Magic Circle firms chase big data to find best graduates from all backgrounds

The Magic Circle has announced en masse its plans to use a game-changing contextual recruitment tool to improve graduate social mobility in the City.

In addition to Allen & Overy, Clifford Chance, Freshfields, Linklaters, and Slaughter and May, three top international firms, Norton Rose Fulbright, Macfarlanes, and Travers Smith, have also declared plans to incorporate the 'ground breaking' system to give their recruiters a tool that can scrutinise candidate achievement.

Baker & McKenzie and Hogan Lovells were the first to sign up for the contextual recruitment system (CRS). They in turn were followed by Ashurst and Herbert Smith Freehills in what appears to be a concerted push to promote social mobility at elite international firms.

In-house recruiters will be able to collect standardised data on candidates' economic background and personal circumstances, and take a consistent approach when assessing their achievements, selection process performance, and hiring potential.

All firms aim to integrate CRS into their own application systems during the 2015/16 graduate recruitment season.

The CRS was based on a two-year research project conducted by graduate diversity recruitment company Rare and sponsored by Clifford Chance (CC).

Laura King, global head of people and talent at the Magic Circle firm, said that technology-based tools like CRS would aid CC's recruiters and ensure best talent, irrespective of background, was hired from the widest pool possible.

Freshfields partner, Annette Byron, said: 'We are pleased to announce formally Freshfields' commitment to the CRS, and are proud of our involvement in the CRWG [contextual recruitment working group].

'It is an example of how practical solutions can arise from genuine cross-industry dialogue. Irrespective of the members' industry we all wanted to identify the best applicants, whilst ensuring that our selection processes remained rigorous, continued to target excellence, and were fair for all.'

Rare's managing director, Raphael Mokades, commented: 'The CRS is a game changer: the ability to measure and assess an individual's personal circumstances and academic environment, we believe, will lead to better, fairer, and more consistent decision-making by recruiters as to what "top talent" at their organisation looks like.'