Tech Recruiting for Advanced Data Science Roles
IF YOU ARE LOOKING FOR MORE ADVANCED DATA ANALYSIS OR DATA SCIENTIST ROLES, REACH OUT. I have over two dozen individuals with PhDs looking for roles across the county who I have talked to just in the last two weeks.
To back up a bit, what has happened is that currently in academia, especially in the social sciences, getting a professor gig is very competitive. What this means is that very good researchers are being underplaced (e.g. someone very strong gets a gig, but it is at a smaller university in a more rural location or a temporary post-doc/adjunct position) and even tenure track professors (especially in criminal justice) are being dramatically underpaid.
But, historically when getting a PhD, programs have heavily focused on getting a job in academia. So many PhDs are still taking those underpaying gigs, when in reality there are much better roles in the public or private sector. Times are changing though, 1) because academia is becoming progressively less desirable (both due to pay, as well as due to a more hostile climate in higher education), as well as people (like myself) who are evangelizing private sector gigs.
On the other side of the coin, there is currently a glut of low quality data science candidates. This is due to many universities are now doing online masters (and some PhD) data science programs. No doubt some individuals who come out of these programs are high quality, but the vast majority do not even have basic skills that prepare them for an entry level data science role (in either programming or statistics). Your typical tech recruiter is totally ignorant though, and cannot effectively filter candidates. This results in too many false positives (people who are dramatically underqualified given the pay), as well as false negatives (focusing too much on indiosyncratic tech, as oppossed to focusing on general skills – people will always need to learn your specific tech stack).
So to make it clear, if you are looking to fill more advanced data science roles, the value I provide as a technical recruiter is; 1) I have a large network of highly qualified, PhD talent to help fill roles (I am a well known criminologist, if I say to one of my colleagues “hey this is a good gig and you will probably get a 50% raise” they will listen). 2) I myself am very knowledgeable of the current tech landscape. This means I can help you effectively craft the role (e.g. if your budget is limited I can say what a reasonable set of background experience is). As well as evaluate the proficiency of candidates to meet what your agency needs.
Agencies that should be interested in my services are:
- local, state, and federal public sector agencies looking to fill more advanced data science and analyst roles
- think tanks and non-profits looking to find researchers interested in their mission
- private sector agencies (especially those with a public safety or criminal justice adjacent focus), looking to hire data scientists or managerial positions
From an agency perspective, especially if you are already using recruiters, it is a no-lose situation (you only need to pay for my services if I place a person in your role). Contact me to discuss your positions, and let me help you fill that role.
If you are looking for a tech oriented individual looking for a gig reach out as well. I can help give you feedback on what roles you should be applying to, how to better prepare for the market, and match to potential gigs I know agencies need.