The Global Forum On Cities Q1 2021 -Social Impact, Nick Murray, Marketing & Partnership Lead, AAI Employability (UK).
“Youth, Jobs, Entrepreneurship, In Cities, and Inner Cities.”
The Global Forum On Cities Q1 2021 theme.
About “The Global Forum On Cities”
INSPIRING CITIES
The Global Forum On Cities is the global business and policy forum on cities organised by Things Growth. The platform partners with 100+ global leading cities, technology and innovation organisations, corporates, public entities, start-ups, incubators and industry experts.
The Forum is a series of global events as well as a platform for innovation, programmes and projects for city stakeholders. It provides ideas, contents, resources and opportunities through tracks or work streams: Energy, Utilities, Transports, Environment, Sustainability, Infrastructures, Real Estate, Roads, Railways, Airport, Hospitality, Retail, Tourism, Government, Public Policy, Smart Cities, Technology, Social Impact, Climate Action, Emerging Cities, Future Cities.
Speaker 3, Nick Murray is the Marketing & Partnership Lead of AAI EmployAbility — an award-winning not-for-profit, specialising in inclusive employment. AAI Employability attracts job seekers of all ages and backgrounds and offer services to help employers with racism, equality, and inclusion training and CSR programmes.
The Global Forum On Cities (Things Growth): Good morning, Nick.
Nick Murray (AAI Employability): Hey, Emmanuel. Thanks for having me.
The Global Forum On Cities (Things Growth): My pleasure, Nick. How are you today?
Nick Murray (AAI Employability): I can’t complain. The sun is shining up in Scotland where I am and yes, it’s a great morning for a great conversation.
The Global Forum On Cities (Things Growth): Amazing. Thank you. We’re really glad here in London too, to have you. So, tell us more about the organization. How it’s called, what you guys do and yourself.
Nick Murray (AAI Employability): Absolutely. So, I’m Nick Murray and I’m the marketing and partnerships leader at a social enterprise called AAI Employability and essentially, we are the good guys of recruitment. The company started off focusing on changing the culture and approach to unpaid graduate internships and that was 10 years ago. Over the years, we’ve encountered much more employment injustices around diversity, inclusion and access to opportunity and we work with businesses across the country and the UK to help them to access various people from all walks of life looking for a foot in the door and for a real opportunity.
The Global Forum On Cities (Things Growth): Oh, thank you, that’s very interesting. Yourself, what do you do within the organisation?
Nick Murray (AAI Employability): Yes. So, you probably know in small teams you tend to wear a lot of hats. So, my official role is marketing outreach. I do a lot of engagement with our job seeker audience, but also working with start-ups and social enterprises and that whole business ecosystem here in Scotland, as well as doing a bit of project management. This year we focused a lot on supporting mindsets and mental health and wellbeing for people that have been hit by the pandemic and the economic circumstances that they might be facing. So, a little bit of everything. I just try and help people and get our message out there to reach the right people.
The Global Forum On Cities (Things Growth): Thank you so much, Nick. Just for our community, tell us about yourself, in terms of background, what took you to this mission, to this job? Well, first what did you do before maybe you can start from there and then move on and discuss a little bit about how you made the switch to what you were doing and this great mission you’re achieving.
Nick Murray (AAI Employability): Sure. So, I’ve got a bit of an interesting story. I’ve had a couple of different careers. I suppose my first calling was I was a sponsor skateboarder and did that for a while. But when I left high school, the careers adviser basically said, ‘Right Nick, you’re doing really well at history. What university are you going to?’ and that was the extent of the careers advice that we had back then. Not going to say how old I am, but hopefully things have changed. So, I went off and I did four years doing a history degree, which I didn’t really enjoy and I left with 2.1 and I didn’t want to be a teacher. I couldn’t grow my beard long enough to be taken seriously as a historian. I could grow it long enough to be taken seriously working in coffee. So I ended up working in coffee for ten years and that showed me how you can sell the same product to lots of different customers just by the interactions and looking at consumer behaviour and how you’re branding your products. So, that got me really interested in marketing and the perception of brands and value. I ended up going back and doing a one-year postgraduate in marketing and got an internship through the company that I ended up working for. I met the CEO in London and we hit it off and it all ties into this idea that opportunities are taken not given. So, I’ve tried to take as many opportunities as I can and I suppose what motivates me is just being able to help people. I think this year, more than ever, people have realised that we’re here for a good time, not a long time and anything they can do to contribute positively to the world is a massive bonus. So, that’s the mission to help people and leave a positive legacy.
The Global Forum On Cities (Things Growth): Wow, that’s amazing and precisely right before joining this organisation in this role or maybe the role you had before, what was the trigger? What made you feel like now is the right time to start this specific journey, the specific event?
Nick Murray (AAI Employability): Yes, so I saw myself and a lot of people who were trapped in hospitality and working long shifts. You don’t have time to look at the job market or to train and explore your interests and other avenues because you’re exhausted. I saw lots of people like myself who maybe felt like they missed the boat or that they hadn’t been given the right opportunities after school or university to get their foot in the door. I saw what the organisation I work for now, AAI, were doing with internships and what the right opportunity could do for someone like myself, age 30 at the time, to make up for lost time to get into a job in three or six months. Taking on a whole load of diverse responsibilities proved you can jump up a few steps in the career ladder while you’re at it. So that was the catalyst for me and it goes back to taking those opportunities and chances, getting outside of your comfort zone and learning to be comfortable with taking chances.
The Global Forum On Cities (Things Growth): Wow, that’s really amazing. Thank you so much for sharing this part of your experience and personal journey. In terms of the sector you’re in. How would you define it? First maybe that’s a good start. So what business are you in?
Nick Murray (AAI Employability): Well, I like to think we’re in the business of opportunity, but I think most people would say that it’s recruitment and everyone needs to hire and everyone needs the job, even more so this year. So, the perception of that industry has not always been great. There’s a lot of people who have had bad experiences in recruitment. There’s a lot of employers who don’t like to use recruitment agencies.
The Global Forum On Cities (Things Growth): What do think could be one of the barriers? Just one word about that, because this is a very interesting conversation and I’m not really enjoying the insights you’re sharing. So maybe let’s give the opportunity to people to find out even more. What do you think could be the trigger before we get back to, sorry, what you were saying.
Nick Murray (AAI Employability): Sure. The trigger, the barriers for businesses. Yes, so I suppose a lot of businesses don’t want to use a third party to do their recruitment because one, it’s expensive. You give over a lot of control and we all know lots of business leaders who don’t like to give up control.
You don’t control the agenda as well beyond the process itself. It’s harder to control the agenda and time frames when sharing this power with a third party.
I suppose now with the advancement in technology, networks and communities, a lot of people think that they can promote a job to their own network and reach some interesting people themselves. The downfall about that is this idea of a diverse group of talent and the diversity of thought that you’re not reaching. So, what we say to employers is if you promote to your own network, the chances are you’re just going to find someone just like you and we know now from research from the last 10 years that diverse teams, whether that’s gender, race, background, education, perform better in terms of your talent so is always more beneficial to your company in the long run.
There’s an element of business model as well, because I’m thinking corporations could be fined. Paying the fees and working according to the model that has been established by the recruitment industry, but charities, nonprofits, etc., could probably access these types of services if part of it was subsidized or if there is some innovation around it, for example, we have this charity who wants to hire people and they are fine with working with a recruitment agency.
The Global Forum On Cities (Things Growth): Maybe a change of business model and innovations regarding this model could make a significant change. Do you think that’s something possible or something that would really bring an added value or if there is any innovation, what could that be? What do you think could bring a significant change?
Nick Murray (AAI Employability): I think a significant change could come from employers learning a bit more about diversity and inclusion and the benefits of what a truly diverse team could bring. One of the things that I’m personally fascinated with is this idea that we’re all wired differently, and we’ve all got natural, inherent gifts to offer the world. A good employer will be able to recognise someone’s strengths and weaknesses and pool those talents, gifts, that common sense and ingenuity of somebody. So, the sooner that businesses can stop being very prescriptive about the kind of person they think would work in their team and start embracing this idea of diversity of thought, the much more interesting businesses we’re going to have and teams that really complement each other rather than just working in a one dimensional way. I think it’s a very interesting time for this discussion, given what happened with the Black Lives Matter movement resurgence and people urgently looking at the businesses and thinking about what inclusion and accessibility looks like and how they’re representing their brand to the rest of the world, whether that’s through their website or their job adverts or how their team looks like online. What message about the inclusive nature of your business.
The Global Forum On Cities (Things Growth): Great. Thank you, Nick. So, what do you think as a solution to enable more organisations in terms of providing them access to recruitment services, particularly in your vertical?
Nick Murray (AAI Employability): Yes, so 2020 has been huge for conversations around diversity and inclusion and reaching marginalised or underrepresented groups, and there’s a huge piece of work to be done around that with every company. In June, when the Black Lives Matter campaign resurfaced, every company in the world could very quickly look at themselves and think, are we representative of our customer community? Are we doing everything to showcase to the world that we are inclusive? And are we doing enough in terms of reaching and attracting the right talent to build a diverse workforce? So, it’s a very interesting time in terms of employment. There’s lots of data and research around diverse teams performing better. It’s not just the moral thing to do is. I think a lot of people are scared to take those first steps to look at what good looks like.
A lot of the work that we’ve been doing this year at AAI, is holding workshops with diverse professionals and HR and business leaders to talk about the barriers to employment, employer branding and perception. What does your company look like online? What are the touch points for talent? If they don’t see themselves represented on the website, is that going to deter them from applying for a job? So, it’s not just about perception of a company, it’s also about your culture. It’s all very well having a great website that looks inclusive but if your team aren’t with you on that journey, then as soon as somebody comes in, it’s going to be a very different experience. So, I think with a lot of things this year, it’s a time for listening, for learning and for making small adjustments so we can all just do a bit better.
The Global Forum On Cities (Things Growth): Yeah, definitely. There’s a question that comes to my mind. Are you identifying patterns in terms of the companies which are practicing more this type of recruitment in which they’re opening their minds because I could anticipate that large organisations are probably not moving at the same pace compared to SMEs or start-ups. Where do you see the traction?
Nick Murray (AAI Employability): It’s an interesting one, corporations usually have this built into the human resources. They’ll have a huge human resource team, global initiatives, corporate social responsibility initiatives which tap into different communities. So, this is on their radar whether or not they’re doing this in a meaningful way or if it’s just box ticking, then that’s a different conversation. If you look at the start-up, an SME world, you know those teams are much more close knit and certainly start-ups need a team that can stay. So, if your workplace culture is terrible, somebody is not going to stay, you can put all your diversity policies that you want out there. But I think there’s a real appetite with those companies to get things right from the start and certainly for more SMEs, especially the tech ones they already know the benefit of casting a wider net.
The Global Forum On Cities (Things Growth): Yes, so there could also be a generational dimension to it.
Nick Murray (AAI Employability): Absolutely, and with big companies, it always comes down to an internal champion. So, who’s on the inside pushing it? Are they pushing up the senior management or is there genuine, authentic buy in from that chief executive level? That’s how the real change permeates down to the rest of the company. So, it’s essential for business leaders to do this and not just leave it to HR.
The Global Forum On Cities (Things Growth): Yes and to be involved and champion the subject.
Nick Murray (AAI Employability): Absolutely.
The Global Forum On Cities (Things Growth): There’s another question which I’m thinking of regarding inclusion, because one thing is to practice diversity when it comes to recruit diverse pools of talent. But another thing is to retain them, and for this you need to include them and organisations or the public debate has been mostly focusing on diversity while inclusion and retention have received less attention. So, what is it that you can share with us specifically in terms of what your organisation is doing at the moment or what they or we could do as a society to further this aspect as well?
Nick Murray (AAI Employability): Yes, that’s a great question. So, first of all, we should break down those two words because they’re in danger of becoming buzzwords. So, diversity is who they are, where they’re from, where they’re coming from and inclusion is ensuring that everyone has a seat at the table and has an opportunity to do their best work and open up opportunities for themselves. So certainly, you’ve hit the nail on the head in hiring for diversity is great. But what are you offering people and it comes back to the war on talent in general. What are companies offering people outside of monetary return? We’ve seen a huge generation of people — Millennials and Generation Z, who are much more discerning on who they’ll work for. They don’t just go for the big money. They want to work for a company that values them, that gives them opportunities to develop personally and professional and also is doing something for the planet. So, initiatives this year I think have been great because the pandemic’s hit everyone’s mental health quite a lot so it’s had an impact on a mental health and wellbeing level in a really genuine way. Gone are the days of, we’ve got a pool table, dress down Friday or go to the pub after work. This is not how you create an inclusive workplace.
The Global Forum On Cities (Things Growth): The babyfoot is just not enough.
Nick Murray (AAI Employability): Exactly. No and also it excludes people because not everyone drinks. So, what we’ve seen is people just trying different things. Or they have town hall meetings where people at all level are invited to contribute to the company’s overall strategy. I think we all just want to be seen, don’t we? We want to be valued, heard, recognised and we want tailored opportunities to be part of something. So, I think it’s just it’s just taking a very human-centred approach to business and not losing touch of that.
The Global Forum On Cities (Things Growth): It is, definitely. What do you think of people or comments which come along the lines of, we’re not really embracing diversity because people we need to hire need a certain type of skills and training and diverse talents or diverse candidates identifying with diversity don’t always come with those skills. So that’s why we’re not doing it. Do you think this is still valid and if it’s the case, what can be done specifically regarding the truth regarding the specific point or the actions that can be put in place?
Nick Murray (AAI Employability): Yes, another good question. So, it’s an interesting one, because I suppose if you’re a start-up or a small company, you actually just want someone who can do the job. You’re not thinking about diversity, of thinking about cost. How quickly can we hire? How quickly can we get this job done? It’s the bigger companies who have got huge hiring initiatives that are looking at this more seriously. One of the big barriers that a lot of job seekers from different backgrounds have is how companies in the UK and across Europe look at educational qualifications from other countries. So, do you have to have a 2.1 from a UK university to enter the job market? We are working with companies to break down these barriers and focus very much on transferable skills and competency. So, there should be tests that should be there should be an open mind. There should be separation of requirements in a job advert between essential and desirable to not put people off. Studies show that if a woman can do eight out of ten job requirements, they won’t apply because the focus on those two. If a man can do four of the ten he’ll apply anyway. So, how are we overcoming these? There’s a lot of work to be done and this is why working with an employment partner that does this stuff every single day ensures that your company getting the right fit for the job.
The Global Forum On Cities (Things Growth): So thank you, Nick. That was really insightful. There’s another question I’m thinking of, particularly focusing on young people and employment. What do you see as the main barriers which they are faced with? Obviously, we mentioned diversity and the issues related to that. Beyond that, because we also have people who don’t necessarily identify as with diversity, who face issues in terms of accessing the job market and finding sustainable jobs. What do you think are the main barriers today?
Nick Murray (AAI Employability): Yes, it’s a great question, so challenges for young people these days, I would say just getting a foot in the door. There’s still a huge focus on university graduates, but we know that lots of people don’t need to go to university and can’t afford to go to university but have got amazing skills. So, if you think about the creative industries who’ve been hit really hard by the Covid-19 pandemic, there’s some incredible thinkers in that group of people who will be working in that industry who employers should be taking a chance on, and looking at what these creative minds can bring in.
I heard a great joke the other day that nowadays you can either be a software engineer or have an only fans account, and those are your two only job opportunities as a young person. But it says a lot about our culture. These are the two things that people need and you have to think about what skills are within them? I do a lot of work talking to young people about personal branding and how they are representing themselves in this new digital first landscape is the idea that you don’t get a second chance to make a first opportunity. If you look at the culture and the dynamic of dating apps, everyone on dating apps is aware of their personal brands and how they’re putting themselves out into the marketplace. So, if you can translate that dynamic into the employment world, helping young people get into that arena and represent themselves properly, whether that’s building a personal brand on Instagram, Twitter or on LinkedIn, young people need to be fostering this and really using these online tools to create a professional persona for themselves.
In terms of opportunities now, the UK have recently announced the Kickstarter scheme, which are going to help young people aged 16 to 24 to access internships like work placements for six months. They have to be on universal credit. So one of the big things that we’ve been doing is going out to our audience and saying, I know there might be a stigma about being on benefits and on universal credit, but there’s a whole host of job opportunities that are going to be coming up. So, I think it’s just access to opportunity. It’s about education, knowledge and also about encouraging employers to hire for potential. They’re not to be too fussy. Not to say I need a senior software engineer or a project manager with six years’ experience. To look for those personality traits, hungry people that are going to come in and prove themselves and give 110 percent. That’s how you invest in talent and in the future and those young people will be really grateful for that opportunity and they’ll pay you back in work ethic.
The Global Forum On Cities (Things Growth): Yes. If you had any advice to give a young person who is struggling with access to better jobs or finding or tapping into the new opportunities provided by technology. We are technology firms, so we interested in having an impact in the area. So, if you were to give them an advice, what would you suggest? Any concrete action they should take that would help them find access to a sustainable job today, regardless of the diversity related aspect.
Nick Murray (AAI Employability): So, yes, Emmanuel, that’s another great question. Advice for young people right now, I would say just try some things out. The path to your dream job can really start anywhere and actually, if you’re not sure about what you want to do, it’s really valuable to try some things out and find out what you don’t want to do. Also, just be shameless, I think right now we need people with big characters who want to get things done and if you can communicate that respectfully, businesses really like that.
Another piece of advice I would give is think about the things that you’re doing in your personal life, whether that’s creative outlets or passion projects or sports, anything that you do which you don’t think is business or employment focused and try and take a step back from them and look at them through a different lens. Right now, everyone’s got a degree. What businesses are really looking for is transferable skills and people that are adaptive. That’s been a big theme this year. How quickly can you adapt to craziness and changing circumstances and look at your passion projects through a different lens? What do you actually do if you run a five-a-side football team? That’s got elements of project management, leadership, team management. It’s about translating these things which are so much common sense to you because you’re so close to them and translating them into a language that employers can understand. When we’re talking to young jobseekers, those experiences and stories when people can articulate them are the things that make people stand out. It’s the things that make people really interesting and makes you want to know more about them and that’s exactly what employers are looking for these days. Ambidextrous talent who want to give things that go and are confident in talking about their own skills, desires, where they want to be, goals. So just be shameless. If 2020 has taught us anything it’s not to wait to ask for permission. Who knows what’s going to happen tomorrow. So, just try and make most of today and try and do something that makes you happy.
The Global Forum On Cities (Things Growth): Thank you so much. This was really interesting, amazing, and above all, I couldn’t anticipate or guess any of your answer, which means that this is a really insightful. I would have answered with completely different insights. So, I’m really grateful that you made time to have this conversation with us today and I’m really looking forward to our next conversation and to more work with you and achieve this mission of providing more people and particularly young people with jobs so that they make the most of their skills and have access to better opportunities and shift their lives in a way that’s rewarding for them. Thank you very much, Nick and speak soon.
Nick Murray (AAI Employability): Yes, thank you so much, Emmanuel. If your audience want to find me, they can connect with me on LinkedIn. It’s Nick Murray in Edinburgh. Just leave a little note and if you want to know more about how AAI employability works, you can find us at aai-employability.org.uk. Thanks again.
The Global Forum On Cities (Things Growth): Thank you very much, Nick. Speak very soon, bye.
Nick Murray (AAI Employability): Bye.
