Want to build more confidence in the next hire for your data team?
As data professionals, and as recruitment partners who source, screen and place data professionals in our clients’ teams, we’ve found the best candidates demonstrate the same key skills.
So if you see signs of them on the CV, there’s a good chance you’re looking at a strong candidate.
Read on as we uncover some of the most important – from the general, to the role-specific, and the obvious to the commonly overlooked.
Baseline requirements
Before we even think about role-specific skills, there are a handful of baseline requirements we suggest you look for in every candidate.
In our experience both working in and hiring for countless data roles, the majority of high-performing candidates share a handful of core capabilities and character traits.
So if you want to nail the next addition to your data team, be sure to scan their CV for signs of these foundational skills.
Accountability
Do they come across as a self-starter on their CV?
Someone who takes ownership of their workload, their duties, and their own career development?
Your data team should consist of people you can depend on. Look for a candidate that demonstrates the motivation, drive and focus needed to get the job done.
Critical Thinking
A data professional must be able to not only think creatively, but also apply structured approaches to solve complex problems.
Look for evidence of this across their previous roles, and in the way they articulate their past projects, duties and achievements.
Communication
It’s all well and good being able to talk data, but non-technical communication is just as important.
A strong candidate for any data role is one with the ability to communicate clearly no matter the audience. They must also be measured and diplomatic, and take feedback as well as provide it.
And of course, such communication skills should be evident in the way they write their CV.
Outcomes-driven
Finally, how does the candidate position themselves in their CV?
Do they speak purely about the skills they have, and the businesses they’ve worked for? Or do they speak about how the application of those skills have generated positive results for businesses?
Some of these might seem like minor points but make a world of difference in terms of the initial perception formulated of how effective a candidate will be in a given role.
Our COO Drij Vyas goes deeper on this topic here.
Role-specific data skills
Now we’ve covered the baseline requirements, let’s look at where it becomes more role-specific.
While the skills of every conceivable data role are far too numerous to include here, we’ll look at the skills needed for 3 of the most prevalent:
- Data Analysts
- Data Engineers
- Data Delivery Specialists
For Data Analysts
Look for examples that the candidate has applied and learned experience of:
Data collection and cleansing
Can they determine how data should be captured and integrated, before gathering from various sources?
Do they know how to scrub a data set for the likes of errors, duplicates, inaccuracies, or incomplete data?
Data analysis and modelling
Can they interpret data and extract valuable insights to inform wider business decisions?
Do they have the ability to implement or develop analytical modelling strategies to ensure that efforts align with the overarching business goals.?
Data reporting and visualisation
Can they extract the appropriate data, and present it in a way that’s clear, simple and digestible? Can they distil complex information down to its most relevant points?
Can they turn complex data into visualisations that are both easy to understand and easy to communicate?
For Data Engineers
On a Data Engineer’s CV, look for clearly applied experience of:
Data Pipeline Development
Can they create systems that efficiently collect, process, store and deliver data to where it’s needed, from various sources?
Data Storage and Management
Do they have experience designing and implementing ways of storing and accessing the data in a way that is aligned with the needs of the organisation?
Data Quality and Governance
Do they have experience implementing measures to monitor, protect and maintain the integrity of data?
Do they demonstrate the ability to collaborate with legal and compliance teams to define the frameworks that achieve this?
For Data Delivery Specialists
With Data Delivery Specialists, look for concrete examples of:
Project Leadership and Execution
Do they possess a proven track record of leading complex data projects through to completion? Can they navigate challenges and ensure successful delivery, even under pressure?
Stakeholder Engagement & Communication
Do they have experience collaborating with senior staff to maintain coherent solutions?
Do their experiences suggest an ability to resolve conflicts, and unite people around a common objective?
Team Management and Performance
Do they have experience guiding, mentoring and supporting other data professionals?
Final takeaway: go beyond the CV
We hope this content has given you some clarity on which skills to look for on a data candidate’s CV.
Ultimately though, if you really want to nail your next data hire and find a candidate that:
- thrives in the role
- gels with your team
- drives success for your business
- and continues to do so for the long haul…
Then you need to look beyond the CV.
And here at Fenway, that’s our speciality. As a team of former data experts with extensive recruitment experience, we’ve worked in and directly managed many of the roles we recruit for.
This allows us to be much more precise when it comes to identifying good-fit candidates for your team and matching their capabilities to your needs.
Interested to know more about how we can help you? Contact us today for an initial consultation.