Written by Heather L. Cole, May 12th 2022
Are you looking to hire analytics talent but struggling to find people to even apply for your open positions? Are you blaming the Great Resignation? STOP! The people are getting hired by someone… So, today I’ll share what I have been coaching our Lodestar Solutions clients on hiring talent and Why You Aren’t Attracting Analytic Talent.
Your Job Posting Sucks.
The first place to start is sit down and read your job posting! Most suck. When you read it, think I was of the experience level I am looking for, would I respond to the post? Most job posts are written in the old school way when employers have tons of candidates to choose from. The world has changed and so should how you write your job posts. It’s not so much what you are looking for but what you offer the candidates with analytics talent! See our earlier blog, Job Posting Tips to Attract Analytics Talent.
Do You Allow Remote or Hybrid Work?
If the pandemic taught us anything it’s that major corporations can survive and thrive even when employees work from home. As someone who used to deal with Chicago’s commute, I can tell you when I started working remote over 20 years ago, I vowed I would never work for someone that made me go to an office every day. Talented people know they can demand a remote or hybrid work environment and if you don’t put it on your post that you offer it, top analytics talent are doing the proverbial swiping left and rejecting you.
Executive Team Needs to Face Reality
I appreciate that there are many executive teams that want to require people to come back into the office, but the data is showing us that hybrid work and remote work is here to stay. Even one of my favorite authors, Bernard Marr discusses this in his book, Business Trends in Practice: The 25+ Trends That Are Redefining Organizations. A quick way to validate this is to ask your team. Create an anonymous survey and see what your people are saying. You do realize that if your people want to keep working at least some days remotely and you want them in the office you risk losing them, right?
Evaluate your Pay!
Inflation is real. The market is benefiting the job seekers, so they are demanding more pay. But many companies are failing to look at market conditions and adjusting pay. I had one client post a job and when a friend saw the posting, he said Heather they are extremely low paying for the title they are posting. This discussion led them to do their research and sure enough they weren’t even close. It’s easy today to find market rates. There are many sites like www.glassdoor.com or www.indeed.com where you can put in search parameters and see what the market is paying.
Unfortunately, for some of you, your prior behavior has given you a bad reputation. If your online reviews in the job boards is not so stellar you will need to face it head on! Would you apply for a job with a company that had a 2.8 rating out of 5? You might want to consider writing in your job post how the environment is changing if you are in this situation.
Learn How to Manage Hybrid Workers
After you check your job posting to attract talent, and you know you are paying a fair wage, you should start to see applicants apply. Now the hard work comes! You must learn not only how to manage hybrid workers and remote teams but also how to hire people that would thrive in the new world.
Ask the Right Questions –
You will want to review your departmental and corporate core values and ask questions to flesh out if applicants have your core values. I don’t believe this is something we can teach; I believe core values was something our parents taught us when we were children or it’s part of our DNA. For example, do you really think integrity is taught later in life? To get yourself started read the book Hiring for Attitude: A Revolutionary Approach to Recruiting and Selecting People with Both Tremendous Skills and Superb Attitude! by Mark Murphy.
Display How You Manage Your Team Hybrid Workers –
During the interview process you want to share what you do that is unique to help them grow and thrive as a manager. The younger generation want constant feedback and to be part of something important. As a manager you want to create ways to help meet their needs so you can inspire them. More on this in future blogs.
Show them the Path.
Finally, you want to make sure you are mapping out a growth plan for any new hires. With the speed of technology and the rapid changing world, you MUST hire growth minded people. But as a manager you also must help them define that path for the future and provide feedback. If your company is willing to invest in their learning and “upskills” make sure you communicate that. Soft Skill training programs are always a great growth path for analytic professionals. Another idea is to offer group coaching to your team members. If you want to learn more about group coaching and professional development programs, email us at Services@lodestarsolutions.com.
Analytic Talent Resources
Here’s another resource you might want to check out if you are seeking talent.
Gartner’s article on How to Attract and Retain Talent for Your Data And Analytics Team.
Summary of Attracting Talent
Hopefully you had a couple ahh moments while reading our thoughts on why you aren’t attracting Analytic Talent. Hybrid work and remote teams are here to stay. We would love to hear about your struggles and creative ideas you have had to address them. Please email us at Services@lodestarsolutions.com to set up a chat.