Auditing Program Manager Job Postings For Ageism

We ran an age bias audit of Program Manager job postings, looking for any age-coded language against older or younger workers. The roles ranged from Staff Design Program Manager, to Design Program Manager, and Senior Program Manager roles.

Throughout the audit we found age-coded language as a theme that raises red flags for ageism within Program Manager job postings. We did find positive messaging fighting against ageism also.

Equal Employment Opportunity (EEO) Statement

We found that 80% of the job postings mentioned age specifically in the Equal Employment Opportunity (EEO) Statement. This is important as it showcases that the organizations are intentional about reducing age bias in their hiring practices, and that if they are informed about any age biases in their job postings they are likely to work to remove them.

Focus on skills

80% of the role postings focused on skills rather than specific past job roles. This helps potential candidates reveal how they can best perform in the role, rather than only applying to jobs that directly match their past job titles. Focusing on job responsibilities and skills is an important way to help limit ageism throughout the job posting and hiring processes, because it focuses on who is the best qualified candidate, rather than the candidate who has the best matching job title on their resume.

Years of experience

Unfortunately, 100% of the job postings we audited had an overemphasis on years of experience. This is a direct break from the focus on skills – implying that while skills are important, the more years on a resume is also taken into account and can go against skills. Often, being strict on how many years experience a potential candidate has can keep skilled and qualified candidates from applying to the roles. Instead, companies should focus on outcomes candidates have had, not tenure within an industry.

Tone and voice

We found that 80% of the job postings in the audit had age-coded tone, voice, and language. We found words like “fast paced” and “high energy,” which can be aimed at younger employees, even unintentionally. Companies can change these words to have less age-bias, even if it’s unintentional, to “dynamic environment with evolving priorities” or “motivated and results driven.”

It’s important for companies to monitor job postings for age-bias in order to increase the quality of their candidate pool, and in order to find the best person for each role.