Hiring for Big Data? Get in Line

Big data initiatives promise to change the face of business interaction by mining the reams of data gathered and stored electronically. But all that data isn’t going to make a difference by itself. Businesses need data analysis professionals who can sort, store, and analyze that data in order to provide actionable information.

The problem is that the talent needed for these positions isn’t easy to come by. Much of the software and knowledge is new to the field, making data talent an extremely competitive recruiting arena.

What Skills Do Big Data Professionals Need?

While there is no recognized “big data” job title or job description, most experts agree that statistics, data analysis, business analytics, math, and an inquiring mind are all essential to get the job done. Big data positions can generally be categorized in common roles:

• Chief Data Officer—The CDO is responsible for strategy and execution. He must also oversee security, accuracy, ethics, and protection of customer privacy.
• Data Scientist—Data scientists often have a background in traditional statistics, math, natural language processing, or data management. This position requires extensive analytical talent in order to create predictive models, determine how to ask and answer the right questions, and create business strategy algorithms. These employees also need programming skills and experience with Hadoop, Hive, or MapReduce.
• Data Architects—Data architects organize and harness data in order to gain insights that will make a difference in the business. They need extensive experience with Hadoop in order to create and manage big data initiatives and solutions.
• Data Visualizers—These are the employees who turn the analysis results into something the company can act on. In addition to extensive analytical knowledge, they need excellent communication skills in order to put data results into laymen’s terms, explaining what it means to the company.

Of course, there are other roles as well, and not every company uses the same job titles. The key is knowing what skills are needed to get the job done and how to find the right person for the job.

Hiring Your Next Big Data Employee

According to a 2013 CareerBuilder survey, many companies report a lack of qualified talent among their current employees as well as a shortage of new talent available to fill open positions. While many companies are seeking to train current employees or to meet their big data needs by outsourcing to a third party, there still remains a significant number of jobs that need to be filled by hiring qualified talent.
The people most likely to excel in these positions are those who have a scientific mind that is willing to experiment in order to find an answer, can be flexible enough to change presuppositions, and have a bit of creativity.

Where can you find such a candidate? The most promising pool consists of passive candidates—those who are not currently seeking new employment, but who would be willing to consider a switch if the right offer came along. Businesses who want to attract passive candidates must take a long, hard look at their compensation packages, benefits, work environment, and employer brand.