PwC was right to scrap 2:1 degrees for hires – next they should ditch all academic marks
Earlier this week, PwC announced that graduates would no longer need a 2:1 degree in order to apply. The decision reflects an ongoing drive to diversify a sector that is overwhelmingly white, male and middle class. Where things like “unconscious bias training” have fallen short, PwC made a decisive move.
Other firms may be looking on with raised eyebrows. By scrapping the traditional entry requirement, competitors could assume that PwC is lowering its standards and relinquishing its ability to attract the most qualified candidates. They couldn’t be more wrong.
Removing academic thresholds is not only the best way to move the dial for marginalised students; it’s the best way to attract the brightest talent.
Students who anxiously opened their A-Level results yesterday will be all too familiar with the pressure to achieve top grades, and to get into top universities. But our longstanding obsession with academic histories as markers of success is incredibly misguided – particularly in light of the last two years.
The school or university a person attended, and the A-Level grades or degrees they achieved only says so much about their ability to succeed in a role. They also tell us about the opportunities and support that they’ve had access to, as well as their luck on exam day.
Assessed based on their academic “success”, a certain type of candidate ends up in front of hiring managers. The issue is not a lack of talent. The issue is that these students from more marginalised backgrounds are less likely to have had optimal environments for their education – especially after years of it being relegated to the living room. Disadvantaged students are also less likely to attend university in the first place.
Top firms have said that they want to increase representation of black and working class people amongst their teams. But unless they expand their definition of success beyond “top class” students, particularly for Covid cohorts, the gap will only widen between disadvantaged and more privileged employees at the Big Four.
If firms truly want to diversify, ditching 2:1 entry requirements is a good place to start. The next step should be to strip applications of academic grades entirely, and to introduce more objective ways of testing the skills and learning potential of candidates instead.
Testing for role-relevant skills through “work samples”, cognitive ability tests and structured interviews is the most accurate way of predicting performance. It also shows that, when all candidates are given a fair chance and we test true talent, diversity follows organically.
Following a study by Applied which looked at 1,300 candidates hired into financial services and consulting roles, we found that firms that swapped CVs for anonymous applications and skills tests were able to hire up to 79 per cent more Black candidates.
In this case, the numbers mean something. They reflect the extent to which diverse talent is overlooked by overreliance on outdated hiring processes and biased proxies.
Firms that are truly committed to addressing the sector’s diversity issues and winning the talent war should follow PwC’s lead and start looking beyond grades to unlock the next generation of talent.