Heriot-Watt University - TMP Worldwide UK
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Case Study

Heriot-Watt University

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Highlights

  • 1
    We conducted a competitor brand and candidate experience audit to see how Heriot-Watt University compared to other universities and businesses with a similar offering, and looked at their existing recruitment experience to find areas for improvement.
  • 2
    We conducted thorough research and analysis: interviewing six senior stakeholders and holding eight employee focus groups spread across their three campuses – Edinburgh, Malaysia, and Dubai.
  • 3
    We provided deep insights that allowed Heriot-Watt University to understand how they held up versus their competitors and to consider the different ways their employees’ talents and achievements were celebrated in the different regions in which they operated.
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Heriot-Watt University Challenge

Heriot-Watt University wanted a clear understanding of how their existing employees felt and what attracts new talent to their organisation.

  • 1
    The global nature of their organisation means that there will be cultural differences impacting their talent attraction and retention strategies.
  • 2
    We needed to ensure we captured the nuanced differentiating factors as part of this research.
  • 3
    Our competitor analysis needed to be both informative and constructive – it’s not enough to simply know how Heriot-Watt University differs in its messaging and values. They needed to understand what this means for their employees and potential candidates too.

Solution

How we collaborated

  • 1
    Our Employer Brand and Insights Team conducted desk-based research, a thorough competitor experience audit, and an audit of the candidate experience to better understand Heriot-Watt University’s current standing in the market.
  • 2
    We ran six senior stakeholder interviews and eight employee focus groups to understand attraction factors, experience of the current culture, what motivates people and gives them a sense of purpose, the cultural challenges the organisation faces, and barriers to attraction.
  • 3
    We maintained momentum by holding weekly project catch-up calls and scheduling work around the academic year and any significant holidays impacting the availability of University employees in Dubai, Malaysia, and the UK.

What we delivered

01

We identified five themes from our interviews and workshops. These included:

  • International community and collaboration.
  • Work/life balance.
  • Autonomy and freedom to do things differently.
  • Celebration of talent.
  • Real world impact.
02

We also presented back the outputs of our competitor analysis along with a CX score to show how their candidate experience could be unknowingly turning away great talent.
Combining these outputs with the given themes we identified in interviews and workshops, we made four critical recommendations for Heriot-Watt University to address as they move forward with their EVP production

01

We identified five themes from our interviews and workshops. These included:

  • International community and collaboration.
  • Work/life balance.
  • Autonomy and freedom to do things differently.
  • Celebration of talent.
  • Real world impact.
02

We also presented back the outputs of our competitor analysis along with a CX score to show how their candidate experience could be unknowingly turning away great talent.
Combining these outputs with the given themes we identified in interviews and workshops, we made four critical recommendations for Heriot-Watt University to address as they move forward with their EVP production

Heriot-Watt University RESULTS

Research Enabled

The research enabled Herriot Watt to reflect on how to improve their internal brand, in order to develop their brand perception. Moreover, it has been used as a guide to produce creative works and social campaigns.

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