Job hunters would use a phone app to mask accent

MOST new graduates would be prepared to use voice distortion technology to disguise a regional accent during telephone job interviews.

They believe it would reduce bias against strong accents such as those from Birmingham, Manchester, Bristol or Essex.

At the moment, voice distortion apps available for smartphones are not sophisticated enough to do this, although they can make people sound like robots or men sound like women.

Recruitment app Debut surveyed 1,000 18 to 23-year- olds about job interviews and found that 57 per cent believed that if an app existed it would be fair to use it during firms’ telephone screening processes.

Debut chief executive Charlie Taylor said: ‘The concern about strong regional accents holding candidates back is still very prevalent. The technology for voice distortion is in its infancy, but I’d say it’s definitely something that will become more common in the future, as the technology improves.’

Mark Jackson, of tech firm Fujitsu, said: ‘Any tool that plays a part in improving the selection process, by removing any bias, would always be considered. Voice distortion apps still have a long way to come, but once the technology is advanced enough, we would definitely trial it.’