As part of our theme Analytics Hiring Scenario, we converse with Manoj Kumar, Founder of Workplaceif, an HR analytics startup based in Bengaluru. Before Workplaceif, Kumar worked extensively in business analytics in various premier organisations such as HSBC, Fidelity Investments, Genpact and Tata Consultancy Services. He is also the winner of HR 40 Under40 award in 2017. A thought speaker and a blogger, Kumar is an advisor on future of Work, Workplace Digital Transformation and Workforce Analytics.

In this interview, Kumar shed light on how hiring is looked into the field of data analytics, and trends in this lucrative industry.

Analytics India Magazine: There is a lot of buzz about analytics, big data and AI around the industry. Do you think these are mere buzzwords or are we actually seeing an analytics revolution in the IT industry?

Manoj Kumar: Today we are experiencing Industrial Revolution 4.0, which is more or less a digital disruption. If I take you back two years ago, Industrial Revolution 1.0 was all about mechanical power, 2.0 was about electricity, 3.0 was about information technology, today we are into digital disruption which is basically merging physical, digital and biosphere together enabling us to get a large volume of data that requires huge computing power.

That is where all these techniques are coming into the picture. So, this is no more a buzz — it’s the reality. And the best part here is, it is not industry-related, it is industry agnostic.

AIM: Do you think Data Scientists are expensive and difficult to find?

MK: When it comes to being expensive, the answer is no. As I said earlier, they have been in existence quite long, only title and name has been different. We have been able to manage it that way. Are they difficult to find? The answer is yes because there is no commonly understood definition of a data scientist.

AIM: How does the analytics hiring scenario in Indian companies look like?

MK: Analytics industry has multiple folds in it. It includes reporting, building products, advanced analytics and so on. I think we bring all these three elements together in the analytics industry. I would say that 50 to 60 percent of the work analytics in India does is more around advanced and strategic reporting rather than advanced analytics. It’s picking up very fast, the future is more around getting into the data science part.

AIM: Do you think there is an imbalance between the available talent and required skill set in the analytics industry?

MK: Yes, especially if I talk from the Indian perspective, as the industry has evolved, talent has also evolved here. Today, most of the organisations are looking for such kind of talent. However, we have not been able to find the right talent which can be taken from institutes or anywhere else, to just fit into. To fill this gap, what we do from the industry perspective, when they hire people they go through their own internal program to align with the current organisational maturity level.

AIM: We see institutes advertising that their students get five or ten times their current salaries by switching to a career in analytics. Do you think that’s just an advertising gimmick or does industry appreciates the analytics talent more?

MK: If that would have been the case, there would not have been more reports where we say that there are too many MBAs unemployed. From my perspective, these are ad gimmicks rather than reality. People in analytics are paid well and it has been in existence for quite long. It’s not something new today. Institutes have to be careful selling those dreams to students. I think they should be talking about getting them competent in future skills needed in the industry rather than making a selling point on salaries.

AIM: What are the skill sets that companies are mostly looking at while hiring analytics talent?

MK: We look into two kinds of skills before hiring a person in analytics. Those are hard skills and soft skills.

AIM: Do you think a postgraduate degree or a specialisation course provides an advantage for getting hired?

MK: Yes, postgraduates bring in a lot of structured thinking in place for you. What happens is, analytics is all about solving unstructured problems in a structured way. When someone goes through these curricula, they can mainly apply them to solving problems.

AIM: What are the various initiatives that companies and educational institutions can take to set right the analytics talent flow?

MK: There are so many students coming out with a college degree but are not fit for hire from a corporate perspective. It means there is a gap between academic institutions are teaching versus what corporates are really looking at. There is only one initiative to do, that is, come together.

Academicians need to start looking into their curriculum and align it to what industry is looking forward to. On the other side, industries should start to send their own experts into academia. These experts can take masterclasses to these students so that the gap is bridged.

AIM: What are the three must-have skills that you look for while hiring a candidate?

MK: I give more credit to soft skills, learnability, adaptability and solving unstructured problems in a structured way. When I say learnability, what it means is, as digital disruptions are happening, technology is changing everyday. Can a person really learn new skills to upgrade his/her own skills to match it to industry practices? Adaptability is more about understanding the culture, adapting and making it work for them.

AIM: What would you advise freshers who are looking to start a career in analytics?

MK: Analytics is not about data scientists. There are many more rules in analytics which you should really be aspiring to work into. It is important to understand your restraints and aspirations and align with it. To me, one of the roles I liked in analytics is the translator role. A person who can understand data science, as well as business, can convert complexity in data science into easy to understand language for the business line. So, your restraints and aspirations are key to your role.

AIM: What is your advice to experienced professionals, who are now looking to transition into analytics.

MK:One advice I would like to give to people who are experienced. Learn what you know today and figure out what exactly it does from the future perspective and then opting it in the field.

AIM: Would you like to share any interesting experience you have had during interviewing an Analytics Professional?

MK: There was an opportunity to speak to one of the individuals who was coming from IT and looking to get into analytics. When I had a conversation, he doubted whether he would be able to fit into analytics or not, because he was coming from IT background. I must really congratulate that individual. Today after three years, he is one of the aspirants in the ML program of my ex-organisation where he adopted due techniques and technology. The skills he brought from the IT perspective to strengthen and adapt to the new area of analytics. I must say, at that point in time, he was not really a sure-shot. He was confident, I was confident and we really made that happen.

The post Industry-Academia Alignment Will Fill The Significant Talent Gap In Analytics, Says Manoj Kumar Of Workplaceif appeared first on Analytics India Magazine.