Elevating our ability to attract, recruit, hire and onboard UC Davis employees for the future

How We're Elevating Hiring for Lasting Starts

In 2023, UC Davis Health and the Davis campus experienced significant workforce growth during a time of enormous challenges. 

Initial analysis of our full recruitment cycle— which included feedback from UC Davis employees, recruiters and recruiting departments— uncovered many opportunities for improvements. Here's how The Hiring Experience plans to address them:

It's easy to identify the problem — too many systems, steps and hands involved — but we've never coalesced around the solutions. We're seeking commitments on the future state because it's going to take all of us to make it a reality." 
– Jim Hankins, Executive Director for the Shared Services Organization

Timeline at UC Davis Health and Technology Improvements for Campus

Updated 4/8/2024

Full size timeline

• Staff Types in Scope (PDF)

Improvement Efforts Underway

The Hiring Experience will address a variety of policies, procedures, technologies and employee training. The first of our improvement efforts are already rolling out. You can track progress using the scorecard below, which will be updated weekly.

• The Hiring Experience Scorecard (Updated 03/07/24)

• A few key updates include:

  • THX Program priorities continue to be on the Job Builder (PeopleAdmin replacement) implementation activities driving to the Health go-live post-Memorial Day and transitioning Continuous Improvement opportunities to be embedded into ongoing HR Operations.
    • We continued The Hiring Experience communications and awareness across the Organization by 
      • Presenting at the 3/13 Nursing Manager and Practice Manager Meting and 3/27 Council of Managers Meetings to raise awareness to The Hiring Experience Program and the coming process and technology improvements
      • Distributing the March Rapid Improvement Event communication to Health Leadership and Health hiring managers (4/03)  
      • Communicating the Job Builder training schedule and sign-up instructions via email for the three primary PeopleAdmin user groups. Registration is still open for the virtual instructor led trainings. Review the FAQs on this website to learn more about training sessions, dates, and how to sign-up. 
      • Updating The Hiring Experience website FAQs to support the March process changes that were communicated 
    • Rapid Improvement Event Updates 
      • Privacy and Security Training - Since new hires must complete this training within the first 7 days of their start date, it was identified as a great candidate to be included into the Nwe HIre Success - Ready Day 1 pilot. This will ensure new hires complete this training as early as their first day, at the same time they receive their equipment and systems access.  
      • Interview Scheduling – is now available after being piloted by Health and Campus departments. This solution helps hiring managers simplify interview scheduling and integrates seamlessly with Outlook and Teams, to more quickly identify times that work for both candidates and interviewers.
      • Workforce Request Form - A standardizaed and automated electronic form has been developed to support the Workforce Management Program. A pilot is underway with key Health leaders providing feedback on effectivness and ease of use.
      • Job Description standardization - All templates associated with the 10 Job Series in scope are under final review and will be ready for upload to Job Builder prior to Go-Live.
      • There are over 40 additional improvement opportunities identified within the Continuous Improvement Roadmap. This roadmap has been transitioned to HR's Strategic Intiatives Group and will be submitted into the HR project intake process for further consideration.
    • Job Builder  
      • User Acceptance Testing (UAT) is completed for the Health instance. This ~3.5 week process included 6 testing teams across Health and Campus, and validated all workflows  within the system. System bugs have been identified and remediations are underway for resolution. 
      • Training content is under developement, with all 17 artificats on track for completion by April 15. Additionally, a Job Builder website is being developed to house all training material and other information and resources for all users. The website will go-live on April 15 to support training.
      • Data migration and cutover planning are underway. 
    • Upcoming activities: 
      • Continue UC Davis Health stakeholder engagement sessions with TA, SSO, and Compensation teams to prepare them for the coming process and technology changes   
      • Finalize Job Builder training content development  
      • April 15: Send a reminder to sign-up for Job Builder training and share link to the new Job Builder webpage
      • Present a Program Update at the 4/22 Medical Center Management Meeting
      • Start Job Builder User Acceptance testing for the SOM and SON instance
      • Job Builder training April 15 - May 16, with weekly office hours planned for post Go-Live support

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  We look forward to providing future updates and announcements as we make progress in decreasing Time-to-Hire and improving the Candidate and Hiring Manager experiences.
  
  Scorecard Archive

 

Onboarding Satisfaction

 

Job Description Standardization

 

Benefits Support and Services​​​​​

 

Talent Acquisition Improvements

Supporting the UC Davis Strategic Plan and Health Clinical Strategic Plan
 

TO BOLDLY GO: A Strategic Vision for UC Davis

Strategic Plan Goal 3 calls for “mak[ing] UC Davis a place of excellence for learning and working by supporting a culture that values the contributions and aspirations of all our students, staff and faculty.” We're using customer feedback to realize solutions that better serve current and future employees and the people who hire them.

UC Davis Health Clinical Strategic Plan

UC Davis Health's vision is to "deliver tomorrow’s health care today — the next generation, the next innovation, the next cure." To do that, UC Davis Health needs to educate and prepare a future-ready workforce and drive excellence in all we do. 

The Hiring Experience will make significant contributions to this mission and vision, specifically when it comes to operational excellence and business process innovation. 

Get Involved

The key stakeholders in this effort include UC Davis HR, service channels, UC Davis Health IT, Operational Excellence and Experience Design, but we're always looking for more partners and good ideas to improve things.

• Email hr@ucdavis.edu with any questions and find out how you can get involved.

FAQ

Program

• What is The Hiring Experience Program?
• Simply, the program has two desired outcomes:
  1. Improve the experience for employees, hiring managers and job candidates throughout all stages of the hiring process at UC Davis. 
  2. Accelerate the time from opening a job through onboarding a successful candidate.
• Who is involved in The Hiring Experience?
• The program includes a cross section of UC Davis Health and Campus HR team members and leaders, IT representatives, and hiring managers and department leads acting as subject matter experts. A set of consultants compose the program team supporting the program.
• Who is going to be impacted by The Hiring Experience Program?
• All of UC Davis will benefit from The Hiring Experience Program changes. Ultimately, we’re going to get successful candidates into positions more quickly, with an improved experience that increases their confidence in joining our teams across UC Davis.
• What is the timing of the rollout of changes coming with The Hiring Experience?
• The Hiring Experience Program is a 2-year initiative.
  Year 1 is focused on process improvements and implementation of a job description system to replace PeopleAdmin.
  Year 2 will focus on the implementation of an applicant tracking system to replace Talent Acquisition Management (TAM) and additional process improvements.
• What Rapid Improvement Events are currently in scope for The Hiring Experience?

• The improvement efforts for enhancing "The Hiring Experience" encompass the following Rapid Improvement Events (RIE): 

  • Recruitment Intake: Digitization of the Hiring Request Form (HRF) & Vacancy Request Form (VRF) and standardization of the initiation process 
  • Job Description Standardization: Standardize high volume job descriptions to streamline process 
  • Equipment & Access Request Process: Support new hires having equipment on day one 
  • Job Posting Length: Revisit job posting length and consider shorter defaults  
  • Talent Acquisition (TA) Process Standardization: Review TA processes to establish standards for key processes affecting time to hire  
  • Salary Analysis Process: Review/revise salary analysis process and practices followed by TA 
  • Interview Scheduling Improvement: Simplify interview scheduling process by leveraging a tool like Microsoft Bookings 
  • SkillSurvey: Reduce the number of required reference checks from 5 to 3, still to include two managers  
  • Privacy Security Training: Eliminate need for new employees to take privacy and security training twice  

   

   

   

• What is the timeline for implementation of the Rapid Improvement Events?
• The rapid improvement events are being bundled and rolled out in phases early calendar year 2024 to help facilitate change management efforts for these changes. 
• What is the expected outcome for the Rapid Improvement Events?
• The primary expected outcome for rapid improvement events is a reduction in Time to Hire (TTH), accompanied by an enhanced experience for hiring managers, candidates, and HR teams.
• Is there an intent to have a new applicant tracking system (ATS)?
• UC Davis HR has selected an ATS to replace TAM. We are in the process of securing funding and in contract negotiations with the vendor. Once both of those actions are finalized, the program will share more specific details and timing around the ATS.

Process

• What is the Transitional State?
• The “Transitional State” encompasses process improvements and a streamlined end-to-end recruitment cycle that precedes the implementation of a new Applicant Tracking System (ATS). The ATS represents the future state of the recruitment process.

Job Builder

• What is the new Job Description Management Tool and Why is PeopleAdmin being replaced?
• The new Job Description Management Tool, Job Builder, is the leading solution for job information management, providing the structure and efficiencies HR professionals need to construct, manage, and store job information. 
• How is this new job description tool going to be used by UC Davis and what are the benefits?

• The new job description tool will bring consistency between UC Davis and the rest of the UC system. Benefits include:  

  • Provides UC Davis access to current job standards that are updated and maintained by UC Office of the President (UCOP)​. 
  • Allows for greater consistency and standardization; reduces the need to create job descriptions from scratch​​. 
  • Increases direct accessibility and reduces the need to request job descriptions from Compensation, business partners, or management​. 
  • Eliminates the need to extract JDs for routing and signature through multiple methods and allows for employee acknowledgment through the tool.  

   

   

   

• What is the anticipated timing for deployment of the new job description tool to Health and for Campus?

• Health is anticipated to go live in June 2024.

  Campus is anticipated to go live in Fall 2024.

• Is Job Builder the same as JDX or JDXpert?
• Yes! The new job description repository tool replacing PeopleAdmin is a software application called JDXpert (JDX for short). UC Davis has decided to adopt the name Job Builder given this is the name being used by other UCs and tool already has this branding.  
• NEW: When will SOM/SON go live with Job Builder? 
• SOM/SON will be included with the launch to UC Davis Health in June 2024. 
• When will Job Builder training begin? 
• Job Builder training begins the week of April 15 and continues through May. 
• What kind of training/resources will be available? 
• Job Builder training will offer targeted options for the different users of the system.  Detailed information will be provided based on your role to ensure you know what training to take.  Training for most users will involve virtual instructor-led sessions.  Additional resources will also be available such as E-Course learning and Job Aids. A new website is also being created to house all Job Builder training content and other information to support end users on an ongoing basis.  
• How much time will be required for training? 
• Depending on your role, total training time can range from 1 to 4 hrs. 
• What if I can not attend the training sessions or have someone who needs to take the training after it is offered? 
• The Job Builder training courses will be available in UCLC and can be assigned to employees. The new Job Builder website will also house training content and links to training resources such as training recordings and job aids.  
• Will there be a webpage for Job Builder similar to the webpage available for PeopleAdmin? 
• Yes. A new Job Builder website will house training content and links to training resources such as training recordings and job aids.  
• NEW: How will I know when the Job Builder webpage is available? 
• An email will be sent April 15 to everyone who received the original Job Builder training schedule and sign-up communication with a link to the new Job Builder webpage. The introductory e-course (My Job Builder) will be available on April 15 as well and should be taken in advance of all other training.  
• NEW: Do I have to sign up for Job Builder training?
• While Job Builder training is not required, it is recommended. Role-based training is available via the UC Learning Center and registration for the courses is required. 
• NEW: When will I learn more about the training schedule? 
• Targeted communications were sent to all current PeopleAmin users based on their assigned roles (L1, L2, L3) on March 22 outlining the Job Builder training sessions and how to sign up in UCLC.  You can also directly log into UCLC and sign up. 

SkillSurvey

• What is SkillSurvey?

• SkillSurvey is a tool available to be used in the hiring process to gather feedback from candidate references, evaluating their skills and suitability for the position. Once all references have submitted the survey, hiring managers will receive a comprehensive report highlighting competencies, behaviors, and open-ended comments.  

  SkillSurvey is industry-specific, based on job category and classification.

• Do Campus hiring managers have to utilize SkillSurvey as a tool? (Campus specific)
• No, Campus hiring managers will continue to have the option to leverage SkillSurvey or opt to conduct telephone screen reference checks. 
• Can both a SkillSurvey AND a Telephone Screen Reference Check be done? (Campus specific)
•  No, as a Campus hiring manager you have the option to do one or another.
• How long will a SkillSurvey take?
• It depends on how quickly references respond and role type. The survey has an average of 35 questions (+ / -) and takes approximately 15 minutes to complete. 
• Can we modify the questions in the SkillSurvey?
• No, you are not able to modify the questions. However, there are tailored templates you can select from. 
• How are candidates notified? What does the candidate receive?
• Notified via standard email templates from the TA team and via the skill survey system themselves.
• How will hiring managers know a SkillSurvey is completed?
• Hiring manager will receive a report via email. 
• Will the requirement be the "most" recent performance review if the candidate chooses to use that option?
• Yes, the most recent performance review is required if the candidate does not want to provide a current manager reference. 
• Can the candidate submit more than 3 references? If so, when does it conclude?
• Yes, the minimum is 3, however the candidate can include more references if desired. It concludes when the report is finalized. 
• What if I feel there is a lack of information to make an informed decision?
• Depending on the situation and timeline, strategize with your TA partner as there are options to get additional information. 
• What are Hiring Manager best practices for utilizing SkillSurvey?
• • Advise candidates to inform their references about the upcoming SkillSurvey to ensure timely submissions.  
  • Thoroughly and fully review the candidate feedback form, as open-ended comments often provide valuable context. Open ended comments are highly valuable, they are verbatim from references. 
  • Understand that reference scores are consolidated; and hiring managers should review open ended comments for specific feedback.  

   

   

   

• How can I tell if the feedback is from a manager? 
• If the candidate submits at least two manager/supervisor references and two professional references before the SkillSurvey results are finalized, the responses will be aggregated into those two categories. If the candidate submits only the required two manager/supervisor and one professional reference, the responses will be concentrated into one result. 

Job Posting Length

• What is the default job posting length for most jobs? 
• Ten days
• What are the exceptions to the default job posting length of 10 days?  
• - Union positions must be posted for the minimum contractually agreed upon duration 
  - For Manager 2,3, and 4 positions may be posted for up to thirty (30) days 
  - Postings with paid advertisements may be posted for up to thirty (30) days 
• What if there are not enough qualified applicants within the 10-day posting period? 
• The job will be re-posted for a minimum of three (3) days  
• What if there are special circumstances and a position needs to be posted for a different length of time other than the ten (10) day default? 
• Discuss the rationale for the deviation with your recruiter supervisor who will take the appropriate action necessary.   

Job Description Standardization

• NEW: Which job titles were chosen for standardization?  

• This is the initial set of job titles to be standardized. Standardization will be an ongoing effort for additional job descriptions. 

  1. • Clin Nurse 1 (NX)​
     • Clin Nurse 2  (NX)
     • Clin Nurse 3 (NX)​
     • MOSC 2 (EX)​
     • MOSC 3 Specialist (EX)
     • ​MOSC 3 Lead (EX)​
     • Med Ctr Custodian Sr (SX)​
     • Med Ctr Envir Svc Worker 1 (SX)​
     • ​Clin Application Profl 3 (99)​
     • Clin Application Profl 4 (99)
     • Nurse PD (NX)​
     • Nurse Svc Supv 2 (99)​
     • Med Ast 1 (EX)
     • Med Ast 2 (EX)
     • Nurse Pract 1 (NX)
     • Nurse Pract 2 (NX)
     • Nurse Pract 3 (NX)​
     • Voc Nurse and PD (EX)​
     • Voc Nurse Sr (EX)
     • HUSC 3 (EX)

      

      

   

   

   

• NEW: Why did we standardize job descriptions?
• • We standardized job descriptions (JDs) primarily to prioritize speeding up the hiring process and to provide ease for hiring managers by prepopulating applicable fields. By standardizing JDs, we aimed to reduce the time spent in Job Builder, making it easier for hiring manager to submit and compensation to review. This standardization leads to faster turnaround times, enabling us to fill positions more quickly.  
  • Additionally, standardized JDs result in less administrative work and maintenance for HR teams, while also ensuring greater consistency across job descriptions and requirements. This consistency helps reduce errors and streamlines the overall hiring process. 

   

   

   

• NEW: How were these jobs chosen for standardization?  

•  

  • The jobs selected for standardization were prioritized based on the population of current employees at Health and existing standardization. After identifying these positions, they underwent a vetting process to determine their suitability for standardization.  
  • This vetting process ensured that the selected jobs were appropriate candidates for standardization based on various factors such as job roles, responsibilities, and existing variation. 

   

   

   

• NEW: How were the JD templates created and who approved the final versions? 

•  

  • The JD templates were created collaboratively with a workgroup comprised of subject matter experts (SMEs) and hiring managers identified by leadership. Working together, they reviewed the initial versions of the JD templates, ensuring that they accurately reflected the job needs and aligned with established job standards and current practice.  
  • Once the initial templates were developed, the final review and approval was conducted by compensation. This collaborative approach involving SMEs and leadership ensured that the finalized JD templates were appropriate for use. 

   

   

   

• NEW: Is it possible to make changes to a standardized JD template? How can we make changes to a standardized JD template? Who can I reach out to for questions?

•  

  • Changes may be warranted to reflect hiring needs; however, it is not intended for templates to be adjusted for individual recruitment actions.  
  • It's important to consider the implications for other departments that may be using the same JD template. Changes may require agreement and approval of impacted departments and leadership.  

  Proposed process:  

  • To initiate a change request, you'll need to submit an Aggie Service Ticket and attach documentation outlining the modifications required and indicating leadership support. The Compensation team will then review the proposal and follow up appropriately.  
  • The change control process will not happen in Job Builder or via email

   

   

   

• What about job titles that are not included in the initial standardized list?

•  

  • There are ongoing conversations with leadership to standardize future job descriptions, in particular high-population represented positions.  
  • Compensation will continue to review opportunities for standardization and connect with appropriate leadership. 

   

   

   

Applicant Screening

• How will hiring managers learn more about where to find and how to use the new standardized applicant screening grid? 
• Recruiters will share a link to the new grid when hiring managers have a new recruitment and provide additional instruction and answer questions as needed for the grid's use.
•  Will the standardized applicant screening grid be used for all job postings? 
• Yes. The goal is to create consistency in the applicant screening process and screen candidates according to the same set of qualifications. 
• How will hiring managers use the applicant screening grids? 
• Recruiters will provide more instruction on the use of the applicant screening grids when hiring managers have applicants for a job posting. Hiring managers will need to complete their screening activities in advance of candidate interviews. 

Privacy and Security Training

• NEW: Is there a UC Davis Health policy to support the decision to require employees to complete Privacy and Security training within their first 7 days of employment?
• Yes. Policy 1007, Orientation and Education of All Employees Working at UC Davis Health states this. (See Policy 1007, Orientation and Education of All Employees Working at UC Davis Health) 
• NEW: How will employees be notified of this training requirement? 
• Employees will receive a UCLC assignment notification on their 1st day of work. 
• NEW: What does this mean for clinical departments in terms of accessing medical records? 
• Privacy and Security training must be prioritized for clinical departments prior to electronic medical records access. 
• NEW: How will hiring managers know if an employee has completed their Privacy and Security training? 
• Supervisors will track completion from their UCLC Manager Dashboard as they do for other mandatory compliance training. 
• NEW: Are there any risks with changing the requirement of the completion of Pscrivacy and Security Training within the first 7 days of hire?    
• There is a slight risk a HIPAA violation could happen before training is completed. It is the supervisor’s responsibility to know if an employee has completed their Privacy and Security training prior to them accessing sensitive records and information. 

Interview Scheduling (MS Bookings)

• NEW: Will hiring managers receive training on MS Bookings? 
• No. Here is the guide for self-directed learning on the tool.  
• NEW: Do I have to use MS Bookings for candidate interview scheduling? 
• No. It is highly encouraged for hiring managers to learn to use MS Bookings. Those hiring managers who piloted the tool found it to be easy to use and saved time scheduling candidate interviews.  
• NEW: Who do I contact if I need help with MS Bookings? 
• If Bookings assistance is needed, call the Help Desk at 916-734-4357 and ask to be routed to the Microsoft 365 Team. 

Salary Setting

• NEW: What is the Salary Setting Pilot?  
• The objective of the pilot is to enhance the efficiency of salary offer procedures, offer supplementary resources for the analysis phase, and enhance transparency in salary equity. This pilot program is tailored to non-represented positions and involves raising the threshold at which Talent Acquisition (TA) can propose offers, without necessitating Compensation review, to the third quartile of the salary range. 
• NEW: Who will be impacted by the pilot and go live of this change? 
• The primary stakeholders of the Salary Setting Pilot are the talent acquisition and compensation teams. The proposed change aims to support hiring managers by improving the hiring process and reducing the overall time to hire.  

Workforce Management Form

• NEW: When will the new form be available? 
• The new form will be rolled out in April 2024.
• NEW: How can I access the new form? 
• In April, the new form will be made available on the Workforce Management Program website. 
• NEW: What will happen to pending workforce requests submitted using the old PDF form? 
• Pending workforce requests will continue through the process per usual. No additional submissions will be required. 
• NEW: Will training be provided on how to use the new form? 
• Yes, training and Office Hours will be available for those needing support. More information to come.