There is a transparency problem in the data talent market.
At Correlation One we work with thousands of data scientists, data analysts, and data engineers from around the world, and we often hear from job candidates that they are unsure how to evaluate different data career paths, do not know what skills they should focus on developing, and need some guidance on how to find their next data science job.
Across industries, companies are challenged to define the difference between a great data scientist, data analyst, and data engineer and translate this to their job descriptions. This makes it difficult for candidates to understand what their day-to-day responsibilities will be, how certain jobs will impact their career trajectories, and how common job titles like 'data scientist' differ from one company to another.
This lack of transparency leads to a huge waste of time for both candidates and companies. Candidates adopt 'spray and pray' job application strategies, applying to hundreds of roles that have 'data' in their title. Talent teams are then forced to search through thousands of resumes to find great candidates who then must be triaged to the appropriate role search. Oftentimes, the interview process uncovers that though a candidate is an excellent data scientist, her goals and skills do not align with the role. This wastes the time of the applicant and Senior Data Scientists responsible for conducting late stage technical interviews.
We launched the C1 Connect's Data Science @ Work webinar series to break down the communication barriers between hirers and the world's best data scientists, data analysts, and data engineers. Each week, our C1 Connect community is invited to hear directly from data leaders who share background on their career journeys, what working in their industry means practically for data professionals, and some tips for navigating the job search (and if applicable, how they can pursue opportunities with their teams).
After each session, candidates are invited to raise their hand for feature opportunities on C1 Connect by sharing their C1 Connect Datafolios- brief profiles designed to communicate the skills, roles, aspirations, and project work specifically for data professionals. Using C1 Connect's Talent Match Algorithm, we pass on qualified candidates who fit the profile for active opportunities to the proper next steps in the candidate selection process.
With over 350 RSVPs to June 18th's event, the series is off to an amazing start. Data Science @ Work x IEX, featured Elaine Wah, Head of Policy Research at IEX who focused her talk on Fairness and Transparency in Trading. Elaine shared her career journey to date, provided further insights on the role of data science at IEX, highlighted active IEX job openings, and answered questions about work culture within IEX and their teams.
We invite you to watch the full video of Elaine's talk below. In addition to Elaine's prepared notes, there was a live Q&A session where candidates were able to ask Elaine follow-up questions about IEX, how candidates can prepare for their own job searches in quantitative finance, and how to be successful on the job. You can watch the above recording to see Elaine's answers to questions like:
If you would like to join a future Data Science @ Work session, feel free to follow C1 on Linkedin or join one of our Data Science for All communities on Meetup.
If you are interested in opportunities at IEX, please apply to C1 Connect here.