McElla Pappas - Recruiter Profile | Harnham US Recruitment

The Women Who Brought Us Wi-Fi, WFH, and More

It seems almost counterintuitive to lament the statistics of women in tech when you realize how many women, throughout history, helped to build the world of technology. Some names you may know. Ada Lovelace. Hedy Lamarr. Karen Johnson. Grace Hopper. The list is long and these few names barely scratch the surface. But you have these ladies to thank for computer programming, wi-fi, and human mathematical ‘computers’ which have paved the way for so much of what we can do today. In honor of Women's History Month, we wanted to celebrate both the women of technology who set the stage for us to work from home on computers using wi-fi to the women of tomorrow. Women in Tech Isn’t New Near the turn of the 20th century, a ‘woman’s work’ went well beyond the kitchen. Yet, it was a housemaid who was tasked with crunching the numbers from raw Data gathered by the men of the Harvard Observatory. When the men declined to analyze their Data deeming it ‘clerical’ and therefore, women’s work, the head of the Observatory needed help. Enter Williamina Fleming, housemaid to Edward Pickering, head of the Harvard College Observatory. Williamina would go on to lead 80 ‘computers’ at Harvard. Enter The Women of ENIAC, the first computer programmers. Though the ENIAC itself was built by men, it was a unit of six women who would actually do the coding on the machine. Their calculations plotted missile trajectories on behalf of the U.S. Military. These women would go on to become mathematicians at NASA and its Jet Propulsion Laboratory. And Grace Hopper, known as the ‘mother of computing,’ helped develop the COBOL language. She also helped develop the UNIVAC I computer, the first business-focused computer. The Old Normal Would you believe the idea of working from home began with a woman bringing home her computer to write its operating systems manual? As you commute across your home from your non-work life to your working life, cup of coffee in hand, thank Mary Allen Wilkes. She’s credited with being the first person ever to have a personal computer in her home. And there would be no working from home without wi-fi. Hedy Lamarr, the famous actress of the 1940s was also a brilliant scientist. She loved to see how machines worked and helped develop what would become wi-fi. The Pioneering Women of Today in Tech From AI to Machine Learning to Coding, women are leading the way. Not only are their businesses data-driven, but there is a strong focus on diversity and inclusion both for human and machine. Danah Boyd, founder and president of Data & Society, is keeping an eye the on ethical and legal implications of emerging technologies. Some topics she’s focused on include accountability in machine learning and media manipulation. Want to know what’s next in the world of tech? Meet Cathy Hackl, one of LinkedIn’s Top Tech Voices and the host of the Future Insiders podcast. She focuses on AR and VR working with name brands on the how best to use these technologies. Dr. Fei-Fei Li, co-director of Stanford's Human-Centered AI Institute is a pioneer of not only AI, but also Computer Vision. Her nonprofit, AI4ALL, is intended to improve diversity within the field. But it’s her ImageNet project which holds the most sway. The images in this database have helped ‘train’ computers how to recognize what they see. Katie Moussouris is an unlikely heroine in the world of security. Cybersecurity. In the world of Data privacy and security, we may not automatically think of a woman. But we might imagine a hacker who would use their powers for good. The founder and CEO of Luta Security, Katie Moussouris, is the best of both worlds and is busy protecting businesses and government agencies from digital threats. With a focus on diversity and inclusion in the fields of Data and Technology, Kimberly Bryant, started Black Girls Code. Her aim is to create a more diverse computer programming course. An electrical engineer herself, she was determined her daughter not feel culturally isolated or give up her passions. These women are the tip of the iceberg of women in tech today. As a recent interviewee suggested, we encourage you, if you’re interested, to join organizations and networks that support women in data and technology fields. At Harnham, we’re proud to partner with Women in Data. If you’re interested in Big Data and Analytics, Life Sciences, Data Science, or any of our Data professional fields, we may have a role for you. Check out our current vacancies or contact one of our expert consultants to learn more. For our West Coast Team, contact us at (415) 614 - 4999 or send an email to sanfraninfo@harnham.com. For our Mid-West and East Coast teams contact us at (212) 796-6070 or send an email to newyorkinfo@harnham.com.

by McElla Pappas

04. March 2021

Jumpstart Your Job Search Now and in the Years Ahead

COVID-19 may have rocked the world of employment, but it also created a whole new series of opportunities. If you are looking for work, there are a few updates to the rules of the job search. Not rules, really. More preferred guidelines. A Note on the Guidelines of the Job Search Remember when your work experience was honed to two pieces of paper – your resume and cover letter – and you hoped it made it to the hiring manager? Well, there are a lot more direct ways to get there and plenty of opportunities abound to help you stand out from the crowd. It’s not just your educational experience. In fact, today’s hiring is much more about emotional intelligence, collaboration, and how you use what you’ve learned in previous roles. Among the negative notes, there are a host of positive movements for jobseekers with both established and startup firms. And sometimes, even within a legacy firm which has pivoted with the changes of our new world of work. Thread the Needle of Responsibility Google and IBM may be leading the charge to hire without use of a degree, but most businesses still want that piece of paper. How you present it is another matter. Think video, project portfolios, and online forms via application tracking systems (ATS). That’s just to get you in the door. The more important hurdle is understanding the nuances of your role and responsibilities. The list of qualifications and duties has always been part of the job search. Do you fit all the requirements? Can you handle all the responsibilities? Did you read between the lines to understand what the company hopes will find in their ideal candidate to help them meet their business goals and objectives? Below are some questions you might ask yourself when reading through job descriptions or considering where you’d like to apply: Are you able to not only craft reports, but also see patterns to help you gain insight into what the reports are telling you?From this, can you not only discuss it with your colleagues and teammates, but also across departments, executives, and stakeholders?Can you not only explain the patterns to both technical and non-technical audiences, but do so across multiple projects?What challenges will you face and how will you solve them?How well do you manage your time? Can you step in to lead a team or do you prefer to work on your own? Could you be flexible between the two?Are you able to build relationships both internally and externally – teammates, vendors, executive leaders, department heads, and the board room.Do you have emotional intelligence? Can you take ownership of a project and hold yourself and others accountable?Do you show initiative? Not just in diving into a project, but asking questions. Can you ask objective questions playing devil’s advocate on one side and seeing the possibilities on the other? These are wide open questions to challenge yourself. Some are leadership-centric. Some are simply ‘can I do the job?’ questions. But, ultimately, it’s these kinds of questions which are asked in interview under the purview of seemingly inane questions. They’re meant to make you think and for the hiring manager to see how you think. 3 Surprising Ways to Stand Out in Your Job Search With the rise of remote working, Zoom, and Slack, the video interview and application process has gained ground. It’s quickly become the virtual way to seek, apply for, meet with, hire, and work with prospective and current team members. But, if you’re in the tech space, you can go even deeper than video and you’ve got more than project portfolios to fall back on. Write about your experiences – what you’ve learned, where, why, and how. Think Medium’s Toward Data Science. Don’t forget to hit publish! Not a writer? Follow the blog and make comments.Network – this seems like a ‘no brainer’, but in our somewhat virtual world it can be even easier for those who already comfortable in this environment. Whether it’s via LinkedIn or Twitch, you are building relationships to help you move forward in your job search.Use your skills to help you run and track your job search more efficiently. If you’re interested in Big Data, Web Analytics, Marketing & Insight, Life Science Analytics, and more, check out our current vacancies or contact one of our expert consultants to learn more. For our West Coast Team, contact us at (415) 614 - 4999 or send an email to sanfraninfo@harnham.com. For our Mid-West and East Coast teams contact us at (212) 796-6070 or send an email to newyorkinfo@harnham.com.

by McElla Pappas

29. October 2020

Our Interview With Amit Jnagal, CEO Of AI Firm Infrrd

Amit Jnagal is the CEO of Infrrd.ai, an award-winning Artificial Intelligence software firm in San Jose. We reached out to learn what had inspired Amit to start the business and what trends he predicted for the future of the industry. In addition, we asked his take on diversity in business as well as what he looked for in prospective candidates. Here’s what he had to tell us. What inspired Infrrd.ai? It’ll be ten years next month that I started Infrrd. The same age as my son, who inspired it. Well, I’d wanted to start a venture of my own since I graduated and spent the next 12 years working for two large organizations. These experiences led to work with some exceptionally talented people. So, being a forward-thinker, I made a mental list of their names and resolved to have them work for me once my own venture took off. I was cruising with a high-flying career when our first child was born. It was then I realized if I was ever going to start something of my own, the time was now. So, I quit my corporate job when my son was 10 days old and got to work. I’ve been an entrepreneur ever since and was successful in getting most people on my mental list to join me - some agreed in a second, some took a couple of years of convincing, a few took more than five years, and there are a few people that I am still working on. While I’ve had my share of failed ventures, this is my success and it’s taken a decade to get here. How have trends in the industry affected your business and what do you see in the future of say, the next one to five years? In my more than two decades of experience, I have witnessed two revolutions which have fundamentally changed the way the world works. The first was the advent of the internet and the second was smart phones. We are at the beginning of another such revolution in AI. It amazes me still, the things we can do for our clients using AI for automation. The demand means jobs, yet at the same time, there are a few which will cease to exist, which I wrote about earlier this year. My son, now 10-years old wants to be a pilot when he grows up. But I suspect that will be one of the jobs which ceases to exist by the time he enters the workforce. AI is here. And over the next one to five years, it’s important for businesses to know how to redesign their business around it. In order to thrive, they’ll want to be AI enabled. What are your recommendations for building a team within a startup? Where do I start? Well, I have plenty of recommendations of how to NOT to build a team within a startup. But when you’re first scaling your business, there are different phases as you start up. As you grow, you’ll need people with different specializations. During the first few years, you’ll need people who are generalists - folks who are happy to do whatever needs to be done to move the company forward. Sales on Monday, Customer Support Management on Thursday, and throughout the week continuing to build the product. People who thrive on ever-changing responsibilities would do well in the beginning of a startup. In fact, it’s impossible to get off the ground without them. But if they do their job right and you start to grow, a time will come when you will need specialists that can create a system for each part of the organization and scale it. This is when you start hiring separate VP of Sales, VP of Customer Success, VP of Marketing, and fine tune your leadership within your data professionals team; let them build their teams. People who get the startup started and those who scale it have very different skills and styles of working. It is important to get the right people at the right time. What are some things to consider both as a business and a candidate in regard to diversity? Here’s an answer that you might not expect. You need to consider nothing when it comes to diversity; rather you need to 'un-consider' stuff that might cloud your judgement. With experience, everyone starts collecting heuristics that prejudice how they look at people. More often than not, this prejudice blocks you from hiring people by 'considering' heuristics that are irrelevant. Learn to evaluate people for what they bring to the table rather than their demography. I was surprised when we won the diversity award for 2018. I had never looked at my team using a demography lens to figure out what kind of people to hire. To our mind, as long as you have the right skill and experience to do the work, you’ll get a shot at proving yourself at Infrrd. What are companies like yours looking for in a candidate hire? We go through a ton of profiles before we make an offer to someone. What we look for in a candidate varies by experience. At the entry level, we look for people who have shown some spark and done something that most other people have not - creating new algorithms, getting certified in some technology, presented paper at conferences or technical events, etc. For mid-level hires, our primary concern besides skill is whether this person exhibits our values and if he or she will gel with our team. High performers are great. But make sure they’re a good fit with the rest of your team. Remember when I said I knew how NOT to build a team? We’ve had our fair share of people and teams who just didn’t click and it was detrimental to business. At a senior level, we look for good experience, shared values and an ability to lead people. A good leader can get outstanding results from any team. That is what makes an awesome leadership hire for us. If you’d like to learn more and are interested in working with AI. Check out our current vacancies or contact 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 McElla Pappas

22. August 2019

The Culture Rush of Working in the Pacific Northwest

When you think of the Pacific Northwest, images of Pike’s Place at Seattle’s Waterfront and Starbucks’ birthplace may come immediately to mind. Or shoot down the I-5 Corridor toward the Silicon Forest, Oregon’s tech hub nod and nickname, a play on Silicon Valley just a little further South down the I-5 to San Francisco. One thing which may stand out immediately on the drive is the ocean vista view. Relax and unwind with a good cup of coffee at a local shop, bask in the mild climate, and curl up with a good book when you get a bit of free time. Here, the mantra is to ‘work hard, play harder’. The Land of Tech Seattle, also known as Emerald City, is one of the largest tech hubs of the eight in the US seeking top tech talent. Available jobs are outpacing the skilled workers to fill them. While they could outsource to other countries, many businesses are choosing to offer remote work options. Commuting Like a Local For most people, commuting involves keeping your car gassed up and maintained whether your office is a few miles down the road or in the next town. But, in the Pacific Northwest, commuting is part of an active lifestyle, while at the same time lowering your carbon footprint. How? Well, with plenty of walking, hiking, and biking trails as well as a robust public transportation system, it’s a breeze to get to work. And you’ll be helping to support a sustainable environment as well. Biking is the most popular commuting option. If you’re a biker or plan to become one, be sure your outfitted with good reflective gear, a waterproof windbreaker, and of course, a helmet. If you’re going sans car, don’t forget a waterproof back. After all, you’ll need something to carry your stuff in, right? Work/Life Balance Whether it's because of the temperate climate, the mild winters, or the laid-back atmosphere, the work/life balance in Washington and Oregon offer a peaceful setting to refresh and recharge. Available communities to spend time with like-minded people and the abundance of tech-focused jobs available in the area offer an amazing work/life balance. Spending Time in Nature – plenty of islands, parks, and trails offer a chance to commune with nature whether your commuting to and from work or planning for the weekend. The Arts - Portland and Seattle are both known for their arts and culture scenes including art festivals, indie bands, symphonies, museums, and more besides.Activities – From hiking to surfing to mountain climbing to yoga, there’s an activity for everyone to enjoy, meet people, and make friends. One Final Takeaway… The quirky culture of the Pacific Northwest is an exercise in the unexpected. Whether listening to local bands, dressing up in costume at random, taking advantage of sunbreaks when the clouds part, or hiking in the rain, the reward is a good meal with good friends. If you’re new to the area, don’t be shy. Invite yourself along. Our brick-and-mortar locations are in San Francisco, New York, Berlin, and London, but we have clients around the world. Whether you’re looking for a permanent or a contract role, we’ve got you covered. Check out our current vacancies for opportunities or get in touch 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 McElla Pappas

16. May 2019

Agri-Tech Innovation: A New Industrial Revolution?

San Francisco is both a base and a destination for tech professionals. On the edge of Silicon Valley, its uniquely small-town-big-city vibe evokes a sense of community. For better or worse. Everyone is, essentially, in the same boat. But, here’s the thing. Everyone identifies and understands what the other is going through and what they might need assistance with. Imagine being a start-up founder, CEO, or tech genius and needing to spitball, vent, or discuss projects and frustrations. Who can you turn to? Why, the bigger and more established start-ups, CEOs, and enterprising entrepreneurs, of course. The ones who have been there and done that. If you can catch them before they jet off to their next business meeting in London or Beijing. It's also home to a number of world’s best Data & Analytics events, including the World Agri-Tech Innovation Summit in March. This San Francisco summit will host over 1500 agri-food corporates, innovators, and investors in the agri-food sector. It’s theme? ‘Turning Disruptive Technology into Business Strategy through Partnership and Collaboration’ AgriTech – The Newest Frontier of Digital Transformation? It’s not that new, really. This is its fifth year. But, what it is telling is that disruptive technology is playing a large role in agriculture. Remember when scientists were trying to figure out how to make seedless watermelon? Look how far we’ve come. This summit’s focus is on sustainable agriculture and items on the menu for discussion include: Best models for successful technology commercialization. Partnerships needed to scale new technologies. How to transform the food supply chain into a more sustainable, affordable, and nutritious systems for generations (spoiler alert: sayonara high fructose corn syrup, GMOs, and additives?). Best practices and case studies of opportunities for innovation and investment. To best address the above, speakers and attendees, will consider the above within the parameters of: Automation.AI-Backed Genomics.Biological Discovery Platforms.Predictive Agriculture. Several days in the making, it seems the above is probably just the tip of the iceberg. And, from the lab to the field, greenhouses, too are transforming as Artificial Intelligence helps decrease errors in manual Data collection. Using Predictive Analytics in Agriculture In a world driven to be sustainable, and to stem the tide of overabundance generated waste, digital and analytical products in the field have moved toward these endeavors. Imagine being able to calculate how much product is needed and only growing, and cultivating that amount. Using Predictive Analytics in agriculture not only helps ensure against error, but also provides predictive modelling, Data, and Machine Learning for predicting trends in the field. Armed with this information, a more stable bottom line may be found as well as more efficient use of on-farm products. Beyond the Buzz How will analytics affect future farming and create sustainable best practices for future generations? There are quite a few predictions at the table, and the answers are helping to drive actionable insights for decisions based on Data, improving: Product decisions.Product amount.Profitability. The 3 Ps are the what. Here is the how: Mini computers in our phones grant us information from the world and, with the right applications, can tell us our stock prices, how much milk is in our fridge, and even manage the heating and cooling of our home from afar. So, what if you could check on your field before ever leaving the house? Want to get a handle on pests? How about testing your soil’s value? These are just a few of the questions being asked and answered at the summit. This is the power of predictive analytics in agriculture. The World Agri-Tech Innovation Summit is in San Francisco from March 19th and 20th. If you’re interested in Biostatistics, Bioinformatics, Computational Biology, Big Data & Analytics, we may have a role for you. We specialize in junior and senior roles. Check out our new Life Science Analytics specialism or our current vacancies for additional opportunities. Contact 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 McElla Pappas

28. February 2019

Big Data and Analytics Insight into Employee Potential

In less than ten days, Silicon Valley’s Santa Clara Convention Center will be filled with speakers, panelists, and thought leaders from around the globe at the AI & Big Data Expo North America. Topics from the future of enterprise to spotting potential top talent, and everything in between will be covered. But how important is it for the future of enterprise to be driven by not only digital transformation leaders, but also a solid data team? Today’s data team must be a mix of the highly technically skilled and the soft-skill savvy, crossing what were once siloed departments across an organization. How do you spot top talent potential in your in-house team? What about those who perform better in person than on paper? What if you could see at a glance the possibilities of an employee’s performance? Big Data Offers Instant Insight on How to Spot Top Talent Digital transformation leaders and business executives have more detailed employee information at their fingertips than ever before. By combining people data with accurate algorithms using human capital management tools, organizations are armed with a robust picture of top talent. This offers instant insight into an employee’s potential. Estimation and guess work are a thing of the past, and armed with this type of information, organizations can put into motion succession plans, decide professional development opportunities, and future compensation as well as invest in their top talent for maximum potential. But, before you can develop high-potential employees, you need to find them. This can be one of the most difficult challenges. Then, once you find and prime your potential leaders, how do you retain them? Having a strategic, proactive approach is an excellent first step towards a successful strategy, and may include some or all of the following: Creating continuous learning opportunities. Conducting a pulse check. How are they feeling about the company? Their role? Responsibilities? Like the nuanced role which combines savvy soft skills with highly advanced technical skills, cognitive assessments using NLP can offer instant insights. But, it’s important to conduct in-person pulse check interviews as well, if possible. Offering mentoring or coaching opportunities. It’s also important to note, a diverse data team with a variety of backgrounds, can add more perspectives for more innovative solutions in business. The Competitive Advantage of Effective Data Analytics Data surrounds us, and in our data-driven world, it’s important for business leaders to understand the impact of Big Data and Analytics when it comes to finding, developing, and planning for top talent. As much as we need to know where and how to find top performers, we need to identify our current potential talent, to support their growth, or risk losing them. Current performance is only one way to gauge talent and isn’t always a good indicator of future potential. In fact, not having all the facts and relying on instinct could prove to be a liability. In other words, high-performing employees may not have high potential, but high potential candidates may stand out in different ways. Knowing the difference can save time, money, and resource. Losing a high-potential employee can cost over three times their salary, as well as their deep institutional knowledge. Like customer behavior insights gleaned from data, effective Data Analytics can give companies a big advantage over their competitors. If you’re interested in Big Data and Analytics, we may have a role for you. We specialize in junior and senior roles. If you’re attending the Big Data and AI Expo in Silicon Valley, November 28 and 29, stop by our booth and say “Hi”. We look forward to meeting you and can discuss opportunities on the spot. If you can’t make it, you can check out our current vacancies or contact one of our recruitment 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 McElla Pappas

21. November 2018

How JobSeekers Can Market Themselves to Staffing Agencies

Big Data comes to the Big “D”. In Dallas, Texas, beyond the Stetsons and the boots, the sports franchises, the art galleries, and the shopping centers exist a plethora of data from which to gain market insights across industries. Data professionals are in high demand and businesses and universities have stepped up their certifications and trainings to employ the best.As disruptive technologies continue moving at an unprecedented pace in the work place, recruitment and staffing agencies race to find and engage top talent. Things are changing at a lightning rate for both hiring managers and candidates from how candidates are sourced to how those candidates can stand out.From AI automated processes, mobile applications, and the rise of video and visualization to drive engagement, staffing agencies are stepping on the technology bandwagon and looking for the same from their candidates. From the Recruiter Side: Find and EngageIf you’re a Star Trek fan, you may first envision Jean Luc Picard of the Starship Enterprise giving direction. And strangely, you might not be too far off. The goal for any employer or staffing agency is to find top talent and know how to keep it. Gain insight into your candidates to help match them to the perfect role by understanding their personal priorities and aspirations for a successful outcome.From AI candidate screening to Augmented Reality (AR), finding talent has seen an uptick in the use of digital technology and data science. Sourcing candidates has evolved from “advertise and apply” to “find and engage”, in which staffing agencies and recruiters look for meaningful data and patterns within their candidate pools to determine how open a candidate may be to new job opportunities.Engagement is a key term these days when it comes to gaining insight about customers, clients, and now candidates. From smartphones and tablet apps to wearable devices to the social media insights gained through company reviews and comments, engagement puts the relationship back at the center of recruitment. From the Candidate Side: Putting Your Best Foot ForwardWith all the visual acuity of Instagram, YouTube, Facebook, and Twitter, the traditional chronological or functional resume has changed. In today’s market, more and more job applications and resume requests are being enhanced with embedded video and Virtual Reality (VR) Jobseeker profiles.Don’t ditch your traditional resume just yet. Enhance it with embedded video. Engagement works both ways and a professional video can offer staffing agencies deeper insight into a candidate’s expertise and potential fit within an organization. Like any interview, dress professionally, speak slowly and clearly, and be sure to highlight your expertise.Using Virtual Reality to augment your jobseeker’s profile, you could even walk a potential recruiter through one of your projects. If you’re a Data Engineer, you might highlight your process for building data lakes and platforms, if you’re in martech, you might highlight one of your campaigns and the insights gained from it.On the flip side, VR tours at a prospective company could offer you a glimpse into the workplace and its culture. In addition to VR tours, which while interactive only give a two-way approach to company life, the advent of Augment Reality (AR), allows a candidate to experience first hand and companies to see first hand mock interactions, talk with an employee about a day in the life, participate in a meeting, or simply walk through the workplace as if you were there in person.Finally, it’s important to keep your skills sharp and many organizations want to help you do just that by upskilling talent. Keeping pulse of trends in a constantly evolving industry requires constant skills development and enhancement. A benefit top talent seeks are roles offering upskilling and professional development whether it’s through additional responsibilities, stepping outside their comfort zone – this is where integrated teams come into play, mentoring, or simply available time to attend online and offline conferences and seminars.So, you’ve revamped your resume to include embedded video and enhanced your profile with virtual reality. Maybe you’ve attended a recent conference, gained new insight into trends in your field, or networked your way into an interview. But now you may be wondering, what’s hot right now. What jobs are in high demand? Jobs in DemandBetween security breaches of personal data and BitCoin’s dramatic rise and fall, the most in demand jobs this year will by Cybersecurity professionals, BlockChain talent, and E-Commerce Specialists within the IoT framework. And as online shopping continues to slice away at traditional retail spaces, those retailers who want to move into E-commerce or revamp their current online storefront will be looking to E-Commerce Specialists. Martech is now a significant part of every marketing organization’s budget. Getting the highest ROI from your marketing spend is crucial.But, across the board, IoT has sparked demand for every data professional from data engineers and designers, data scientists, business intelligence analysts, and more. While employers seek a broad skillset, one fine-tuned skill are for those professionals who can connect the “I” with the “T”.Staffing agencies and employers know these trends present opportunities for innovation and sourcing the right talent is central to their success. Adaptable candidates secure the best roles and both recruiters and jobseekers use these trends to their advantage. Recruiters, keep these trends in mind when crafting your job posting.If you want to help build the bridge between offline and online customer engagement managing internal teams to maximize ROI. If you want build a foundational roadmap for the future for analytics projects to industry standards and trends, we may have a role for you. We are looking for a Senior Vice President, Marketing Analytics for one of our Dallas clients. Operating at the forefront of Marketing analytics work, this position offers a seasoned Analytics leader the opportunity to define company roadmaps.Harnham specializes in Junior and Senior Data and Analytics roles, 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.

by McElla Pappas

28. March 2018

Women in Data Science

It's 2018 and the predictions of two and five years ago remain. There is a shortage of talent for what has been billed the hottest career of the 21st century. Why? Among the answers to this question, lies lack of diversity within data science teams. With the Women in Data Science (WiDS) Conference set for March 5th around the globe, we wanted to focus on the lack of gender diversity in data science and STEM roles in general. In the UK, women make up nearly 13% of the STEM workforce versus 26% in the US, though both countries are still woefully underrepresented. Yet, a McKinsey Diversity Report found that 15% of diverse and gender-diverse businesses are more likely to outperform those businesses that are not. We spoke with McElla Pappas, Vice President of Harnham regarding her thoughts on the talent shortage with a particular focus on the shortage of women entering the data science field. What do you think would generate interest? What would bring more people to the field of data science? I think to increase the candidate pool and engage more women in data science requires a blend of analytical traits and effective communication of what the data tells us. This blending creates more of an organic challenge and a task that can be a bit more results-oriented catering more to the science of how women think and what we look for in a data science role. The science that I've always heard is women like to see impact, to see growth so we need to shift the conversation from "this is a technical role" to "this is a role that is changing the way healthcare will look tomorrow". If we can focus and drive more women toward the messaging of what we're impacting; whether it be in the healthcare space, learning and development space, or improving customer experience, I'm sure we'll see more engagement from women. Do companies need to be more educated to the benefits of women in data? Businesses need to have a level of emotional intelligence to understand women want to be on the same playing field. Companies need to push them from a confidence perspective and manage individually rather than in a group. They also have a responsibility to ask why aren't you putting your hand up, you've got the skills. It's all about confidence. That said I don't believe all companies require education on the benefits of women in data. We have a customer who is actively looking for female data science talent, so we've been working to put together an event for women in data science in which high level women in the data science industry speak at the conference. Should women interested in data science target a position in a start-up or a more established firm? By their very nature, smaller organizations can offer more cross-functional exposure versus larger and more established organizations. However, within the departments of larger organizations there may be opportunity to gain more commercial exposure. In general, though, gaining more exposure at varying levels and in different departments are more likely to be found in smaller organizations. Help us change the conversation and take that step towards a new big data and analytics role. You can check out list of current vacancies here. 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.

by McElla Pappas

21. February 2018

Why choose a career in credit risk

If your education and work experience have given you solid skills in diligence, quantitative analysis, computer software and communication, then you’re well on your way to becoming a highly valued member of the workforce. But why would a career in Credit Risk be a good choice over the myriad of other jobs that would welcome someone with those particular skills? Here are a few compelling reasons: It’s a very lucrative professionWith a huge proportion of your life taken up by work, nobody should do a job purely for the money. The monthly paycheck may look nice on your bank balance, but there’s a lot to be said for being in a job that makes you happy, not just rich. There’s no denying that a Credit Risk Analyst salary is a good one, with research from payscale.com suggesting the average salary sits at just over $80,000 with bonuses potentially adding another $10,000 to that figure. The benefits that come with that aren't to be sniffed at either. With companies competing for the best talent, they need to be come up with a range of added extras to tempt candidates including holiday allocations well above average, private medical insurance and flexible work patterns. It’s a job that’s based on dataAfter the industrial age and the technological age, now many analysts say we’re now living in the data age. Never before has it been easier to collect, collate and cross-reference information from a vast number of sources. You no longer need to rely on a basic credit report and salary history to make a sound assessment of creditworthiness. Many roles have been revolutionized by so-called ‘Big Data’ and credit risk jobs are no different. It’s a role that has always been governed by information, and the more you have at your disposal, the better decisions you’ll be able to make and the better strategies you’ll be able to put together. There’s a positive job outlookA study from Oxford University suggests Credit Analyst sits 26th on a list of roles most at risk from automation, sitting just above Parts Salespersons and below Milling Machine Setters. However, contrary to this and other reports that AI is going to make all our jobs redundant in the not-too-distant future, Credit Risk is an area that’s actually expected to grow; data from the US Bureau of Labor Statistics suggest an increase of 10% between 2012 and 2022. While computers can do an excellent job of presenting data, there’s a huge amount of human interpretation that needs to be done to deliver reasoned and thorough insight - humans may not be perfect, but nobody wants to put a potential repeat of the 2008 economic meltdown in the hands of machines. There’s an excellent career pathMany of those sitting in boardrooms in some of the country’s biggest companies will have begun their careers in Credit Risk. It’s a position that gives you an excellent insight into the interests of the company you’re working for as well as the typical applicants you’re assessing. Whether you decide to climb the credit risk ladder to more senior finance positions or branch out into sales or marketing functions, this grounding of business acumen and customer insight is sure to stand you in good stead. For the latest opportunities in Credit Risk at Harnham, take a look at our vacancies here.

by McElla Pappas

28. June 2017