Biased AI rejected my job applications, says ex-MP David TC Davies
A former cabinet minister who lost his seat at the general election claims he has been automatically rejected for jobs by Artificial Intelligence (AI) software because he does not have a degree.
David TC Davies, who was Welsh secretary in Rishi Sunak’s Conservative government, has called on employers to rethink the role of AI when recruiting.
Many companies routinely use applicant tracking systems to sift and grade CVs, despite concerns they could be filtering out the best candidates.
The government has produced guidelines on the use of AI in recruitment, which warns companies: “At all stages there is a risk of unfair bias or discrimination against applicants.”
Davies left school at 16 and worked in his family’s haulage business before being elected to what was then the National Assembly for Wales in 1999 and later serving 19 years as MP for Monmouth.
Finding himself out of work after the general election, he said he applied for several degree-level jobs outside politics only to be rejected instantly. He believes his failure was down to a lack of qualifications that would be acceptable to an automated CV reader.
He told the BBC: “Clearly when you submit a CV nobody human looks at them at all – and if you have a slightly odd CV, which I have, then you have no chance.”
Even when he did make progress, he faced an unusual challenge when one multinational organisation asked for details of his last boss.
He wrote on LinkedIn: “In one case I got a little further and received a form with the following questions:
“Name of last line manager?’ I answered: ‘Rishi Sunak’.
“Job title of last line manager?’ I put: ‘Prime Minister of the United Kingdom’.
“‘Telephone number of line manager?’ I have Rishi’s number but certainly wasn’t going to put it in the box. Result? Rejection!”
He joked that the former PM might not have given him a good reference if he had shared his phone number.
Davies was one of 175 Tory MPs to lose their seat last year.
They were entitled to a loss of office payment if they lost their seat and had been an MP for at least two years – as well as advice on how to look for jobs and write CVs.
He is not the only one who initially struggled to find work. The Telegraph reported that another ex-Conservative MP had earned just £575 since the election.
Davies said employers may be missing out on diverse talent by using applicant tracking systems which scan CVs and filter out unqualified candidates.
One response to his CV suggested he could be suitable for an entry level public affairs job at a low level.
“This is not a whinge, it’s not about me, it’s more for other people,” Davies said.
“Not everybody has got a conventional CV which sees you working up the management ladder.”
Davies said the skills needed to drive lorries across Europe for his family business before the days of smartphones and satnavs “required a PhD in common sense” – qualities that were wasted on applicant tracking systems.
The ex-minister, who is now working as chief of staff for the Welsh Conservatives in the Welsh Parliament, the Senedd, said the use of AI recruitment software could not be good for companies.
“They’re going to recruit all the same sort of people – they’re going to end up with template people,” he added.
