Accessible adverts and application forms

Are your recruitment processes accessible to blind and partially sighted people? See what more you can do with some quick and easy adjustments to ensure that your recruitment documents are as accessible as possible.

Follow these easy steps to ensure blind and partially sighted candidates will be able to access job descriptions and application forms:

• Styles: Use only one Heading 1 and use Heading 2 onwards. Use Normal text for the regular paragraphs, etc. This allows assistive technology to guide users in the correct order.

• Font: All body text should be Arial, 14pt. There should be no italics or underlined sections. Avoid the use of capitals for long phrases. Use bold only to highlight words or short phrases.

• Colours: Colours shouldn’t be used apart from in hyperlinks (this is automatic). All font colours to be Automatic

• Tables: Tables should have Alt text and Heading row marked up

• Images: Images need to be functional, not decorative, and have Alt text

• Lists: All lists should be styled as List Bullet or List Number

• Extra spaces: Extra “spacebar” spaces and “enter” spaces should be removed

• Structure the advert in a way that the information can be discovered in order

• If the application includes an alternative process (like a special form or test), include clear information to inform users that the application process is alternative and contained within the main job description

• Offer candidates the information in alternative ways: Word, audio, large print, etc.

We have prepared template recruitment adverts and job descriptions to help you create accessible documents:

Accessible recruitment advert template

Accessible job description template