The notion of hiring only graduates to your ‘entry-level’ roles is outdated.

The notion of hiring only graduates to your ‘entry-level’ roles is outdated.?

Grads are becoming less and less available. There are more grad jobs than grads - but why are hiring managers so reluctant to acknowledge that? Why is there more and more demand for a degree in a world that claims we are more diverse and inclusive than ever? Why are hiring managers demanding more from an ever increasing, ever competitive pool of people??

More important to discuss is the language and general elitism that still exists.?

‘This person didn’t go to a red brick uni’ is a real conversation I’ve had with a hiring manager, despite highly scoring in a screening process. Or my personal favourite- ‘They won’t be bright enough if they aren’t degree educated’. Why do we still look at what university people went to or if they went at all? Vastly counterproductive to what we, as employers, should be preaching.??

You don’t need to take my word for it: - Let’s look at the stats:?

• Graduate jobs in the UK outnumber graduates looking for new positions by one million, this is set to increase by a fifth in 2022 making it a more competitive market than ever.?
• Since 2019, undergraduate enrolment in the US has dropped by 7.8%.?
• Apprenticeship starts in the UK have risen by 27% in the last year.?
• 89% of GenZ’ers are considering alternative routes of education after high school than the traditional 4-year degree.?

With all of this in mind, the need to attract a fresh, diverse pool of talent (especially at the early careers level) has never been greater. The divide is only going to grow. If the divide gets greater, your hiring takes longer. If your hiring takes longer, your business growth stagnates…. We all know how this story goes.??

Now, let me be clear- This is in no way an article slating those who have worked hard to get their education. Getting a degree and going to university is a wonderful achievement… But it is NOT the only key to success! So, why are hiring managers still so reluctant to remove a bachelor’s requirement from their job descriptions??

Hiring managers, let me ask you this. What specific skill does holding a bachelors degree mean for you? What competency does it unlock, that the next non graduate somehow cannot show??

There are so many examples of where hiring on a skills vs educational pedigree has been tried, tested and proven to be successful.?

Take LinkedIn for example. During the pandemic, they noted that candidates from a hospitality background who had been made redundant had many of the skills sought for their Customer Service positions. So, they scrapped the usual requirements for a degree or prior experience and guaranteed interviews to any applicants who had successfully completed LinkedIn’s own training courses that would fill the gaps in their skills and help them pivot to customer care. They hired 28 people from backgrounds they hadn’t used before, faster, and much more efficiently.

Link to article-? https://www.ft.com/content/4e610474-9c93-4e47-a042-915d2222cc4b ??

Or 安永 - In 2019 following research internally of over 400 graduates- they found that screening students based on academic performance alone was too blunt an approach to recruitment. It found no evidence to conclude that previous success in higher education correlated with future success in subsequent professional qualifications undertaken. The accountancy firm is scrapped its policy of requiring a 2:1 to open up opportunities for talented individuals “regardless of their background”. The Times of London reported that EY increased the diversity of its new hires by 10% and it is something they are actively doing to this day.?

Link to article- https://www.accountancydaily.co/ey-removes-academic-requirement-graduate-recruitment-criteria ??

At proSapient , we’re committed to diversity – it's in our veins. As industry leaders and innovators, we have a responsibility to create a consistent, fair, and creative hiring process for all. ??

With that being said, I am so pleased to announce that with support from our wonderful leadership team proSapient - Sophie Roulston , Nick Gold and beyond, – we will be opening applications to candidates looking to make a move into Expert Networking- whatever their educational pedigree may be.??

So, how are we going to go about this??

1. Removal of all non-inclusive language like ‘requires bachelor’s degree’ from our job descriptions and adding what skills are required (like 6-12 months experience within a target driven role) .?
2. Debias training for all our interviewers to ensure they are aware of any bias they may have, and to teach them how to counteract those when interviewing.?
3. Enabling conversations around privilege, stereotypes and different perspectives, to ensure one another is sensitive to each individual's journey to proSapient.?
4. Opening up applications within our Client Services teams to anyone with the right skillset, whatever their educational background may be.?
5. Hiring 5 apprentices within our Central Teams. As someone who started their career as an apprentice, I am so excited to be kickstarting the project and hiring some brilliant, fresh talent to support our Finance, People Ops, and Business Ops teams here in London.??
6. Anonymous assessment days for our first hiring classes in 2023, where candidates are chosen to participate purely based on their answers to certain questions.??

I follow several influencers championing the skills over pedigree approach:?

Jonaed Iqbal at NoDegree?

Byron Auguste – Founder of Opportunity @ work

Omar Sadik – Co-Founder of TrainYo?

So, if I haven’t convinced you yet, I would highly recommend giving them a follow! ?