Arnnet.com.au reports that data science is a growing field in Australia. Perhaps your employer has recently decided to jump on the “big data” bandwagon. If your company doesn’t already happen to employ software engineers who are also skilled with statistics, you might find yourself needing to hire a data scientist — but how do you actually accomplish that task? What should you look for in a data science professional? Read on for 3 tips on hiring a data scientist.
1. Understand The Skill Set You’re Hiring For
“Data science” can mean a complexity of different things to different people — so be clear on what skills are a required part of the job you need filled. Usually, when you’re looking for a data scientist, you’re looking for a business-savvy coder who is adept at statistics, data mining, machine learning, visual communications and verbal communications. You might also have specific requirements regarding the coding languages you expect your data scientist to be proficient in, perhaps R and Python.
2. Consider Both Academic Credentials And Real-World Skills
Many data scientists hold graduate degrees. Determine if formal academic training is a high priority for the candidate you’re hiring. On one hand, academic training can be valuable. On the other hand, you want to avoid hiring someone whose only expertise comes from academia. In most cases, it would be preferable to hire someone who has actual work experience in your hiring organisation’s industry or a closely related one.
If you choose to hire a candidate who holds a graduate degree, it’s ideal to find someone whose degree program included a well-rounded catalog of coursework in topics ranging from statistical methods to data visualization to database systems. An example of this is the Master of Data Science offered by JCU Online, a degree program which produces students possessing an interdisciplinary knowledge base in subject material that includes mathematics, business and information technology.
When it comes to data science, the quality of the academic institution — and the instruction — matters. If formal education is an important criteria to your hiring organisation, you’ll want to focus on seeking out candidates from top-tier schools.
Whether or not you choose to hire a candidate who holds a graduate degree, you’ll need to find some way of ensuring that the person is a motivated self-starter who embraces independent opportunities to learn and upskill. Look for evidence that the candidate is participating in Massive Open Online Courses (MOOCs), open source coding projects or other opportunities for upskilling. Much of the information taught at university will soon become outdated — so keeping relevant skills up to date will be mandatory for whoever you choose to hire.
3. Think About Promoting and Training An Existing Candidate Within Your Company
Finding the right data scientist is a lot like prospecting for gold nuggets by digging in the dirt. It’s possible to succeed, but finding success is not easy by any means. Realistically, you’re as unlikely to find the ideal candidate for your open data scientist position as you are to find gold by taking a pickaxe to your garden.
You will almost definitely have to make at least some compromises as you choose your data scientist. Any candidate you hire is likely to need at least some training to get up to speed on the exact requirements of the job you want him or her to perform. So, rather than hiring a stranger off the street, you might be better off by promoting the person on your current team who’s the most promising candidate for the job. Once promoted, you’ll then need to make an investment in his or her education to bridge the gap between what s/he doesn’t know and what s/he needs to know to perform the tasks at hand.
The Advantages Of Hiring A Data Scientist From Within
- You already know this person is trustworthy.
- This person already has an understanding of the company’s most painful problems, and ideally, also has some ideas about how to solve those problems.
- This person is already acquainted with the company culture and has presumably already developed a rapport with key stakeholders in the company.
We hope you’ll find these tips helpful as you search for a data scientist. Best wishes for finding the ideal candidate to fill the role you have in mind.
