How Are Data Analysts Hired Today? All You Need To Know | by Rashi Desai | Aug, 2022

An insider’s insights on the hiring process and industry demands

In the rapidly expanding data landscape of today, an increasing number of people are eager to enter the world of data science & analytics. New grads, professionals switching careers, and analysts wanting to become subject matter experts, all levels of expertise are coming together in this age of data.

Data and analytics jobs have grown exponentially and we can only forecast the trend to continue. Every passing day, the competition becomes fierce. There is a huge skill gap that companies are trying to close with the ever-evolving business needs. With exponentially increasing data, businesses need professionals to make sense of that data.

Every company portal now has data roles open to hiring around the year. When I was sitting at my very uncomfortable dorm desk, surviving a pandemic and applying for full-time jobs in 2021, I hoped for some tips on the hiring process. Now that I see things from the other side of recruiting, working as an analytics consultant with a healthcare company and involved in hiring decisions, here’s a know-all blog about how exactly managers hire data professionals!

Any hiring process starts with a candidate submitting an application and conveying an interest in the position. The applications may pass through the black hole called ATS (application tracking system) and/or are screened by recruiters based on the role description and job requirements.

Things to know:

1. An application is considered a good fit only when the candidate meets most (if not all) of the required qualifications and is better recommended if they have the preferred qualifications as well.
2. You must include anything & everything you’d want the hiring manager to know on your application that you missed out on your resume — a gap in your resume, the value you added in your previous role, etc.
3. Indicate clearly if you’re open to relocation (if the role is not remote).
4. If you know someone at the company personally, definitely ask them to put in a referral for you before you apply for the role but that does not guarantee you an interview. The referral is merely a certificate of trust in your ability to be a fit for the role.
5. Research well on the standard salary for that role considering the location of your role, your experience level, and any other competing offers you might have — do not bluff on your salary expectations.
6. Apply to a full-time job (the ability to work 40 hours per week) only when you know you’d be able to start ASAP. Companies always have open roles to attract new grads during graduation season. You can avoid applying too soon only to be rejected due to availability issues.

Once your application is accepted and considered a fit for the open role, the hiring managers and/or recruiters will review your resume to determine who can be called in for an interview and reject the resumes that do not meet the requirements.

Things to know:

1. For folks still in school — please include your graduation year and month. Job positions have a timeline by which they need to have the role filled. The acceptance or rejection of a resume becomes easier per your graduation date, saving both the applicant’s and recruiter’s time
2. Quantify your experience — showcase how you added value to your past roles. Hiring managers want to hear about the skills and qualities you can bring to the table. (I prefer the STAR technique — situation, task, action, the result for showcasing work experience.)
3. List your experience from most relevant to the least and ideally, the most relevant would be the most recent.
4. Try to include keywords relevant to your experience rather than irrelevant buzzwords just to impress the ATS.
5. Writing down certifications and leadership experience can help present your intent to be updated with skills and the initiative to put in extra work.
6. Get your resume reviewed by peers, mentors, and industry connections over and over again (I’ve seen some of the most basic resumes with the bare minimum of effort developing a data persona, and the same people complaining of not securing job interviews is just unfair).

The world changed with the pandemic and so did the traditional face-to-face. Virtual interviews have an advantage eliminating the assessment of body language. However, everything now depends only on verbal cues.

Things to know:

1. Every response of yours should ideally try to give away a quality of yours as a professional — be it data-related or human behavior.
2. Interviewers usually take notes when interviewing and as a candidate, you might observe them engaged in your answers. When they stop writing, you’ve probably said enough in the response
3. If you are an introvert, practicing your interviews can help a lot. Every candidate who is a good communicator has an advantage as it would allow others and yourself to understand information more accurately and quickly.
4. Prepare at least two questions about the role, team, or company to ask at the end of your interview apart from asking the next steps in the hiring process.
5. Many candidates start strong during the interview & fade before the end. Try to keep your tone upbeat and conversational throughout the interview.

This is it!

This is the round that usually makes or breaks the deal about a candidate getting offered the role.

The process usually differs by role, company, and level of expertise needed. Panel rounds are usually a backdrop to get a realistic preview of how candidates perform under stressful, tough conditions. You might also work on a case study at home and present it to a panel or write code during the interview.

Things to know:

1. Take time to understand the business.
2. Be prepared to answer multiple questions on the required skills listed in the job description.
3. Try to get a solid understanding of who’s in the panel (from their introduction if they are data or business) and cater the answers to everyone’s understanding (except the technical questions of course).
4. Be ready with multiple examples and anecdotes to use in your answers while explaining your background and experience.
5. Engage with everyone on the panel, not just the person who’s asking the questions.
6. Again, prepare good follow-up questions.

Once you complete your interview, you may want to keep in touch with the interviewer.

Things to know:

1. You can always send a Thank You note to your interviewer — brief and professional. This could also be an opportunity to let them know you are working to find answers to a question you might not have known about.
2. Never stop your job search process or quit your job as you advance in the hiring process. The future is unpredictable for a reason.
3. Avoid posting anything about the company or interview on social media while you’re in the process (unless you had the most terrible experience of interviewing with that company or got scammed).
4. If you were referred by a current employee and you get called for an interview and also end up with the job offer, never forget to thank the person (for they trusted you before anyone else).

I personally always did a quick analysis after an interview and noted down what went well and areas of improvement as a pivot for subsequent interviews.

With the above statements, that’s it from my end for this blog post. Thank you for reading! I hope you found the blog interesting. Let me know in the comments about your experience with the interview process, your journey in data, and what are looking for in 2022!

If you enjoy reading stories like these, consider signing up to become a Medium member from this link.

Happy Data Tenting!

Rashi is a data wiz from Chicago who loves to visualize data and create insightful stories to communicate business insights. She’s a full-time healthcare data analyst and blogs about data on weekends with a good cup of coffee…

An insider’s insights on the hiring process and industry demands

In the rapidly expanding data landscape of today, an increasing number of people are eager to enter the world of data science & analytics. New grads, professionals switching careers, and analysts wanting to become subject matter experts, all levels of expertise are coming together in this age of data.

Data and analytics jobs have grown exponentially and we can only forecast the trend to continue. Every passing day, the competition becomes fierce. There is a huge skill gap that companies are trying to close with the ever-evolving business needs. With exponentially increasing data, businesses need professionals to make sense of that data.

Every company portal now has data roles open to hiring around the year. When I was sitting at my very uncomfortable dorm desk, surviving a pandemic and applying for full-time jobs in 2021, I hoped for some tips on the hiring process. Now that I see things from the other side of recruiting, working as an analytics consultant with a healthcare company and involved in hiring decisions, here’s a know-all blog about how exactly managers hire data professionals!

Any hiring process starts with a candidate submitting an application and conveying an interest in the position. The applications may pass through the black hole called ATS (application tracking system) and/or are screened by recruiters based on the role description and job requirements.

Things to know:

1. An application is considered a good fit only when the candidate meets most (if not all) of the required qualifications and is better recommended if they have the preferred qualifications as well.
2. You must include anything & everything you’d want the hiring manager to know on your application that you missed out on your resume — a gap in your resume, the value you added in your previous role, etc.
3. Indicate clearly if you’re open to relocation (if the role is not remote).
4. If you know someone at the company personally, definitely ask them to put in a referral for you before you apply for the role but that does not guarantee you an interview. The referral is merely a certificate of trust in your ability to be a fit for the role.
5. Research well on the standard salary for that role considering the location of your role, your experience level, and any other competing offers you might have — do not bluff on your salary expectations.
6. Apply to a full-time job (the ability to work 40 hours per week) only when you know you’d be able to start ASAP. Companies always have open roles to attract new grads during graduation season. You can avoid applying too soon only to be rejected due to availability issues.

Once your application is accepted and considered a fit for the open role, the hiring managers and/or recruiters will review your resume to determine who can be called in for an interview and reject the resumes that do not meet the requirements.

Things to know:

1. For folks still in school — please include your graduation year and month. Job positions have a timeline by which they need to have the role filled. The acceptance or rejection of a resume becomes easier per your graduation date, saving both the applicant’s and recruiter’s time
2. Quantify your experience — showcase how you added value to your past roles. Hiring managers want to hear about the skills and qualities you can bring to the table. (I prefer the STAR technique — situation, task, action, the result for showcasing work experience.)
3. List your experience from most relevant to the least and ideally, the most relevant would be the most recent.
4. Try to include keywords relevant to your experience rather than irrelevant buzzwords just to impress the ATS.
5. Writing down certifications and leadership experience can help present your intent to be updated with skills and the initiative to put in extra work.
6. Get your resume reviewed by peers, mentors, and industry connections over and over again (I’ve seen some of the most basic resumes with the bare minimum of effort developing a data persona, and the same people complaining of not securing job interviews is just unfair).

The world changed with the pandemic and so did the traditional face-to-face. Virtual interviews have an advantage eliminating the assessment of body language. However, everything now depends only on verbal cues.

Things to know:

1. Every response of yours should ideally try to give away a quality of yours as a professional — be it data-related or human behavior.
2. Interviewers usually take notes when interviewing and as a candidate, you might observe them engaged in your answers. When they stop writing, you’ve probably said enough in the response
3. If you are an introvert, practicing your interviews can help a lot. Every candidate who is a good communicator has an advantage as it would allow others and yourself to understand information more accurately and quickly.
4. Prepare at least two questions about the role, team, or company to ask at the end of your interview apart from asking the next steps in the hiring process.
5. Many candidates start strong during the interview & fade before the end. Try to keep your tone upbeat and conversational throughout the interview.

This is it!

This is the round that usually makes or breaks the deal about a candidate getting offered the role.

The process usually differs by role, company, and level of expertise needed. Panel rounds are usually a backdrop to get a realistic preview of how candidates perform under stressful, tough conditions. You might also work on a case study at home and present it to a panel or write code during the interview.

Things to know:

1. Take time to understand the business.
2. Be prepared to answer multiple questions on the required skills listed in the job description.
3. Try to get a solid understanding of who’s in the panel (from their introduction if they are data or business) and cater the answers to everyone’s understanding (except the technical questions of course).
4. Be ready with multiple examples and anecdotes to use in your answers while explaining your background and experience.
5. Engage with everyone on the panel, not just the person who’s asking the questions.
6. Again, prepare good follow-up questions.

Once you complete your interview, you may want to keep in touch with the interviewer.

Things to know:

1. You can always send a Thank You note to your interviewer — brief and professional. This could also be an opportunity to let them know you are working to find answers to a question you might not have known about.
2. Never stop your job search process or quit your job as you advance in the hiring process. The future is unpredictable for a reason.
3. Avoid posting anything about the company or interview on social media while you’re in the process (unless you had the most terrible experience of interviewing with that company or got scammed).
4. If you were referred by a current employee and you get called for an interview and also end up with the job offer, never forget to thank the person (for they trusted you before anyone else).

I personally always did a quick analysis after an interview and noted down what went well and areas of improvement as a pivot for subsequent interviews.

With the above statements, that’s it from my end for this blog post. Thank you for reading! I hope you found the blog interesting. Let me know in the comments about your experience with the interview process, your journey in data, and what are looking for in 2022!

If you enjoy reading stories like these, consider signing up to become a Medium member from this link.

Happy Data Tenting!

Rashi is a data wiz from Chicago who loves to visualize data and create insightful stories to communicate business insights. She’s a full-time healthcare data analyst and blogs about data on weekends with a good cup of coffee…