Business Intelligence Analysts Have Been Leaving A Bad Impression On Start-ups

But now they are dropping like flies… here is why

Job opportunities in the Data Science & Analytics world couldn’t be hotter, only few are successfully hiring. The exception, in this case, is further strengthening the rule. Let me explain.

While Corporate America is busy struggling to find qualified talent in the DS&A space, the ever undaunted land of start-ups is doing what they do best — hiring. Start-ups around the nation are bringing in Business Intelligence analysts to organize their data and finally get some useful reporting.

That trend is actually several years old. If you are looking to do ad hoc analysis and a little report creation in a start-up culture, this economy is for you! Or at least it was…

The problem is — little data has been organized. Few useful reports have been created. And more and more start-ups are wondering just what happened? Their, now former, business intelligence analysts, are jumping on to the next start-up. Excuses in hand.

Be wary of analysts who have little to show for the last 6–18 months but blame the old culture.

Here is the truth of the matter. It wasn’t their fault. They should never have been hired in the first place. There are an endless array of reasons why — but here are the most important ones.

1) What do you know about hiring business intelligence analysts anyway?

Unless your start-up is in the business intelligence space (and even most of those), you know next to nothing about screening and assessing business intelligence talent. It is not your fault either — their is no clear mechanism for doing this sort of thing right now. Unfortunately, that is not deterring most managers. They rely on referrals.

2) Most referals in the DS&A universe are nonsense.

Analysts don’t criticize other analysts unless their is a promotion or budget on the line. There are some exceptions. But mostly, it is an unhealthy level of politeness and unearned respect.

Next up, your friends in marketing who tell you about a very helpful junior talent from XYZ company have little understanding of the ins-and-outs of a DS&A role or the level of support that analyst was receiving. They likewise have little understanding of your situation and the level of support they will no longer be recieving…

3) Your headhunter isn’t much better…

Ok, there is room here for a sizable caveat. And in my experience, this is the one group finally recognizing the problem and looking for help. BUT, most headhunters and placement groups are not that good at vetting BI talent either! I utilized dozens over the last decade. Some highly lauded in adjacent spaces. They all failed. Assessing business intelligence acumen is hard!

4) It all boils down to — you don’t have the right support!

You don’t have the training. Your friends don’t have the training. Your hiring support doesn’t have the training. And hint, hint — neither do the analysts you hire!

This is not about watching a YouTube video or two. It is not about a MOOC experience or twenty! Self-taught is laudable, but highly inefficient. It takes years to acquire the right experience on your own — and you aren’t paying for that sort of talent, are you? But you could…

Suitable talent is available, fractionally — which means affordably (or should). Talent is available to assess your candidates. Talent is available to assess your business needs (so you and the candidate understand what you are really asking). And talent is available to train your analysts or team in the gaps that exist between their knowledge and your companies struggles.

Let me say that again — in case you missed it. Your business intelligence hires are failing because you do not possess the knowledge and training required to understand the gap between their skills and the needs of your company’s data.

Let me say this again, too. Help is available. The right help will not only assist you in hiring or training, but also educate you and your team on the challenges your business faces. It is not cheap. It is fractional.

Let me do that one again, too. Assessing your business needs, your potential hires, and training to fill the gaps is not something you get through an app for $0.99 or even $9.99. It is however, a very fractional, even transactional service. A few hours a month, perhaps a week or two to get started is a very modest ask (even with a high hourly).

Most independent estimates place the cost of onboarding a DS&A professional in the $20-$30K range. Churning through these folks, especially with limited or non-existent business outcomes, is an expensive proposition. Fractional support will have an equally fractional impact on the budget — BUT the value created for your organization will be huge. ROI positive for you finance folks in the readership.

So where do you find this support?

Not many places. While that might be disheartening for you, it is why I wrote this article. My company is growing this very service.

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Let me say that again, too. We can help! And thanks for reading!

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