The Internet is the most common tool used to recruit employees, so companies need to make sure their recruiting pages are accessible to people with disabilities.
Accessibility problems can stir up legal trouble, as well as limit the field of applicants available for open positions. To avoid those problems, talk with your IT department to see if your company’s recruiting site follows these guidelines laid out by the Job Accommodation Network:
- Use text descriptions for images — Hold your mouse cursor over an image on your site, and a block of text should appear. That’s what special screen reader software used by the visually impaired will read to the viewer. Make sure the text is something descriptive and concise.
- Caption audio and video — If your site includes audio or files, it should offer the option of a written transcript or closed captioning. Audio descriptions of video files should also be provided, if necessary.
- Minimize reliance on color — View the site in a black and white display to make sure everything is clear to color blind viewers. Also, avoid using just color to convey information. For example, if an applicant skips a section of a form, don’t just highlight that area in red — also include text that says “required field.”
- Allow easy keyboard navigation — Some viewers may need to navigate the site using only their keyboard. Therefore, it should be easy to scroll through links and fill out forms using the TAB key.
- Give more options for applying — Forms may be difficult for some people to complete, so allow them to apply through e-mail, fax, mail or over the telephone. Also, include an easy-to-find EEO statement that also provides contact info to get help applying.
