think that it is wise to state in the job posting that they are looking for “recent college graduates” who can take on that role.
The issue with this is that it can lead to age discrimination. Recent college graduates tend to be young people in their 20s. This isn’t to say that someone in their 40s or 50s isn’t qualified, but they may have graduated decades ago, so they feel that they don’t fit those qualifications based on their age. For those who are over 40, this could be age discrimination.
A similar example is stating that the company wants to hire someone who is a “digital native.” This term generally just refers to those who have grown up with modern computer technology. But does that mean that anyone born in the 1980s or earlier shouldn’t apply? If that’s the implication, it could be another example of age discrimination.
Your legal options
As an employee, you know that you don’t deserve to be discriminated against based on age, gender, race and many other factors. If you feel that this is happening anyway, then it’s wise to look into the legal options at your disposal.