Strategic Hiring for Data Roles -Tips for scaling startups

Your startup is scaling and with the incoming amount of complex and diverse data, you need a team that can find the nuggets of wisdom that can help your startup reach the heights it’s meant to reach.

The question is, how do you find the right data talent for this?

You want data analysts who are critical thinkers. You need data engineers who can innovate. You need data scientists who will transform your data into actionable insights. They don't pull data just to send you more confusing reports. They look for clear insights that actually help you make good decisions that drive results at scale. But it's tricky because you're also competing for this talent with large, established companies with bigger pockets.

So, we’ve put together a guide to help you plan this hiring journey. We know what makes a strong data science/ analytics team, having trained countless of them over the years. For a scaling startup, here are our tips:

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First, assess your startup’s data needs

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All too often, we’ve seen data people who were talented, no doubt, but were completely misaligned with the organization. This causes wasted time on irrelevant tasks, insights that don’t contribute enough growth, and general feelings of overwhelm.?

Assess your startup’s stage, growth rate, and current data infrastructure, as well as your startup’s goals in the next couple of years. What are your startup’s long-term and short-term goals? What is your vision? Is your startup at the brink of scale or is it already seeing exponential growth?

Questions like these will give you a clearer idea of how your data professional will contribute to the bigger picture.

• What are your objectives? - Do you need data professionals? who can support the short-term goals that will keep the engine running, or who will focus on the short-term data needs that drive long-term objectives like profitability??
• Where is your startup going? - Do you need data experts who can conduct predictive modeling, integrate machine learning, or work with big data??
• What stage is your startup at? - Do you need people who can help you build a strong data infrastructure from scratch, or people who can work with a setup that’s already capturing massive amounts of data?

This awareness is important so that during the hiring process, you can find exactly the kind of people who can fill the right gaps.

It is far from reality to simply hire a random 5-person data team, give them the login to your data system, and expect them to boil the ocean to find insights that drive revenue.

They will need focus. They will need to prioritize the goals that your startup needs to achieve. And they can only do that with awareness of your startup's current infrastructure and future goals.

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Next, create your dream team

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Understanding your startup’s needs better will help you zero in on the kind of data professional you want to hire, including.....Click here to continue reading.