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computer people profiles

Better access to opportunities

Coming up with innovations and hiring people with great insights have seldom been problems at Koch. What has been difficult is finding efficient and effective ways to share that knowledge. 

How can an engineer at a float glass plant in Częstochowa best connect with an engineer at a different Koch company in Shanghai or Longview, or know which engineer to contact? How can an administrative assistant in Lisle get the solution to a problem that has already been solved in Bangalore — or even become aware it has been solved? How can an INVISTA employee who has been asked to make a sales presentation to a prominent company get some important pointers from someone at Koch who does business with that company?
 
Last year, Koch launched a powerful solution for challenges like these. It’s called EverLearn.

EverLearn is an easy-to-use search tool loaded with specialized information provided by employees across all of Koch. (One Koch leader has described it as “Google meets LinkedIn.”) It makes it easier for employees to find the person who may have the much-needed answers to their questions. Wondering about applying blockchain technology in your business? EverLearn lists dozens of go-to sources within Koch. Need someone who speaks Basque? You’ll find them on EverLearn. Hoping to share your brilliant new idea? EverLearn makes it much easier for other employees to find out about you and discuss the possibilities. 

EverLearn is currently processing more than 185,000 searches a month — that’s a new connection every 14 seconds — and the number is rising fast, which makes EverLearn the highest-performing knowledge network in Koch’s history.

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TIP FOR A STRONG PROFILE — Think about what others should find for you when they search. Instead of listing something overly generic, such as “communication skills” or “Excel,” try “speechwriter” or “VLOOKUP.”

How does it work?

To create or update your knowledge profile, enter koch.link/EverLearn into your internet browser (Google Chrome or Microsoft Edge are recommended), then click on the menu icon (top right) and select “profile.” You will be taken to your own profile page, where you can begin entering your “Knowledge Areas.” These can include skills you have, applications you use, vendors or suppliers with whom you have relationships, industries or processes you’re familiar with and so on. 

“It’s helpful to think in terms of what knowledge you have that might benefit others in the company,” said Zach Gray, product owner for EverLearn. “That includes knowledge you’ve acquired away from work as well as from your previous employers. The more knowledge you add, the more potential you have for creating value. And be specific!”

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The number of employee profiles has rapidly increased. So has the quality of information being provided.

More than 11,000 employees have already built profiles on EverLearn and that number is growing rapidly. “Quadrupling the number of profiles this past year has been very exciting,” said Brandon Dill, platform architect for EverLearn. “But the more knowledge we can capture, the more valuable connections that can be formed.” The number of searches is also skyrocketing. “We’re just getting started but searches have already increased sixfold. The connections that have been made that might not have occurred otherwise are already having positive effects on the organization.”

“If we all do our part by creating strong profiles, EverLearn will make it even easier to find the right person at the right time to help solve a problem, vet an opportunity or respond to a customer,” Gray said.

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Creating a knowledge profile on EverLearn is as simple as navigating to your profile and adding your unique skills and experience.

Two-way street

EverLearn doesn’t just help you find others with relevant expertise. It helps people find you. When that happens, you not only get to share your expertise, you’re exposed to new connections, broader knowledge and new opportunities. When it comes to self-actualization tools, EverLearn is one of the simplest and most effective ever offered.

Zach Gray believes this idea of a two-way street should help shape the information you place on EverLearn. “The more effort you put into creating a strong profile for yourself, the more value it will provide,” Gray said. He defines a strong profile as one that accurately reflects your talents, experience and uniqueness — not just things that are part of your role at Koch.

“Do you speak a foreign language? Put it on EverLearn. Are you experimenting with a new technology? Put that on EverLearn, too. When you add your specific knowledge to your profile, you make yourself more valuable to the company and open yourself up to new connections.”

Consistent with our IP Compliance Standards, employees should bear in mind that confidential information learned from a prior employer, third party or even in working roles within Koch, should generally not be shared on EverLearn without the appropriate permissions.