While many organisations have solid hiring practices, without the right focus, it can be difficult to accommodate the unique aspirations of data professionals.
The key to a perfect placement is ensuring your next hire is not just qualified on paper, but the perfect fit for your organisation, and truly invested in your team and the company’s future.
Here are 4 steps you can take to enhance your existing recruitment practices and nail your next data hire…
STEP 1: Truly understand your own needs
A crystal-clear understanding of your own requirements is vital to any hiring decision.
It may sound like a no-brainer, but ask yourself – how exhaustively do you do this before each hire?
Do you go into each recruitment cycle knowing exactly how that data role will support your business both now, and 2 years from now?
While technical skills and experience requirements are crucial – like knowledge of a particular programming language, or experience with a specific technology – don’t lose sight of the other important qualities of a solid data hire.
These are the core skills. Qualities of character, personality, and mind, such as being inquisitive, a natural problem-solver, or a clear communicator (in the non-technical conversations).
Once you have a good grasp of all the key requirements for the role – both qualitative and quantitative – think about how this complements the traits of other members in your team.
This will ensure overall performance uplift, both now and in the long-term, as both your requirements and the landscape evolve.
STEP 2: Understand your candidate
Next, be just as meticulous in the evaluation of your candidates.
Find out what actually drives them, and motivates them to succeed.
While a competitive package may get them through the door, they might care more about the types of challenges they face, or the problems they solve.
Additionally, while some may want to drive strategy and manage others, many have no desire to “climb the ladder”, and would much rather grow within their technical specialism.
Then of course, as with any hire, it’s important to ask the candidate what perks and benefits matter to them most: is it a competitive salary, flexible working hours, a strong company culture and social life?
If you’re a larger organisation, you’ll likely have less control over these factors, but at least you’ll be fully aware of any gaps that need to be closed to establish a good fit.
STEP 3: Be transparent about the role
Many data professionals resign within the first year of taking on a role, simply because the job wasn’t what they signed up for.
And this is true of everyone from data analysts right up to chief data officers.
The way to ensure more success when hiring data experts is for both parties to go into the discussion with everything on the table.
So take the time to fully communicate what candidates can expect from the role. Be open about the benefits and the demands of the job. And provide specific details on the role’s day-to-day requirements.
When every candidate knows exactly what’s expected, and whether it fits with their own aspirations, you’re much more likely to end up with the committed and capable specialist you’re looking for.
If you don’t have the experience or technical data knowledge to explain the role to your candidates, consider hiring a resourcing partner who does.
At Fenway, we build data teams using our “been there and done it” expertise. Contact us today to find the right data talent for your business.
STEP 4: Assess for all of the above
The final step is to develop ways of accurately assessing and screening your candidates for all of the things covered above.
Whether you’re gauging technical expertise, getting a feel for cultural fit, or weighing up if a candidate’s personal aspirations align with the growth of your organisation – precision is paramount.
It’s not about simply asking more questions, it’s about asking the right questions.
An understanding of all the moving parts within your sector, the alignment of your technical questions to the role you’re hiring for, and how the internal needs of your organisation may be likely to evolve over time, are all crucial here.
This can be tough to achieve without support, so if you partner with a recruitment firm, opt for one with hands-on knowledge of the data sector.
Want help putting these hiring principles into practice?
Contact our team today for an initial consultation, or follow us on LinkedIn for more insights into data hiring.