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When Kelly Dilworth Campbell came across a job listing for a ghostwriter position, one of the qualifications listed – “Responsible. Meets all deadlines” – didn’t sit well with her.
“That language felt incredibly shame-inducing to me and made the job a lot less appealing,” said the Toronto-based freelance writer with attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD).
Although Ms. Campbell recognizes meeting deadlines as a key function of the job and is accustomed to working in a deadline-driven environment, her objection stems from the way the requirement was phrased. For her, it glorifies perfectionism, which can be a red flag especially for people with ADHD.
“People with executive function challenges often struggle with time management so they may be prone to missing deadlines when they’re overloaded with work or when they don’t have a reasonable amount of flexibility or proper support,” she says.
Workers who are neurodivergent or have other disabilities are already prone to facing barriers, but Ms. Campbell’s experience highlights another barrier that emerges when the language used in job ads inadvertently weeds out people with disabilities.
Many of the ads, including the ghostwriter listing, include a provision to offer accommodations. The ads often say the employer is committed to ensuring a diverse work force and suggest candidates reach out if they require help. It is usually at the bottom of the ad and the language feels boilerplate.
Experts we spoke with say the language may be in there because companies want to be specific about how the job should be accomplished. But, they say employers are likely unaware how the slightest word choices affect candidates.
But the issue, Ms. Campbell says, lies with these “subtle turns of phrase” and “signs that a job might be excessively production-oriented or that there’s little room left in the day for accommodations.”
Joanna Goode, executive director of the Canadian Association for Supported Employment, echoes Ms. Campbell’s sentiments, noting that “it doesn’t set the tone that it welcomes applications from people who require accommodations.”
Like Ms. Campbell, I too had a similar experience when I saw an ad for a marketing job. I intended to apply – until I saw listed among its qualifications the “ability to sit for an extended period of time.” Being confined to a desk for long periods of time is often a byproduct of working in a corporate environment – and for neurodivergent folks like myself, that can be an issue. But similar to Ms. Campbell’s experience, there seems to be a disconnect between framing it as a “must-have” and the existence of accommodations.
In Ms. Campbell’s case, as someone with a hidden disability, she explains she’ll “think twice about applying for a job that [she would] feel qualified for if the listing focuses more on soft traits than on hard skills or if it’s full of super specific descriptors of the position’s ideal candidate.”
For someone who is neurodivergent, this emphasis on the “ideal candidate” worries her. “I have a lot of experience in my field and I’m confident in my skill set, but I’m not the kind of person who fits neatly into other people’s preconceived boxes.”
Frank Fagan, the assistant national director of Ready, Willing & Able, a government-funded initiative that works with Canadian employers on hiring people on the autism spectrum, adds “must be a team player” and “excellent interpersonal skills” to the list of potentially ableist language seen in job postings.
Based on this language, he says that “some people may assume the role is not a fit for them and may self-select out of applying.”
For instance, Mr. Fagan says people on the spectrum “may not see interpersonal communication or teamwork as a strength, and will not apply. But they may be strong communicators in other ways.”
Recent research from the Labour Market Information Council backs up Ms. Campbell’s concerns. The research found 90 per cent of job postings required at least one social-emotional skill written in such a way that discourages people with disabilities from applying. “Some neurodivergent individuals may interpret and use language in a non-nuanced and literal way, consequently not applying for a role with a long list of requirements,” the research notes.
This likely contributes to the persistent underrepresentation of people with disabilities in Canada’s work force. According to a 2023 survey by the Institute of Work and Health, only three in five people with disabilities are actively employed. This is compared to four out of five of their non-disabled counterparts.
Yet, Ms. Goode highlights a business case for hiring people with disabilities, which she links to increased levels of creativity, innovation and problem solving, not to mention it would mean employers would have access to under-represented pools of talent. “People with disabilities often display spectacular creativity in how they achieve certain things. Because they often have to in order to navigate certain spaces.”
As Mr. Fagan and Ms. Goode both point out, making a workplace inclusive starts with ensuring that job listings are written in a way that encourages people with disabilities to apply – and this starts with sticking to the essential requirements of the job rather than an exhaustive list of skills and competencies.
“It comes back to being sure that the requirements listed in the description match the job,” Ms. Goode says.
Above all, both accessibility advocates highlight the need for employers to prioritize recruiting people with disabilities, not only by offering accommodations, but also by encouraging those with disabilities to apply.
For Ms. Campbell, the nuanced word choices in job postings are what make the difference, as she recently encountered another job ad which displayed front and centre a headline specifically inviting people with disabilities to apply. “The welcoming headline made it easier for me to trust that they were serious about accommodating people with disabilities and that they would genuinely want me there.”