Professional services firm Deloitte opts to use contextual data and blind interviews as part of its new recruitment process.
One of the largest employers of graduates, Deloitte, is changing the way they recruit. The professional services firm, in partnership with diversity recruitment specialists Rare, is set to use data regarding applicants' personal circumstances and economic background to contextualise their academic achievements. The move is designed to aid social mobility and increase diversity in the firm.
Deloitte is also moving to use a blind interview process, in which interviewers will not be given access to the educational background of the candidates. Decisions will be made on present potential, and not past circumstances.
Senior partner and Chief Executive of Deloitte UK, David Sproul, says the move is to ensure the company reflects modern Britain.
"We are working hard to ensure that our talent pool is diverse and reflects the make-up of today's society," he says. "We want to show that everyone can thrive, develop and succeed in our firm based on their talent, regardless of ethnicity, gender, sexual orientation, or any other dimension that can be used to differentiate people. This includes an individual's social or economic background, which we know continues to be used to hold some people back."
Deloitte is the largest organisation in the UK to use the contextualised method. They aim to recruit 1500 graduates and school leavers this year, starting with their recently-launched graduate schemes in fields such as Audit and Finance, and Technology and Consulting.
Sproul says the change in their recruitment process will help the firm long term.
"There is a clear business imperative to get this right," he says. "In order to provide the best possible service and make an impact with our clients, we need to hire people who think and innovate differently, come from a variety of backgrounds and bring a range of perspectives and experience into the firm."