Insights

(Towards Data Science) Red flags in data science interviews

We liked this opinion by Jacqueline Nolis* for the value it offers to candidates, hiring managers, and HR alike. To be clear, the piece is written for candidates – the author’s intended audience is specific to those interviewing for Data Scientist jobs – and she provides great tips for assessing a company’s data science infrastructure, processes, and priorities.

But if hiring managers pay close attention to the author’s suggestions, they’ll find great tips for improving their candidates’ experience and leaving a strong impression. At a minimum, think of the article as a list of ‘what not to do’ (and check-out our tips for creating an excellent candidate experience). Among other suggestions, Jacqueline tells candidates to watch out for an unstructured interview process, inconsistencies in interviewers’ description of the role, and the lack of a clear plan after onboarding.

Are you making any of these mistakes? We find that they’re common (…too common) and applicable beyond Data Scientist interviews. Top candidates display higher levels of excitement and confidence in a business which they believe is well-organized, and they make that judgment through the lens of the interview process. Read the article to see your interview process through their eyes. And if you need help organizing your talent acquisition process or making a strategic hire, get in touch. We are here to listen and help.

*Jacqueline is a Principal Data Scientist and independent author writing in Towards Data Science, on Medium‘s publishing platform.

To emerge stronger from the COVID-19 crisis, companies should start reskilling their workforces now

Companies and their employees must respond to the rapidly changing conditions that the COVID-19 crisis has thrust upon the workplace. Firms must help their people adapt and evolve to those changes. By addressing these issues now companies will be stronger and prepared for future disruptions.

This article published by McKinsey suggests these six steps to reskilling:

• Rapidly identify the skills your recovery business model depends on
• Build employee skills critical to your new business model
• Launch tailored learning journeys to close critical skill gaps
• Start now, test rapidly, and iterate
• Act like a small company to have a big impact
• Protect learning budgets (or regret it later)

(Institutional Investor) How far will asset management pay fall? 

Johnson Associates, a compensation consultancy, gives projections for 2020 bonus expectations (relative to 2019), with down numbers across the board (almost). Private wealth and traditional active managers can expect 75-80% of their 2019 numbers, while hedge fund and private equity professionals will be down less (in that order). In each category, exceptions can be made based on the size or strategy of the company, with some macro and even-driven strategies as notable outperformers in Q1. In our experience, individual performance is a significant driver in line with firm-wide performance.

Up on the 18th floor, equity and fixed income sales/trading teams at the Banks should look forward to a 15-20% increase in bonus incentives.

(Quartz) What does work look like after a pandemic?

Tracy Keogh, Chief Human Resources Officer at HP, shares how work and the workplace will be different after the pandemic has passed, and her first thought is the most simple – the new reality will not match the way things were before. What will change?

Expect uncertainty to persist about when and how employees will return to the physical workspace – there won’t be a one-size-fits-all approach. There will be practical challenges, but it’s hard to say how individuals will react after months in isolation. Employers will need to listen, be supportive, and provide a clear plan to reassure their workforce. Tracy also believes internal communication have already changed and improved. For example, participation in company town halls increased once HP conducted them virtually. What’s next?

In our opinion, company leaders should prepare for an increasingly virtual workplace. It may be generational, but candidates were increasingly requesting (or requiring) remote- and flexible work arrangements before the response to COVID-19 moved us out of the office and into the home office. We do not expect that to slow. Rather, we may have reached a tipping point in manager sentiment in which hiring leaders will be comfortable hiring, onboarding, and leading their teams remotely. This change will have broad-reaching impact on corporate and location strategy, and should open both companies and candidates to new employment opportunities which previously were closed due to location. What do you think? Reach out to say hello and share your thoughts.

Job Interviews Are Broken. There’s a Way to Fix Them.

Adam Grant makes the argument that “Credentials are overrated, and motivation is underrated…” Too often firms focus on past experience, betting on the wrong people (and missing out on the right ones).

How can we avoid those mistakes?

The article suggests that by identifying the key skills and values in advance and then creating a standard set of behavioral and situational questions to ask every candidate will not only lead to better hires but also eliminate potential biases.

But what about those who don’t interview well? Or those who exaggerate to make a better first impression?

Adam suggests that adding work samples to the interview process – something that a candidate has produced in the past (i.e. a project or a live simulation) will be much more telling and predictive.

Suggesting that experience doesn’t matter may be exaggerating the point. That said, I’d rather hire someone who can problem solve and handle conflict vs. reminisce about our experiences in Ithaca, NY.