4 key traits to look for when hiring a Data Scientist

Plus sample questions to use in an interview

Photo by Glenn Carstens-Peters on Unsplash

Finding good Data Scientists can be a tricky task. Googling “Data Science Skills Gap” shows that in many countries around the world, companies are struggling to find suitable candidates for their ever growing Data Science needs.

A bad hiring choice can be very expensive, and as a result, it’s important to be able to vet candidates effectively, to make sure they are a good fit for the position and are going to be effective in introducing/expanding Data Science at your company.

Rigour

Understanding the source of the data one has available, along with any Data Quality issues, is imperative to producing high-quality output. When using any dataset, the first thing a Data Scientist should do is perform an in-depth statistical analysis to delve into their raw materials and avoid making any lazy assumptions.

Along with rigour, goes curiosity. A good Data Scientist will ask many questions of the data they’re working with, and before long should understand its properties, limitations, quirks and interesting internal relationships. Data, after all, describe something happening in the real world, and taking the initiative to dive into the data and discover its secrets opens up new…