Nathan Bell is an MSc Advanced Financial Analysis student. Through his studies, he had the opportunity to speak at the UK Houses of Parliament about internships and graduate roles.

In May, I had the privilege of being a panellist at the All-Party Parliamentary Group (APPG) for Modernising Employment at Westminster Palace. With a focus on reimagining hiring for the next generation, I was selected to not just represent Lancaster University, but to provide a voice for the student community who feel a constant pressure to secure internships, placements, and graduate roles.

Due to my work as President of the Accounting Society, who provide support to students navigating the job market amongst other developmental projects, the deputy head of careers here at LUMS, Tanya Parry, nominated me to be the representative for the University.

Speaking at an event like this was certainly a new horizon for me, but it was refreshing to meet such brilliant people and contribute towards positive change for not only my peers but also the future generation of students. Having heard anecdotes of the struggles my peers faced, as well as experiencing the problems first-hand during my time as a student, I felt a fiduciary duty to represent us in the push for change, and to ensure we always have a seat at the decision-making table.

I highlighted how for us as candidates it feels like a rejection process rather than selection process. Firms claim to base hiring on who we are, how we think, and how we interact with others, yet the processes designed to capture this feel robotic, repetitive, and exhausting.

With often little to no human interaction until the final round, it can be incredibly disheartening receiving rejection emails whilst wondering if your application has been reviewed by a person. As Artificial Intelligence increasingly becomes embedded into hiring processes, candidates should have access to better feedback and quicker response times, yet instead the only benefits of its introduction have been in favour of the employer, who are able to cull applications quicker and more cheaply.

Candidates are willing to commit often an hour or more into an initial application knowing there’s a high chance of rejection, yet receive no reciprocation from firms by showing that they value their candidates’ time. Feedback is almost always limited to the last stage, with candidates being left in the dark about how they can improve their applications and their employability in early rounds.

The panel was chaired by Emma Hardy MP, with contributions from myself, Margaret Heffernan (Professor of Practice at the University of Bath), Amaya Newman (Young Mayor for Hull), and Cecile Bonnet (Managing Director at Bright Network Technology Academy). With attendees including KPMG, Santander, Metro Bank, LinkedIn, BT Group, Google, and IBM, we were able to speak in front of hiring managers directly, and hopefully help shape improvements within their hiring.

Furthermore, I was able to contribute to the best practice for hiring framework, which is put together by the Better Hiring Institute, and used by thousands of businesses across the UK.

Post academia I hope to continue working with the government and independent institutions in the future to provide a voice for students of all year groups who are affected by the wrath of a ruthless and unforgiving job market which is in drastic need of correction.

Speaking at the APPG has provided a gateway for me to continue this, as it was made clear to me that the problems myself and my peers face are ubiquitous across industries and the UK. I hope to build on the connections I made at the event to help pioneer a positive change for both future candidates and employers alike.

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