A Big Job for Big Data: How to Hire Remarkable Data Scientists

Data engineering, tracking, and utilization aren’t exactly common sense. More so, it’s hard to find an experienced professional who is well-versed in everything. This is just one reason why companies struggle when they try to hire data scientists.

You can’t expect to find one person who knows it all, especially regarding something as complex as data. But, you do need to make sure that the person you make a job offer to is ready to fulfill the specific needs of your data management team.

Here’s the 5-step process you must follow to ensure your hiring process leads to the best possible result.

1. Make the Job Description Very Specific

Before comparing candidates and deciding who to interview, you have to get qualified candidates’ attention. The best way to get things off on the right foot is to be very specific about the role you’re looking to fill.

Everything in the job description, from the day-to-day responsibilities to the required skills, must be made clear. Even the way you phrase the position title makes a difference.

But it can’t be all about data. Share your company culture in the job post and include available benefits. These additional details make a huge difference. They make talented candidates seriously consider looking into the opportunity further and actually apply.

2. Improve Your Interview Questions

Most employers make the assumption that candidates need a job. The truth is that candidates have many options, and most are willing to wait until the best opportunity comes along. Interviews are your time to ensure yours is the best choice among other job openings.

You must balance checking candidates’ qualifications and increasing their interest in working for you. Sell your candidates on the position you’re offering and vet them well.

To do this, you probably have to change your interview questions. Make it a point to get to know a potential data scientist’s passions and aspirations. Talk about what they want to get out of a role and ask about your company that caught their attention.

Then, get into the specifics of the role. Check how well each candidate understands the position and whether or not they’re prepared to handle the responsibilities. Talk about things like data analytics and security.

Discuss how all the roles on your data management team work together, and also explain how you will measure performance. This gives candidates a big-picture perspective of what their work will help the company achieve.

3. Introduce Candidates to Multiple Team Members

As you advance candidates to different interviews and further narrow the prospects, bring more of your teammates into the process. This helps you understand who is the best fit for skills and qualifications, personality, and company culture.

It helps you get to know the candidates better when getting different input from teammates you trust. This also gives candidates a better feel for the team they’d be working on.

4. Emphasize Retention

Sometimes, you lose great candidates during the interview process. Other times, you hire an outstanding new employee only to have them leave within the first 6 months.

These issues both boil down to one thing: Retention.

To increase Retention from interview to interview, be fast and direct. You can’t expect a talented candidate to remain interested in a position they applied for two months ago. You must be proactive in quickly moving through the hiring process to hold their interest.

Then, keep an open dialogue going with new hires. Ask them how they feel about the role and where they see themselves heading within the company. See if they think anything is missing or want to take on. The more you work together to find the right fit, the better your overall team retention.

5. Consult a Professional Recruiter

Remember that you don’t have to take on the hiring process alone. It might be worthwhile to hire a professional recruiter, especially if you have a lot on your plate right now.

Recruiters are the secret weapon to find and engage top data scientists. They understand what these people seek in their careers and know how to make your company stand out against other opportunities.

More so, your chances of Retention and employee success are higher when you work with a recruiter. These people are trained to find a great fit; they’ll do their best to ensure that whoever you hire is invested in your team for the long haul.

How to Hire Data Scientists and Make Sure They Stay

It’s one thing to identify great candidates in the hiring process and another to keep them engaged once you onboard a new hire. You must work hard to ensure the training process goes smoothly and that new hires feel welcomed and challenged.

This begins in the hiring process and continues long after all the hiring paperwork has been completed. You can’t afford to forget this step when hiring data scientists to bring value to your team and create innovative solutions.

Here are a few employee retention strategies for new hires and current team members.