The Next Generation of Data Analysts | Harnham US Recruitment post

From coast to coast, a new breed of data analyst rises. No longer siloed and pigeon-holed into one specific area or another, today’s professional must be able to nuance actionable insights for better business predictions and performance. The evolving role of data analyst marries technical prowess and analytical skills with the soft skills of coaching and communication.

Every organization from AdTech to FinTech to the Food and Beverage Industries, and every industry in between, depends on data. In fact, by 2020, IBM estimates the number of open positions in the U.S. for data professionals will increase to 2.7 million. Yet, the surge and the shortfall in analytics talent remains as data analyst recruitment efforts rise to the challenge.

Broaden Your SkillSet

With high demand and short supply comes the opportunity to go beyond your comfort zone and expand your skillset. Add to that companies that may not have the budgets to cover their recruitment efforts and the data analyst skillset must expand to meet the demand. From technical to soft skills, below are a few things to keep in mind when crafting your resume or CV:

Don’t shed the basics of analytical mainstays such as Excel, SQL, and SAS; enhance them with languages such as R and Python. Want to boost your chances to the top of the pile? Don’t forget next generation tools and platforms like Tableau, Domo, Adobe Analytics, and/or Snowplow.
Be specific: Companies will be more interested in interviewing you if you can clearly outline why/what you have used different technology for.
Keep this punchy, concise, and outline your in-put with said technologies.
Outline projects you’ve worked on.
Become a storyteller – communicate key insights more effectively with the power of data, visualization, and narrative. The ability to tell a story with data can translate across business functions and departments for a unified predictive or prescriptive analysis for more impact.
Offer actionable Insights - put the power of actionable insights into decision makers’ hands with real life application explanations.
Steward data responsibly. Data governance is now business critical and the new data analyst must be able to act with fiduciary responsibility to ensure data privacy. Data must be protected, standards must be followed, and trust must be maintained

I, Meet Robot

The blending of the physical and digital worlds through AI, Machine Learning, and IoT remain the frontrunners in technology through 2020. According to McKinsey’s Report Ten IT-enabled Business Trends for the Decade Ahead, the latest technologies shaping the current business world include automated knowledge work, the mobile platform, and the Cloud. Skillsets and experience within these three technologies are the next wave in the modern digital world and it’s the new breed of data analyst who can best rise to the challenge to fill the gaps.

Not only will these three technologies make an impact, but the impetus of social platforms and their data will be a powerful contribution to business outcomes. This melding of the physical and digital worlds allows businesses to understand and implement the collected data in scenarios in real-time driving them forward to better reward.

Your Turn

In this section, we ask our candidates and clients what we as recruiters can do to help you find the perfect fit. This is your chance to answer and ask questions as well as get creative in helping us improve our efforts in data analyst recruitment. Below are a few questions to get you started.

What kind of cross-training programs might businesses and schools employ for future Data Analysts?
What other backgrounds are we overlooking in our quest to for the next generation of data analyst as businesses seek to find and engage this most critical role within their data teams?
What can we, as recruiters do to engage qualified candidates ready for their next role in the world of data and analytics?

If you’re a data analyst ready to spread your wings, we may have a role for you, check out our current vacancies or contact us to learn more.

For the East Coast and Mid-West teams please call 212-796-6070, or email newyorkinfo@harnham.com.

For the West Coast team call 415-614-4999 or email sanfraninfo@harnham.com.

Harnham Launch 2020 Data & Analytics Salary Survey

I'm excited to announce the launch of our 9th annual Salary Survey. Covering salaries, diversity, benefits and technologies, our published Salary Guide is known for reflecting and driving trends within the Data & Analytics industry. As ever, we can't put together our guide without your input, so we are extremely grateful to everyone who is able to take part. This year, one participant will win a £500 Amazon Voucher (or an equivalent amount in your local currency). You can read all the terms and conditions for this here. The survey takes around 10 minutes and we would love to hear your thoughts. All submissions are 100% confidential and will only be used to provide an overview of the industry as a whole. You can choose the survey relevant to you below: UK Survey US Survey EU/EEA Survey In the meantime, you can download a copy of last year's completed Salary Guide here. We look forward to sharing our latest results with you later in the year.

by David Farmer

21. January 2020

HRTech Gets a Mindset Shift in 2020

Recent editor picks on LinkedIn highlight how jobs will change in the future. But as changes come, there are a dizzying array of tech advancements, products, and more in the job market landscape.If you’ve been looking through the telescopic lens of the Digital transformation and wonder, what’s next? Well, we may have a role for you. If you’re a business and wonder what’s next, we have some ideas to help you identify, hire, and retain top talent within the Data professional industry. Setting a Mindset Shift We have reached a time in which simply adding the word “tech” to something has shifted. Thinking digitally, or the Digital transformation combines the why with who, how, and which. Who does our technology impact, how will it change how they work, and which advancement is best suited to answer the call? Below are just a few things to consider when developing your: Recruitment is a process, not a transaction. Interaction instead of reaction.Factor in not only human skills, but machine skills as well.Make employee experience a priority. Experience leads to Data which leads to Insights.Artificial Intelligence and Machine Learning have a wider role to play within the recruitment space.Base software selection decisions on user experience. Include everyone who will use the software in both the vendor demonstration and the decision process.Seek references from vendors to foster trust and connect with other organizations.Cloud based solutions far outweigh non-cloud solutions in today’s business climate. These are just a few suggestions to consider as you rethink your HR strategies. Incorporating technology with the human element is a new road for many businesses and essential for the future of work. Design for Data and Insights Whether you’re talking about the employee experience or the customer journey, it’s important to design the process to generate Data. When you use design thinking, you put people at the center and from there can measure the variables which offer insights into thoughts and feelings. When you know these answers, you can always be improving and optimize for success. As you consider what to invest in next, remember to think about the Data first. Use your workforce insights to determine the best way to move forward and understand how people impact your business. Measure effectiveness, but understand workforce insights go hand-in-hand with delivery. Rather than operating individually in a separate silo, everything is interconnected, just like in our day-to-day lives. It’s this connectedness which is the greatest shift. From our phones, our iPads, our laptops, and so on, we are able to tap into workforce solutions and find at its center a structurally sound HR strategy to ensure next gen talent is identified, hired, and retained. While we often speak of what you can do to retain your top talent, another focus might be how you communicate with leadership. To ensure everyone is on the same page, it’s important to be sure messaging is consistent across your organization. It’s this messaging along with new systems and strategies in which training and education play an even bigger part than in the past. There’s so much to learn and it comes so fast, that adoption of new technologies must be thought out in advance. Try to avoid chasing the next shiny object or new advancement and have a plan in place for staff and stakeholders to follow. Setting your top priorities now, as we enter a new decade of Data, can help ensure you’re proactive in your business strategy, not reactive. If you’re interested in AI, Big Data and Digital or Web Analytics, we may have a role for you. Check out our current opportunities or get in touch with one of our expert consultants to learn more. For our West Coast Team, call (415) 614 - 4999 or send an email to sanfraninfo@harnham.com. For our Mid-West and East Coast Teams, call (212) 796 - 6070 or send an email to newyorkinfo@harnham.com.

by Thomas Daughtrey

16. January 2020