'Poshest' universities in the UK revealed

If you're applying for a training contract (legal role) or a graduate role at an investment bank the simple fact is you're not going to even be considered unless you've been to a good university

In the vast majority of cases for most employers this is simply wrong.

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Yes, of course most employers won't reject you simply based on the university you went to. It's funny how you cut my other paragraph, the one which applies to other roles

Ok so I'll deal with your first para:
"Given that graduate roles are so over applied for often having particular things will make your application more likely to considered. Seeing a name like Durham, for example, on application will be a good first impression."

Again, no. Most employers for most roles do not care which university you went to.

Are you a graduate currently in employment? Or, like me, an actual employer?

I'll rephrase, big companies that pay well care where you went to university.

But like I said first impressions count. If you're reading two CVs and they're from opposite ends of the spectrum in terms of university the one from the top uni is starting ahead

Again, no. In fact "big companies that pay well" are increasingly making their grad schemes blind to the applicant's university to prevent any unconscious bias by interviewers.


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1. I've heard about that from a handful of companies, I'd hardly say it seems to be commonplace.
2. That's at interview stage, you still need to get past the initial application phase which will say which university you went to


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It's increasingly common and demonstrates best practice so other companies are following suit. And it happens at the application stage, before interview.

It's recommended by bodies such as the CBI.

And even if it's not a formal part of the process, trust me that the last thing i look at on a CV is someone's prior university. It's really not that important. As i said, employers are looking for good employees not "good" universities.

A lazy, and probably inexperienced, hiring manager might use the university as a proxy for shortlisting "good" people, but they won't last long in that role if they keep doing it.

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It's increasingly common and demonstrates best practice so other companies are following suit. And it happens at the application stage, before interview.

And even if it's not a formal part of the process, trust me that the last thing i look at on a CV is someone's prior university. It's really not that important. As i said, employers are looking for good employees not "good" universities.

A lazy, and probably inexperienced, hiring manager might use the university as a proxy for shortlisting "good" people, but they won't last long in that role if they keep doing it.

^This. 100%

The best universities can produce good potential employees in that they have developed and honed skills in analysis, argument, assimilation of large amounts of material and general high-level cognitive abilities. But that in itself is very much not enough - 'soft skills' like emotional intelligence, drive, discipline, awareness of the world...these things can be woefully lacking in graduates from the very best universities, and exist in spades from a candidate from a much 'weaker' university. That a candidate has gone to a 'good' university can sort of act as a 'marker' that some of the things an employer looks for might well be there, but it doesn't mean that everything is there.

Name some, I've never heard of a big company not asking which university you went to at the application phase.

Law firms look at the university you went to

Must be a coincidence then that virtually everyone in my office went to Russell Group universities. Although, I know it isn't. Law firms look at the university you went to and I don't think they have particularly high turnover in HR staff. Banks are the same. The big four are the same. Technology is renowned for caring about university
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This isn't strictly true. Some of the best MC firms like Clifford Chance introduced 'CV blind' applications way back in 2013, with Mayer Brown, McFarlanes following. This is precisely to avoid the preconceptions which come with an application that has 'Charterhouse/Eton/Harrow/Rugby; Oxford/Cambridge' on it.

If you are white, male, straight and don't go to a private school you are the most discriminated against group in the country.

This isn't strictly true. Some of the best MC firms like Clifford Chance introduced 'CV blind' applications way back in 2013, with Mayer Brown, McFarlanes following. This is precisely to avoid the preconceptions which come with an application that has 'Charterhouse/Eton/Harrow/Rugby; Oxford/Cambridge' on it.

They might ask it - doesn't mean they use it as a filter.

Also...
1) Not everyone wants to be a lawyer
2) correlation =/= causation
3) Clifford Chance



Ah, you beat me to it

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One of the was almost in shock when he met a trainee who went to Sussex.

Of course they ask for your university, to collect stats about the process. The fact is they don't filter on it.

And that speaks more about your friend than your firm.



Edit to add: by the way, which university did Clifford Chance's HR Director go to?

A: Sussex.

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Right so there's no CV blind applications, just CV blind interviews. Without evidence to the contrary it's only logical to assume it plays a role. It seems unlikely that by mere coincidence the best applications all came from RG alumni

1. Congrats you found three lawyers in a firm of almost three thousand that went to Sussex.
2. I at no point said that all solicitors at magic circle firms went to RG, I said most.
3. The friend I was talking about is at Baker & Mckenzie so CC stats aren't really relevant. It doesn't speak more of him, you can search B&M's website by university, have a quick look and see how many lawyers went to Sussex (spoiler the answer is two, Baker have almost 5,000 attorneys).