Charles F. Kettering – “People are very open-minded about new things, as long as they’re exactly like the old ones”
What is the best way to hire a Data Scientist? I have been asked that a lot recently (probably because answering that question is part of my job). The simple answer? Change your usual recruitment strategy.
I want to lay out some simple wins that I’ve had and observed from others.
SUPPLY THE TRAINING, ACQUIRE THE TALENT
Big Data Partnership, Data Science Academy and Data Sciences Consulting are but a few companies in London that provide courses for graduates (whether fresh or seasoned) to learn the necessary skills to transition into the world of Big Data and Data Science. This is very clever indeed.
Get people to pay you to be trained and certified, then once the training is done offer them a job. You will have already spent at least a few months working with these trainees so the risk of a bad hire is minimal. Another plus is that there is almost no training costs. Genius.
FREE PIZZA, BEER AND EVENTS
As the age old rule goes, “hire for attitude, not for skill. You can train the latter, but not the former”. How do you find people with the right attitude? At events. Whether that’s a MeetUp social, a Hackathon or conference (London Tech Week for example), this is where you will find those (data driven) individuals happy to use their valuable spare time to perfect their craft. This is where you will find the best in data.
So why not host one yourself? As long as it’s free and there’s plenty of beer and pizza, you’re bound to have a winning event.
SO SHALL ME DEAR
Social media is powerful and influential. If you want to keep on top of a new market, you have to be at the forefront of recruiting methods. If you, or your company, doesn’t have a social media presence then create one, and quickly. Make sure you provide useful, relevant content and ensure that all who stumble upon your page are aware you specialise in Big Data and Data Science jobs, or at least are keen to hire these professionals. Stuck for ideas, then you can check my Twitter page.
I hope that helps, any questions just drop me an email joe.burridge@welovesalt.com
Joe Burridge 
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