To be upset about ‘university blind’ recruitment

[Newname576]

DS has overcome so many challenges and has an unconditional offer from Cambridge after achieving 4 A star last year. He has worked so hard and we are so proud of him! But I was upset to learn that so many companies are recruiting “university blind”now - what the hell is the point of going to a top Uni if no one will know about it! My younger child says she will apply to Manchester Met and have a ball even though she too is predicted stellar grades as there is no point going to a top Uni

AIBU to be sad that companies are recruiting blind?

This is not my DS's experience, he is on a grad scheme in the City and was one of the few in his company that got on the scheme from a not so prestigious Uni.

Most of his work colleagues are from Oxbridge or UCL and have fantastic alumni's which means they have connections and recruitment fairs certainly seemed to favour them during grad scheme recruitment.

Top universities don't necessarily produce the best future employees.

...to wit most of the government.

We don't do university blind recruitment, I absolutely refuse to. I'm with you OP.

YABU

Good for your son who whilst I’m sure he’s worked hard, is extremely privileged to be able to attend Cambridge.

Children just as smart who aren’t as privileged shouldnt miss out.

Companies are also clocking on to the fact that a degree these days doesn’t mean what it used to mean and isn’t the be all and end all of someone’s employability. The worst graduates I employed were at red brick universities, I know others experience the same.

to be honest it only matters for the first round, once you get through to interviews recruiters will look at LinkedIn

I worked with an Oxford graduate - senior to her, and you couldn't tell at all that she'd went to a top uni, I only knew when she added me on LinkedIn! I've worked with people who have gone/will go very, very far - she wasn't one of them. They don't always produce the best candidates, this sounds like a great way of recruiting.

I think it's fair enough actually. If he is a good candidate then he will have taken everything he can from the Oxbridge experience and will probably shine in any interviews.

However it stops Hugo and Boris who were only at Oxbridge due to their privileged back ground just walking into these jobs.

Look my DH did law at Oxford. All the top city law firms used to lay on social events inviting all the law students. Free food and drink and the chance to get to know people from the firm. The hope being those students will then apply for jobs. There just isn’t the same clamour to encourage students from the next tier universities to apply.
He will get plenty of benefits by being there, some you may not yet realise.

If an employer wants (say) a First in Geography, then they should see that grade on application forms and know the person applying meets the criteria for interview.

They shouldn't be saying "ooh but that first is from Oxbridge and that other first is from Northumbria" and only selecting the Oxbridge applicant for interview. Both meet the shortlisting, so both should be invited to interview. Therefore why look at uni in the first place.

University blind. Yup. That's definitely a thing that they're properly doing. Sure.

I imagine that firms that are moving to university blind recruitment will need to stop doing these events at Oxbridge (or do them equally across all universities which is impossible in practice). Otherwise they’d be shown up as being hypocritical.

Many schools have no-one who gets into Oxbridge. Does this mean they don't have bright students that could rise to the top in their careers ?- of course not!

Getting into Oxbridge is mainly the result of privilege and its good it's becoming less important. Don't worry, he'll still do very well in life if he's clever and has the right attitude.

Well, maybe your DS will grow, develop and learn by being pushed at Cambridge. Your DD won’t if she goes to a far less challenging university.

It’s about the learning and the knowledge, rather more than the end result. People generally find their level according to their ability, their talent, and their hard work.

which companies though?

and how does it work? - I presume just first stage sift, because they are going to ask enough questions to know in a second stage IV. If so it just means that good candidates who either ploughed their A levels or went to a less good school, and thus to a so so university, at least get a chance.

In which case fair enough

Your daughter is being daft as a brush

Honestly, the benefit of going to Cambridge is in the teaching- the tutorial system allows a level of individual attention which other universities cannot provide. If he's actually interested in his subject, it's a great place to go irrespective of whether he gets to put it on his CV.

I'd add that DH often comments on the fact that the grad trainees at his workplace still come from the same narrow band of universities, despite the fact that they do uni-blind recruitment- the same skills that get you a place at a top university get you through the competitive recruitment tests. Sadly the unfairness that keeps some talented people out of the most competitive jobs begins much earlier than graduate recruitment or uni applications- we really need to reform education entirely and bring back schemes like Sure Start. It's too late by the time you get to recruiting grads.

The problem big corporates were finding is that by recruiting from the same small number of unis they were getting too many hires that were replicas of what they already had. The staff pool was so homogenous that they were no longer cutting edge or progressive. They were missing better candidates. My experience of big investment bank is that in the final years before I left, no hires has been made from oxbridge, Durham, Bristol or Exeter which had been the standard milk round. The landscape has changed and new types of talent are needed. Change or become obsolete

There’s always a way to white wash for those that actually want to just hire oxbridge. They might have to be a bit more subtle but it’ll still do the job.

I’m sure going to Cambridge won’t be a disadvantage to your son in any way. Some companies may choose to be ‘Uni blind’, but many won’t.

@minipie do you really believe this though? They want the best.

They already do these events at a wide range of universities- not just Oxbridge.

Yes, bit who has the knowledge of what constitutes a "good" university?

Who knows if a degree in classics is better at Manchester or Leeds? Is the 2:1 on French from Liverpool better than the 1st from Canterbury? Oh we have one candidate here with Geography 2:1 from Cardiff and another with Environmental science 2:1 from St Andrews... Which is better?

When you're recruiting from a poll of 250, you'll not be comparing that surely??

I had to work a hell of a lot harder for my Oxford degree than some of my school friends who studied the same subject at other unis. I basically lived in the library for 3 years while they lived the good life, only revising for end of year 2 and 3 exams. So yeah, graduates from prestigious universities deserve their advantage. You're living in fairy land if you think a law degree from Oxford is the same as a law degree from Canterbury.

But I wouldn't worry about the blind recruitment, it's not that prevalent, companies still organize all kinds of recruitment events at the prestigious unis, the networking is very valuable, the close tutorials with the professors are incredibly valuable academically and it will come out in the interview process anyway.

At Man Met, your other child will mainly mix with people of lesser ability. At Cambridge, even if she wants to mess about, she could join the Footlights and end up a star. Heck, look at the stardom Olivia Colman has achieved!

But it depends what the job involves. Having “covered a lot more” in history won’t necessarily make you better at a consulting job.

The real difference with Oxbridge is the tutorial system. So much extra 1-1 or 2-1 time with professors and being forced to think on your feet and give detailed answers verbally, then debate and justify your points. This will stand him in good stead for all kinds of jobs not to mention interviews. And the networking doesn’t help. Also, some of the traditional firms eg magic circle law are still very focused on Oxbridge graduates (unreasonably in my opinion).

Lol don’t worry OP. A degree from Cambridge will still afford your son a vast amount of arbitrary privilege .
you can rest easy