Does It Matter Where You Went To School

A start-up digital record company has said it will be banning all future job applicants from saying where they went to either school or university in applications in an intriguing attempt to reduce unconscious bias from its recruitment processes.

Ostereo, based in Media City in Manchester, brought in this new policy this month (September), hoping that it will encourage people from more diverse backgrounds to pursue careers in the music industry, Recruiter reports.

Speaking to the news source, head of artists and repertoire Ramin Bostan said: “We feel that if people have been to university, that’s great but it’s really not a prerequisite to work here. If they have come through and they have been in work for a couple of years beforehand, that generally shapes them into being ready for the workplace and they’re the kind of people that we’ve had the most success with.”

Studies carried out back in 2014 show 44 per cent of those working in TV, film and music had private educations, compared to seven per cent of the UK population as a whole.

This might be a strategy you consider employing at your own place of business if you are involved in digital recruitment in Manchester at the moment and are keen to hire staff members from all walks of life.

By cementing this idea as a strategy, you could find you attract and retain the top talent in your field – which you may not have achieved in the past, if you did put strong emphasis on educational background back then.