Guidance for companies looking to hire data professionals

We recently completed a Data, Insight & Analytics Employment Guide, using data collected via a detailed survey of industry professionals. We then combined the data with ADLIB’s extensive internal data and knowledge gained from operating within the Data sector to provide some guidance for companies looking to hire data professionals.

With the data talent market being as competitive as it has ever been, more and more companies investing in data technology & professionals the demand for hiring has outpaced supply significantly. The impacts of both Brexit and “The Great Resignation” have also put constraints on the amount of available candidates in this space. To combat this staff retention has to play a large role in maintaining growth of these teams. First and foremost ensuring that key data staff feel valued, have clear development opportunities through new skills or increased responsibilities is key. Understanding how your staff want to work and giving them the freedom to work remotely as much as they want to, can have a huge impact on whether they stay or move on.

Things to consider when hiring

In terms of bringing on new staff, there are a few key factors to have in mind. Looking at the main motivations for retention can influence how you position roles to candidates in the interview process. The importance of accommodating candidates wishes when it comes to remote working and highlighting training, development & progression opportunities at this stage being really important to be able to sell the opportunity well to the candidate. Candidates are also incredibly focused on the opportunity, culture and everything that makes a job great.

Optimize the candidate experience

We are also seeing the candidate experience during the interview, offer and onboarding process being paramount for companies to get right. We are experiencing the largest number of candidates dropping out of interview processes due to the time it takes to feedback on CVs, time in between interviews and being offered less than they were looking for.  It’s really important that interview processes & availability are in place prior to the start of searching for candidates, so as to make the process as efficient and smooth as possible. We are seeing candidates in up to 5-10 processes simultaneously, with the companies who are able to offer quicker and at the right salary level being more successful in securing the candidates they want. Ensuring interaction with the best people, has never been more important, candidates need to be sold to and given great people to meet when interviewing. Word of mouth has a big impact on today’s environment, with many companies looking for candidates and not understanding why they cannot hire, it is vital to ensure every single candidate has a good experience, even if they are not the right one for you.

Why consider juniors and graduates?

A further opportunity exists at the junior end of the spectrum, there are more and more candidates who are studying data science, business information systems, analytics and big data at BSc and MSc level. This represents a great opportunity for companies to take on juniors and graduates and provide them with their first role in this space. With a strong training plan in place, these candidates can be massively valuable and if managed well can prove to be loyal staff, appreciative of the opportunity to get their first role in this space. Similarly, there are numerous companies offering training to upskill staff to be able to address the shortage, as well as hundreds of very good value online courses that can help you upskill existing staff.