Big data analytics has been proven to be highly beneficial for businesses, allowing them to extract optimal value from their data and make better-informed decisions.
As more and more businesses are adopting big data analytics, it is becoming increasingly necessary to make big data a part of your business strategy.
However, it is not easy to implement a big data solution, because there is a significant shortage of big data skills.
Then again, if you use the right hiring strategies, you may be able to recruit some of the best big data experts available in the market.
How to Hire the Right Big Data Talent
Define Responsibilities
Before you start the hiring process, it is essential that you clearly define the role and responsibilities that you want the big data expert to assume.
This will help you determine what kind of big data talent you should look for, so that you can attract the most suitable candidates. It also gives the candidates a clearer idea of your expectations.
Set Job Requirements
First of all, you need to set the minimum academic and experience qualifications to ensure that the candidate has the necessary knowledge, skills and training to handle the tasks that come with the job. Then, list down the specific skills and qualities that he or she must possess.
For instance, the candidate should be familiar with the specific type of big data solution that you are planning to implement.
According to a blog post entitled “Combating Big Data Skills Concerns“, business organizations are not only trying to recruit and retain experts to handle long-existing data management technologies, but also new big data technologies such as Hadoop.
It is important that you hire a big data expert who makes an effort to stay up-to-date with the latest big data technologies.
Attract the Best Candidates
Big data experts are highly sought after these days, and they can afford to be selective.
As such, you need to make a very competitive offer in order to attract the best big data talent. Big data experts enjoy solving challenging problems, and they thrive in an environment that allows them to exercise their creativity.
You can bait them by giving them interesting data to manage and fascinating problems to solve, so that they can satisfy their intellectual curiosity endlessly.
While money may not be the main factor affecting a big data expert’s choice of job, it is still an important consideration. Therefore, you have to make sure that you offer your big data expert a highly competitive salary.
Evaluate the Candidates
There are many tools from reliable sources that can help you perform a thorough and accurate evaluation of candidates.
You can use these tools to do resume screening and reference checks, conduct competency-based and background interviews, and create real-life scenarios to assess the responses of the candidates.
It is also a good idea to use psychometric assessments such as cognitive testing, emotional intelligence testing and motivational assessment.
A competent big data expert can do wonders for your business by helping you get the most out of your data.
By following the tips above, you can significantly increase your chances of landing the best big data talent.
Photo credit: Image courtesy of Stuart Miles / FreeDigitalPhotos.net
About the Author: John McMalcolm is a freelance writer who writes on a wide range of subjects, from social media marketing to Cloud computing.
