When your business starts to grow, you may find yourself in need of additional data analytics resources. This can be a difficult process — how do you know who to trust with your team’s collected information? And how can you be sure that they will be the right fit for your company?

In this article, we will provide tips for hiring the right data analytics team. We'll help you understand what to look for, and how to make sure that your new team will be able to help your business reach its goal.

Why do I need a data analytics team?

The first step in hiring a data analytics team is to identify your internal data-related needs. Do you need someone to manage your company’s data? Do you need help with applying algorithms to complicated data sets, or with implementing data-informed strategies that inform growth?

Do you need the help of someone who can create and implement an entire data analytics project framework?

If you're expanding your business, you might need a team that can do all of the above. And if you’re not sure where to turn for your data analytics, you might need one or more data professionals who can help you diagnose your data-related needs before satisfying them.

Understanding your data analytics needs will help you identify the right candidates for the job.

How do I form the right data analytics team?

Let's talk about how to form a data analytics workforce.

When determining which type of data team you’re building, there are a few important factors to keep in mind. Let’s dive into some of those factors below.

1. Identify your data analytics needs

Before you begin pursuing the next members of your data analytics team, it’s important that your entire organization understands its data-related needs. For example, small organizations might not need an entire data analytics workflow. Instead, a commitment to collecting and analyzing your most important data might do the trick.

Take the time to connect with your team and identify the true scope of your data analytics needs. This is also a conversation you can have with prospective data providers, to help gauge your own needs and their aptitude for the project.

Once you've identified your needs, you can start putting together the right team.

2. Identify the data analytics skills you’re looking for

The next step is to identify the skills your team will need. Speak with your current marketing  team to identify the specific skills to look for in one or more members of a data analytics team.

Some of the skills your team might need include:

  • Data visualization
  • Data collection and cleansing
  • Data reporting and analysis
  • Machine learning/AI
  • Mathematics/statistics

Once you understand the skills that your data analytics projects might require, you can begin assessing how many staff members you’ll need on your team. 

3. Identify the size of the analytics team your need

The size of the data analytics team you need will depend on the scope of your projects. If you have a smaller data analytics need, or you only need help creating or maintaining a data workflow, you might only need a team of one or two data-related specialists.

However, if you need to implement an entirely new data analytics workflow, you might need a larger team to complete the work within a reasonable timeframe. 

When assembling your data analytics team, it’s also important to ensure that all important analytics skills are accounted for. In other words, you’ll want to make sure that the data analytics team you assemble is capable of a wide range of data-related responsibilities, to accommodate any of the tasks which might arise.

How do I find the right data analytics candidates?

It’s time to start looking for data team candidates. Sometimes, the right place to begin your search is your own workforce. See if there are any employees on your team who have the skills you're looking for. If not, you can begin looking for candidates outside of your company.

Here are a few places where you might find high-quality data analytics candidates:

  • Online job boards
  • Data analytics conferences
  • Recruiting firms
  • Professional social media platforms

Once you've found a few data team candidates, consider asking them a few questions to better determine their aptitude for your data analytics team.

These questions might include:

  • What experience do you have with data analytics?
  • What data collection/analysis platforms are you familiar with?
  • What data projects have you worked on in the past?
  • How would you approach a project that requires data analytics?
  • What do you think are the benefits of data analytics for an organization?
  • How might you approach a new data analytics project?

After asking these questions, you should have a good idea as to whether or not the candidate is right for your position. Remember, it's important to find someone who is not only qualified, but also a good fit for your company and your existing marketing team.

How to avoid hiring the wrong data analytics team

Now that you know how to hire the right data analytics team, let's take a look at how you can avoid hiring the wrong one.

There are a few things to watch out for when interviewing candidates:

  • Make sure candidates are familiar with any data analytics software programs you're using. If they're not, they'll likely need to be trained, which can be costly and time-consuming.
  • Find out if candidates have any industry experience. While data analytics is a relatively new field, it's still important to find someone who knows what they're doing.
  • Ask about a candidate’s availability. If they're only available for a limited number of hours, or if they're already working on another project, they might not be the best fit for your needs.
  • Finally, make sure you're comfortable with a candidate’s communication style. You'll be working with them closely, so it's important that you're able to communicate effectively.

Asking the right questions in an interview is as important as the candidates you choose to interview in the first place. The required skills can be assessed from a résumé, but an effective interview is critical to understanding if a potential hire will fit effectively into your company culture.

How Pace analytics bootcamps can solve your data problems

Pace data bootcamps can provide your organization with the data skills you need without having to go through the hassle of finding, vetting and paying a traditional data analytics employee.

Hiring a bootcamp graduate is a far more affordable option, one that allows you to add the skills you need to your team without breaking the bank.

Pace data analytics bootcamp graduates are continually trained for a year after they are initially hired, to ensure their skills stay sharp. If you’re looking to assemble a data analytics team, speak with a member of our Solutions team today for more information.