Recruiting Data Scientists – Overview of the Industry

Do you struggle to find qualified candidates for data analytics positions? Are job descriptions and hiring requirements sometimes vague and other times overly technical?

Do you understand what the difference is between someone who specializes in Data Modeling vs. Data Science? Are you confident that you can source the right candidates for a Data Wrangler and recognize their skill level?

If you are like most recruiters, you are struggling to fill some of the most active job postings in years. The specialties within the data analytics universe are many, as are the tools, languages, and experiences.

What do you need to know to be an exceptional recruiter for data analysis roles?

• Ability to Develop an Accurate Job Description
  Writing the correct job description for a position is one of the most critical steps towards hiring the right person for a job. A bad job description will get a perfect fit dismissed without an interview and get a person who can’t do the job hired.

  It is the job description that informs your checklist of the skills to look for in a candidate. You might need help when developing the job description. Such assistance can best be provided by a person who can identify your specific needs in data analytics with pinpoint accuracy.

• A Suitable Design of the Recruitment Process
  Frequently, due to a lack of technical knowledge, the traditional recruitment process for data scientists is ineffective or inefficient.

  This process can be significantly accelerated by engaging the services of a consultant, such as Chisel Analytics, who already has validated skills assessments about data science professionals.

Effective Recruitment Strategies

Data science continues to be mainstreamed across industries. It will soon be impossible to compete without the application of advanced technologies and data-driven techniques. The following are some ways you can develop an environment that fosters effective recruitment strategies.

• Coach Your Clients
  Whether you’re an internal recruiter or working at a placement agency, help your clients understand the magnitude of the competition for skilled candidates. Ask them to think about if a qualified candidate with multiple offers would truly choose to work for them. Encourage your clients to:

• • Promote work-life balance for the employees
  • Encourage career mobility
  • Support a positive company culture
  • A challenging and innovative analytics program

• Competitive Remuneration and Benefits
  While you may not have much control over the salary a client is willing to offer, you can have a critical role in managing expectations.

  The median annual remuneration for employees in the data sciences is $120,000. Mastery of several programs, tools, and possession of business skills attract higher salaries than basic data analytics skills.

  If the budget doesn’t support the candidate who best meets the stated requests, you have the opportunity to come back to the hiring manager with alternatives. That could mean someone whose skills are validated at a level lower than first requested, but with other skills that could be adapted to other needs in the organization.

  By understanding – or working with a partner who understands – the technical realities of the data science industry, you can be a hero. The hiring manager will appreciate your ability to find options they might not have considered.

• Reduce bias in hiring
  Avoiding bias is a regular challenge for organizations of all sizes. With all the negative publicity around hiring and promotions in the tech fields of late, any efforts which can prove an external consideration will be welcome by almost all employers.
• Fill part-time roles
  Filling full-time data analytics roles is hard enough, but finding qualified talent to fill temporary personnel gaps [or to staff a specific project] is even harder. Keeping a good relationship with the client is important – even when it means filling a labor intensive but low margin role.

  Gaining access to a ready source of qualified talent for such opportunities can turn a less profitable assignment into positive cash flow. They may even decide to hire the person permanently.

When your client or employer needs to recruit urgently, minimizing the effort and time required is critical. Engage specialized agencies, like Chisel Analytics, when those situations arise.

Being a recruiter is hard. There are many competing demands when trying to find the right candidates. Chisel Analytics is here to support you. By managing the technical skills and providing objective skill evaluations, you can focus on the other qualifications, such as soft skills and company fit. You can cut the time required to fill a position, have validated abilities, and ensure that the data analytics skills requested can genuinely be met. With the data science industry changing so rapidly, it’s nice to know you’re not alone. Sign up to Chisel Analytics today to learn more about how we can help you.