Building Data Teams #2: Power BI Developer
Building Data Teams: a case study series sharing how DR Analytics Recruitment engages clients and sources for top data professionals.
Introduction: Setting the Scene
One Friday afternoon as the clock crept towards 2.00pm my phone rang with an unknown number. Not entirely out of the ordinary in the day of a recruiter
Me: "Hello DR Analytics Recruitment, Douglas speaking."
New Client: "Hello, is that Douglas speaking?"
Me: "Yes."
New Client: "I've spoken with x and been referred to you as need to find Power BI Developer / Data Modeler."
Me: "Absolutely you are - let's hear about the role."
Live image of me, Douglas, on the call. I do actually have red hair.
Role Brief
In short, the client was working with a large mining company - surprise surprise being in Perth - and had been engaged to translate a complicated Excel reporting sheet to Power BI for better visibility and advanced filtering. The aim was to assist with client long-term decision making.
Mapping the skills required, high-level this is what we were looking for:
Power BI experience
Report migration experience, ideally excel
Data modeling experience
Stakeholder communication expertise
After hearing the role details and discussing terms & conditions everything seemed great. We were able to craft a job description, advertisement and criteria for assessing the best fit.
However, there's always a challenge when it comes to a recruitment engagement...otherwise the company would find the employee themselves! This role was 3 months only with potential to extend...and an ASAP start. So, we needed to find that unique skillset, which if you have you're most likely employed already.
The Search
And high & low the search was. Traditional methods of advertising the role on LinkedIn and Seek were fruitless so it came down to network. Searching through our internal database and LinkedIn Recruiter where the initial starting points. There were also a few bootcamps that I knew covered this skill so graduates from those were sought out.
After a week of sourcing there were five potential individuals I'd been speaking to that were looking at changes but only two willing to consider moving.
And only one available ASAP.
Both were screened by myself and carefully assessed for fit. Both proceeded to an initial virtual interview with one coming out as the clear best choice and individual to engage.
Contract issued. Signed. Start date. And we were off.
Post-Commencement
There were a few bumps in the road post start date which we were involved in ironing out. Setting expectations for candidate output and coaching on communication was needed which we played a part in supporting. Post start date we remained involved in a mentoring capacity to ensure the work was completed.
Outcome
The project was finished successfully and before the completion date which was a positive outcome for the candidate and client. One key learning lesson to take away was ALWAYS have a testing process for Power BI based roles. There could've been a much stronger interview system if we had decided to add a 'Build a Dashboard' component which is being done for future roles.
Conclusion: The Value of the Journey
At DR Analytics Recruitment, we combine technical industry knowledge with recruitment skills to source, screen and support candidates in the data space. Asking technical questions and understanding jobs scopes is one advantage we hold. We look forward to empowering more businesses with the right data teams.
