Case Study
Duolingo learns a
more inclusive recruiting language
Case Study
Duolingo learns a
more inclusive recruiting language
DUOLINGO + TEXTIO
Partners since 2021
INDUSTRY
Technology; Education
SIZE
800+ employees
PRODUCTS
Textio Recruiting
EXTENSIONS
Greenhouse;
LinkedIn Recruiter
Duolingo brings on Textio to refine job posts and improve talent branding
Duolingo is an education technology company and maker of the hugely popular language application of the same name. Since launching in 2011, Duolingo has become an undisputed leader in the language learning space. The Duolingo app is the most downloaded education app in Apple App Store history, and has become the world’s most popular way to learn languages.
Learning a new (recruiting) language
As an organization all about language, the Duolingo team was eager to understand their own recruiting language. Were they using the most inclusive and inviting phrasing? Duolingo was familiar with Textio’s data-based language insights and ready to see how their words were working for them.
Unfortunately, they saw that they weren’t. Not in the way they wanted, at least.
“When we first launched with Textio, our job descriptions were at a 54,” explained Alyah Sablan, Recruiting Operations Manager, referring to Duolingo’s starting Textio Score. The Textio Score is a measure of how closely your words align with Textio’s guidance for inclusive and engaging language. The scale is 1 to 100.
Duolingo saw that they had work to do. Duolingo was ready to transform their messaging, and bring their passion for language into their recruiting content.
Improving the entire talent lifecycle, from recruiting to retention
The Duolingo Talent Acquisition (TA) team rolled Textio out company-wide and got hiring managers trained up right away, having them draft their jobs directly in Textio. The team has since begun using Textio’s Greenhouse ATS integration for an even easier and streamlined workflow.
“We've seen a lot of success with Textio so far. I love the data. I love seeing where we were before and where we are now.”
The Duolingo team as a whole has embraced Textio and its language and inclusion teachings. A variety of folks, including VPs, are now using the platform to choose more effective words.
Duolingo offers internal trainings to help colleagues and managers navigate difficult
conversations and have more inclusive interactions. They’ve created a full training program
for all employees on inclusive behaviors. They’ve launched an internship program called Thrive that provides students from underrepresented communities in tech with early, hands-on developmental opportunities. And they’ve shifted to a more relationship-based recruiting approach.
“We’re making sure we’re connecting with people from a diversity of backgrounds and trying to build relationships. We think it’s important to not just passively source candidates but also to maintain relationships. The timing may not be right now, or someone may not be a good fit for a current role, but it could work out in the future,” shared Sablan.
“In terms of retention, we’re really trying to focus on employees’ personal needs,” Sablan added. “We’re also thinking, how do we make the workplace better? How do we make sure that performance and development is aligned for everyone, across the board?”
Crucially, Duolingo is tracking their progress and analyzing their data. They survey employees twice a year to get a pulse on engagement, then share the data transparently with their team. On the recruiting side, they track representation at every step of the hiring process, analyze where people fall out and why, and set goals based on what they learn. They send surveys to candidates too, to get feedback on their experiences.
“We’ve seen a lot of success so far with Textio,” Sablan shared. A quick review of their progress makes it clear. Since bringing Textio on board, the Duolingo team has met a number of goals:
Increased inclusion in their recruiting language
“From where we were to where we are now, we’ve seen such a huge success,” noted Sablan. “Now we require all job posts to have a Textio Score of 85 or above to get posted. I noticed last year we were averaging about 90.”
Improved and standardized their talent brand
Since implementing Textio, introductions and boilerplate language have now been standardized across Duolingo job posts. “This helps candidates know who we are, what our benefits are, and understand more about the team and role,“ Sablan said. “We’ve heard from candidates that our job descriptions are a little less jargony now and easier to read. They’re more of the Duolingo brand.”
Saved time in getting jobs posted
“Having a library of jobs in Textio, and not in Google Drive or our ATS, creates transparency and helps with roadblocks,” explained Sablan. “It helps hiring managers save time by using templates we provide them. Our templates contain our boilerplate language and intros, and are created across different offices that reflect our different benefits—having examples in there is helpful.” The team is able to turn around job posts much more quickly using Textio.
“Textio is helping us make sure the whole team—not just recruiting—is aligned on this mission.”
Perhaps it’s unsurprising that people who work at Duolingo appreciate learning more about their language. What’s important, though, is that they’re using the insights for action. As Sablan summed it up: “The biggest win is understanding our words have impact, and this is reflected in the people who want to join Duolingo as a company.”
Contact Textio
To learn more about how Textio could help your team, reach out to sales@textio.com.