Job applications screening for privilege.

In contrast to the OP's experience many companies, including banks, major law and accountancy firms, now have 'blind recruitment'.

Name, DOB, name of university, sex, dates, etc. are not included to prevent bias - so you are judged, and your application is taken further, based on qualifications, experience, track record, etc.

Well that's the stated aim.

While it might be a way of increasing inclusivity it’s also a useful way of excluding those non U individuals. Cynic that I am ( but only sometimes).

If you have to include your academic history the employer will know whether you attended a state school or were privately educated fleurpepper. The school you name is easily googled if the name is unfamiliar.

The trouble is if you look at the countries which have the greatest gender equality for example its had little impact on the types of jobs dominated by men or women. My guess is the solution wont be found in this way for other characteristics either.

Oops wrong window 🤣🤣😁😁

Moulds

if looking for signs of 'privilege' I am surprised they don't ask about Private Education. Children who were privately educated during Covid had a MASSIVE advantage, and probably got much higher exam results.

AmberSpyglass

Some are more in depth, especially if the company tends to be skewed to a particular class/demographic. So long as they actually take action on their findings, I’m all for it!

Me too.

Affirmative action. Ensuring that a level playing field is created. Removing class, gender, sexuality, ethnic, ableist biases.

It's not accidental that white men end up on top ahead of every other category. The system is set up to benefit them.

I suppose you could say that you just don't know your parent's education experience etc?

Some are more in depth, especially if the company tends to be skewed to a particular class/demographic. So long as they actually take action on their findings, I’m all for it!

Applied for a job in the public sector six months ago, if you mean an equality form with regard to age, sex, disability, etc then yes. Questions on parents education no.

I assume that the people clutching their pearls over this haven’t applied for a job, especially one in a large company, in the past five years at least. This is completely normal and the two forms are usually entirely seperate.

As other people have said - these aren’t interview questions or application questions. It’s data gathering and the replies will be anonymised so that the HR department can see if there are any demographics who aren’t applying and see if there’s a reason for that.

Elegran

If it is included in a job application form it looks like discrimination.

It certainly does.

I think some of these questions are totally unacceptable. Whatever the parents did during the applicant’s childhood should be of no consequence. This sounds far too like social engineering to me, and is not something I approve of in any way. Each applicant should be judged on his/her qualities and qualifications alone. Nothing else.

Our son is privileged in that he has never been hungry, frightened or abused in any way.

He was educated by the Jesuits and brought up well by two loving parents.

He and his brother are kind, humble, non judgmental and have followed the school motto in adult life “Quant je puis” the best I can.

We both worked hard and made sacrifices for the our children’s education, they have always worked through university and school holidays.
One volunteered in India and Kyrgyzstan for 9 months and the other trained to care for a young person with a very severe handicap so he could give his parents a well earned break.

I would hate to think that our choice of education would be detrimental to their careers.

Having taught in both further and higher education I often saw a difference in motivation between older and younger students. Similarly between UK based and international students.

The older UK ones had often "missed the boat" for various reasons - not always a poor background. However having been presented with an opportunity they were usually determined to make the most of it. This was in contrast with some bright kids from middle class backgrounds who had been more or less handed life on a plate.

I'm agreeing with you GSM, I think I remember one CEO saying something along the lines of being far more interested in a candidate who had worked shifts in say Sainsbury's ,than those who had gone off on expensive sponsored gap years. My son worked whilst at 6th form college and university in a now defunct clothing shop owned by an odious, high profiled individual who has a retail empire. After graduating and sending off numerous CVs. for entry level positions. It was a pretty difficult time for graduates back then, he did get his foot in the door with a well known publishing house for actual gainful employment rather than the reprehensible unpaid internship which so many candidates were expected to put up with as an entree into industry. Closing so many doors to those who didn't have the means of support. During his initial interview the head honcho was impressed by the fact that he had slogged away at an unrewarding retail job, apparently the only one who had, who was being interviewed for the position and something he possibly thinks got him that all important first step on his career ladder. He has now worked for several leading publishing houses and has often told me he is surrounded by people he considers quite "out of touch" due to privileged upbringing. He does say that some have gripes and superficial moans about what is to all intents and purposes a good working environment and has often said to me, it certainly focuses the mind when you work for an establishment who doesn't give a stuff about their staff.

I would be much more interested in the candidate who had FSM and whose parents had little in the way of formal education but who had achieved good grades than the candidate from a professional background who received similar grades after an expensively education. The former will be a hard worker; the latter, in my interviewing experience, likely to be entitled and arrogant - one candidate of that ilk will stay in my mind for ever.

There are a lot of kids who don’t get the opportunities they are worthy of because they have no quiet space to do their homework. They tend to come from poor families with little in the way of academic qualifications. If you can work your way through that you’ll be a good bet as an employee

GSM has a point. It takes considerable qualities of self discipline and resilience to prosper in spite of such disadvantages.

This was certainly true of my background. I did my homework on the kitchen table and my mother would (fearfully) urge me to put it away when my father was due home. If he saw me with a book open he would tell me to "get off my lazy backside and help my mother in the kitchen". I never forgave my parents for holding me back.

Indeed, it’s not illegal. I know that. These companies will know exactly what they can and can’t ask. They will have a professional HR team and maybe even in-house lawyers. If a candidate gets stroppy and asks why the information on the application form has been requested they’re not very likely to get an interview are they?

I have checked on Google and it isn’t actually illegal but the interviewer must prove that they are not asking the question in order to get information it is illegal to ask. For example trying to guess the candidates age or religion. It is seen as irrelevant and the candidate is entitled to as the relevance of why do you want to know . They need to be able to justify the question

Just more Data gathering by Mr Google to be used by some company in the future. It’s nothing personal.

Positive discrimination, I would suggest. There are a lot of kids who don’t get the opportunities they are worthy of because they have no quiet space to do their homework. They tend to come from poor families with little in the way of academic qualifications. If you can work your way through that you’ll be a good bet as an employee.

I wonder if they actually check ? Tempting to invent something for the nosy so and sos.