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鈥� TalentLink
鈥撎齍CL Profiles听
鈥撎齀nside UCL
TalentLink
The challenge听
Back in 2023, the system UCL had in place for recruitment 鈥� ROME 鈥� was notoriously difficult to use.听
As Angela Clark, Head of Recruitment at UCL, recalls, 鈥淲e had this recruitment system that鈥� wasn't integrated with any of our other systems鈥� the user interface was outdated, and it wasn't very good from an accessibility perspective.鈥�
Crucially, the system鈥檚 complexity risked UCL losing out on key talent 鈥� as well as valuable onboarding time.
Looking to deliver a transformative solution, Information Services Division (ISD) and Human Resources (HR) joined forces in what would prove to be one of the most significant innovations in 宅男视频 recruitment process in recent years.听
The Product Team听
Collaboration was a guiding principle of the project; 鈥淲e created the solution together鈥� remembers Senior Enterprise Architect Sharvari Andhare, who notes that the trust both departments had in each other鈥檚 expertise was central to their successful partnership.
鈥淓veryone felt valued on what they were bringing to the table鈥� we worked together to come up with the right answers鈥�.
ISD鈥檚 technical teams worked at record speed to deliver the end result 鈥� with a large testing effort implemented throughout the creation process.听
鈥淎 lot of investment was done on the experience journey from an end user point of view鈥�, recalls Sharvari.
The feedback听
The teams鈥� perseverance and hard work ultimately paid off, with the final product 鈥� TalentLink 鈥� bringing a significant increase in efficiency to 宅男视频 recruitment efforts.听
The institution's time-to-hire, which had averaged a staggering 127 days, was reduced to 48 days.听
And while staff were initially uncertain about switching to a new system, enthusiasm has grown with use.听
鈥淭he system is quite intuitive鈥� notes Teneta Darko, a Senior Recruiter.听
鈥淲e鈥檙e sending things out more professionally鈥� agrees Deputy HR, Payroll and Staffing Manager Sarah Barry; 鈥淚t鈥檚 good for UCL鈥�.
The involvement of user feedback was essential to the project鈥檚 success and will continue to guide it for many years to come. HR and IT product teams are currently working on further improvements within TalentLink 鈥� with more updates coming soon!
UCL Profiles
The challenge听
Information Services Division (ISD)鈥檚 Research Outputs Product Team were facing a key issue in 2022: the legacy system used for UCL staff profiles, IRIS, had become something of a relic.
Cumbersome and unengaging, IRIS was failing to capture the dynamic essence of UCL's academic community, leaving many users disempowered to update their personal details within the system.听
Staff feedback had provided the team with a clear mission: a transformative solution to IRIS鈥檚 shortfalls was needed.听
The Product Team听
In collaboration with colleagues from Research, Innovation & Global Engagement (RIGE), Library and Culture, Collections & Open Science (LCCOS) the Research Outputs team at ISD embarked on an ambitious replacement for IRIS. 听
Governance and collaboration were guiding principles of the project, and the team enlisted a user group that spanned the academic and professional services spectrum to ensure that the new system 鈥� 鈥� would resonate across faculties.
This collective effort was instrumental in enabling the team to deliver a platform that empowered users to showcase their achievements seamlessly 鈥� as well as facilitating research discovery through keyword searching capabilities within the new system.听
The feedback听
The launch of UCL Profiles in September 2023 was met with optimism by users, departments, and faculties. "It's a significant leap forward from the previous system鈥�, says Professor Courtenay Norbury, Vice Dean Research for the Faculty of Brain Sciences.
鈥淧rofiles has streamlined the process of showcasing our faculty's talent, research activities, and industry interactions 鈥� all in one place." 听
Feedback has been the linchpin of Profiles鈥� evolution. The system's initial success has set the stage for ongoing refinement, with the team committed to aligning future improvements to users' evolving needs. 听
With the platform offering users increased potential to attract partnerships and be discovered by journalists, policy makers and potential collaborators, increased adoption of Profiles may have significant ramifications for positioning UCL research on the global stage.听
Inside UCL
The challenge听
Staff were struggling on a day-to-day basis with the burden of carrying out routine admin tasks such as booking leave, registering sickness and keeping up to date with mandatory training, often having to use a range of web services to achieve their goals.听
The ISD Digital team behind Inside UCL set out to work on with the clear aim to address theses challenges.
User feedback fed into the creation of the app, which enables staff to get a range of processes completed quickly 鈥� 听using a single simple interface and optimised for mobile viewing.听
The app is one of the clearest demonstrations within digital delivery at UCL of creating a 'minimum viable product' with limited functionality, and then adding new features over time 鈥� constantly iterating improvements and scope to meet user needs.听
The team
Originally developed by the digital experience team, as well as colleagues from the Office of the Vice-President External Engagement (VPEE) and the ISD Staff Experience Product Team, Inside 宅男视频 is a testament to the power of teamwork.
Multiple colleagues and teams from across the university came听together to ensure that it addressed a wide array of staff needs 鈥� as well as improved听overall efficiency.听
The future
Looking ahead, the product team is committed to further improving and expanding the app, which has won a number of accolades 鈥� including a British Interactive Media Association (BIMA) award for transforming UCL's employee experience.听
The roadmap for new features is accesible from the app, with new versions being released every few weeks.
Inside 宅男视频 ongoing development reflects its teams鈥� dedication to making Inside UCL a universally-adopted tool within our diverse community 鈥� one with its users' needs and preferences at the heart. for further developments!听