REALrating by upReach

Contextual recruitment practices like upReach’s REALrating are being increasingly adopted by law firms to enable employers to identify hidden talent and monitor socioeconomic data. At its most basic, REALrating has been designed to contextualise academic performance and highlight candidates’ potential to succeed. It supports firms in improving workplace diversity, finding the best people for the job and championing social mobility.

The tool helps to level the playing field for candidates from disadvantaged backgrounds, highlighting their successes to employers that might otherwise have missed or overlooked such candidates in the recruitment process. It only ever uplifts candidates’ grades.

How does it work?

When embedded into an AllHires application form, candidates will be able to opt-in to answer a short questionnaire on their application. Following this, REALrating provides the recruitment team with contextualised A-level grades based on its sophisticated evidence-based model. The data provided will be embedded into the rest of the candidate’s application, making it easy to review.

Benefits

Not only does REALrating enable recruiters to perform a fairer initial application shift and identify candidates who’ve achieved against the odds, but the data can also be used for firms to measure the success of their application methods, including:

• whether the firm is attracting talent from diverse socioeconomic backgrounds; and
• the likelihood of these candidates making it through the various stages of the firm’s recruitment process.

Contact your AllHires account manager to learn more about embedding REALrating into your application process.

Which firms use REALrating?

• Akin
• Arnold & Porter LLP
• Bates Wells
• Boodle Hatfield LLP
• Brabners LLP
• Covington
• DWF Group Limited
• Eversheds Sutherland (International) LLP
• Faegre Drinker Biddle & Reath LLP
• Fladgate LLP
• Fox Williams LLP
• Haynes Boone
• Hill Dickinson LLP
• Lester Aldridge LLP
• Mayer Brown International LLP
• Paul Weiss
• Peters & Peters
• RWK Goodman
• Shoosmiths
• Skadden, Arps, Slate, Meagher & Flom (UK) LLP
• Stevens & Bolton LLP
• Winckworth Sherwood LLP

“I didn’t go to a selective school, but have good A levels and my ambition is to be a City lawyer – what does this mean for my chances? What are law firms doing to improve the representation of people from low socioeconomic backgrounds?” – LawCareers.Net takes a look at these questions and more in The Oracle.