What Types of Police Recruitment Ads Attract Female and Male Applicants

Drawing on a sample of college students from three U.S. universities and a general population sample of U.S. adults, researchers tested the effectiveness of different policing job advertisements and job descriptions. They found that women were more motivated to apply for policing jobs when shown womenfocused recruitment ads (compared to more general ads) and that both men and women preferred ads focused on the service aspects of the job compared to ads focused on the challenge of policing. More inclusive job descriptions were associated with better participant perceptions of the agency, but only after having been shown recruitment videos (as opposed to static ads). Agencies should consider tailoring recruitment materials to specific audiences and use different strategies based on ad platform and type.