The fight to attract top talent within data analytics is a tricky one, data analysts in Lond...
The fight to attract top talent within data analytics is a tricky one, data analysts in London are in extremely high demand and relatively low supply.
According to a labour market analysis commissioned for Dynamics of Data Science skills, demand for works with specialist data skills has tripled over five years (+231%).
One of the most common frustrations I hear from clients of mine is; we found the ideal candidate and they rejected our job offer – annoying, right!? Therefore, they have to run the whole recruitment process from start to finish all over again which, as we know, can be very time-consuming.
In the London market, simply offering a Data Analyst a job does not ensure that they will accept – as it is very likely that they will be hot property. Take of a read of the below, which will hopefully give you some insight into maximising your chances of getting a Data Analyst to accept your job offer.
It is imperative to act quickly after a final stage interview, any delay in an offer may cause you to miss out on your first choice. By nature, Data Analysts scrutinise and look into the finer details, so if you act quickly, it shows that you rate the candidate highly and more importantly respect their time.
If you wait a week after a final interview to offer a job, the candidate may believe they were a backup option, or the organisation is slow-paced, not dynamic and ultimately not the type of organisation they want to join. What’s my advice? Make an offer within 24-48 hours of a final interview – as an absolute maximum!
So, you’ve moved quickly, but that doesn’t mean you’re guaranteed to get the candidate over the line. It is important you have a strong and in-depth understanding of the candidates’ overall package details, including salary & benefits. Remember you are dealing with humans, and different things are important to different people. Some people will want a higher basic as they look to secure a mortgage, whilst others may require flexibility during working hours and locations for personal reasons.
I advise working closely with the candidate or your preferred recruitment partner to ensure you understand them and their motivations. If you can’t blow someone away with an offer of an amazing base salary, consider other incentives, be it lifestyle benefits such as a free gym membership, flexi-time, unlimited holidays or performance-related bonuses.
If a Data Analyst is active in the market, it is more than likely they will end up with more than one job offer, so will have to choose between your business and one or two others.
Moving jobs is a huge decision, and it is crucial for both parties that the move turns out to be the right one. After receiving the offer, the candidate is likely to have some questions about the business, the team and the benefits, so it is often quicker and easier to have a 20/30 minute welcome call rather than pinging endless emails back and forward, which can be time consuming and lead them to accept another job in the meantime. Making this part of the offer seamless and personal could really help you stand out from the crowd.
Throughout the interview process, you need to promote the benefits of working for your company and re-emphasise these when presenting an offer, be that opportunities for them to learn new technologies, in-house training programmes or simply your companies’ unique cultural benefits. The ‘old fashioned’ view that candidates need to be desperate to work for an organisation is quickly going out of fashion, especially in such high demand areas like Data and Analytics. It’s important the interview process is a two-way street and you’re selling the opportunity just as much as the candidate is selling themselves.
Going back to an earlier point in this blog, if you are going to sell the business effectively, it is important you have a strong understanding of the candidate and what is important to them, in both the present moment and in the short to medium term. Make sure your recruiter has briefed you on this – the good ones will get to know candidates and understand what’s important to them!
Not every candidate is going to say ‘YES!’ to the first offer they receive. They may hesitate with a decision in an attempt to get a better offer, or they may just genuinely be unsure as to which is the best job opportunity for them. It is important to understand why they aren’t committing and then decide if you want to amend or tweak your offer.
Even if you run a perfect recruitment process, there will always be occasions where a candidate is proving too indecisive and you may need to move on to other candidates in the pipeline. The last thing you want to do is really push someone to join and then they leave after a short period of time, or even drop-out before they are due to start. So tread carefully here. If you’ve made it personal, sold the business, made a great offer and acted quickly, and the candidate still isn’t fully sold, don’t be afraid to do the brave thing and go back to the drawing board!
To find out more, contact Rupert Stevens at rupert@3search.co.uk. Rupert heads up our specialist analytics & insights recruitment function with a focus on client-side roles working with a wide range of businesses from start-ups to FTSE 100 firms. If you are considering a move within analytics, or are looking to hire across your team please reach out for a chat!
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3Search is an award-winning UK recruitment consultancy, specialising in marketing, strategy & transformation, and tech positions. Whether you’re seeking new talent or looking for your next career move, we can help. Learn more at www.3search.co.uk.
