Something I've seen become more common is for folks working at a company to promote a job listing on Twitter, etc. and to say something along the lines of "I'd love to see more women/people of color apply". This is done in the interest of promoting diversity in the industry, but I've always avoided posting these sort of messages as I'm worried that it may be discrimination.
It is illegal for an employer to publish a job advertisement that shows a preference for or discourages someone from applying for a job because of his or her race, color, religion, sex (including gender identity, sexual orientation, and pregnancy), national origin, age (40 or older), disability or genetic information.
For example, a help-wanted ad that seeks "females" or "recent college graduates" may discourage men and people over 40 from applying and may violate the law.
- Prohibited Employment Policies/Practices (Job Advertisements section) U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission
If an employee of a company posts "I'd love to see more women, minorities, and people of color apply to this posting: <link>", is that considered showing a preference, or is that limited to the contents of the job advertisement itself? What are the ramifications if this is not legal?
