Using algorithms to improve a system for recruiting student talent

Goal

To further improve the competitive advantage of the Unono.net platform by incorporating into it the results of research by Idiap 

Partners

Unono SA, Institut Idiap, Fondation The Ark

Unono.net is a university network that enables students to present themselves and be put in contact with companies that are looking for talent. This Martigny-based startup mainly targets the Spanish market and has an office in Madrid. It is supported via The Ark's Incubator, and a project has been initiated through The Ark to improve the Unono.net platform, which already brings together several hundred thousand students from 35 universities worldwide. This project is backed by the Idiap Research Institute, which is also based in Martigny. 

The aim of the project is to use the expertise of Idiap's researchers to develop the platform, adding recommendations based on the content as well as participatory evaluations related to users' social skills, within an employment market context.

Making searches more relevant 

Idiap has therefore devised algorithms that make it possible to specify characteristics that are particular to a given user, based on recommendations made to him/her. This precise, objective technology thus eliminates perception bias. The design of these new algorithms makes the searches performed by users more relevant and reduces the cost of managing the tool. 

The second part of the project aims to make better use of the presentation videos that students upload to the platform. Idiap has worked on a rating system that evaluates a candidate's social skills (initiative, enthusiasm, independence, etc.) on the basis of their facial expressions and the NLP method.  The ratings will enable students' profiles to be matched more closely to the jobs offered on the platform. 

Future CTI projects 

This project, which is a first step towards improving the platform, is likely to result in projects being submitted to Switzerland's Commission for Technology and Innovation (CTI) in the near future. These projects will make it possible to expand the range of technologies offered.