Assertion Supported AI assessment confidence: 90% certainty 4/5 debate potential 2/5

Corporate jargon in job postings disproportionately deters applicants of color

Kieran Snyder · Using AI to Predict the Performance of Text // Kieran Snyder, Textio (Data Driven NYC / FirstMark) · Mar 18, 2016 · at 17:37

Kieran Snyder, co-founder and CEO of Textio, explains research findings from Textio's analysis of corporate job descriptions and applicant response rates.

0:00 / 0:26exact quote · 26.7s

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“Like some of that corporate jargon, the words like synergy and stakeholders and ROI. It turns out everybody hates them, but underrepresented groups, especially people of color, hate them even more. So nobody is as likely to apply when you include that language in a job. But it has an even more adverse effect on people who may not feel Who already may have questions about how well they fit into established corporate culture.”

quote is from the automated transcript, cleaned for reading: filler sounds and stutters are removed, nothing is rephrased. names can be misheard (the analysis reads context, assessments check outside sources). how →

The claim, plainly

Including corporate jargon like 'synergy', 'stakeholders', and 'ROI' in job postings reduces candidate application rates overall and has a disproportionately negative effect on underrepresented applicants and people of color.

a quote alone can be ambiguous, so this restates it with the references and context of the conversation around it resolved. AI-written; the tape below the player is the source.

Assessment

Textio published data releases and research analyses between 2015 and 2018 supporting both aspects of the claim. In March 2015 and June 2017, Textio data releases demonstrated that corporate jargon (e.g., 'synergy') led to lower performance scores, fewer overall candidate applications, and longer times-to-fill. Furthermore, in January 2018, Textio released data findings showing that insider corporate jargon acts as coded bias, disproportionately depressing application rates among women, underrepresented minorities, and older applicants.

March 2015 Textio data release showed job postings using 'synergy' scored 16 points lower on average, predicting fewer applications and longer times-to-fill.
June 2017 Textio data release showed job postings with corporate clichés were up to three times as likely to fill slowly.
January 2018 Fast Company report on Textio data showed corporate jargon and insider buzzwords had a coded bias reducing application rates disproportionately among women, underrepresented minorities, and older workers.

Checked against

[1] textio.com [2] textio.com [3] fastcompany.com [4] shrm.org [5] geekwire.com [6] textio.com [7] businesswire.com [8] textio.com

"synergy" "stakeholders" "people of color" application rate OR applicants textio "corporate jargon" "people of color" "apply" textio OR "kieran snyder" site:textio.com/blog jargon OR synergy OR stakeholders OR "corporate jargon" OR "people of color" "Kieran Snyder" Textio corporate jargon "synergy" OR "stakeholders" OR "ROI" job postings application rates Textio research corporate jargon candidate application rates demographic underrepresented Textio research job descriptions jargon candidate response demographics "Every demographic group dislikes corporate jargon, but people of color are even less likely to apply"

assessed as of 2026-07-30

This assessment is an AI reading of a public statement, made against the cited references with the confidence shown. It can be wrong. The quote, the tape and the references are all on this page; if something is off, use report an error below. full disclaimer →

Mentioned

corporate jargon in job listings

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Assertion Not checkable as stated

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Assertion Not checkable as stated

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Assertion Not checkable as stated

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Corporate jargon in job postings disproportionately deters applicants of color

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