Data Analyst – Entry Level
Job Title – Data Analyst, Entry Level
Many companies like to take on entry level employees to work with data analysis as it allows them to train them to very specific standards as to the company’s needs concerning data, sources of data, how it is analyzed and how it is standardized.
Any entry level job will have some expectation of basic qualifications and experience, but the applicant will not be expected to have much formal training in Data Analytics.
This means that the company itself is focused on providing this training, which is good news from the applicants point of view, as to companies should be able to provide a structure and level of commitment that will ensure they are properly qualified to do the work they want to.
Description / Responsibilities
An entry-level data analyst role is likely to be a mix of formal training, informal training and specific work responsibilities within the company itself.
An employee will be expected to identify the different sources of data relevant to the business, research and analyse them so they can be translated into standardized formats that can be used throughout the company
Another important element of the role is that the employee will be expected to work across all the different units and teams within the company, and deal with other employees at all levels including senior management.
Pretty much everyone in a business or industry has some need for Data Analytics and the employee will be expected to communicate with them well, both verbally and writing.
This communication will need to be clear, simple and useful, often presenting reports in different visual formats, using a variety of business management information tools, often specific to the company or industry itself.
Data Analyst, Entry Level – Qualifications / Experience
Most companies will be looking for some basic educational qualifications, but this can vary quite considerably. Any applicant with a good grasp of the industry, and the sources of data or information relevant to that industry, is likely to be looked at positively.
An employer will also want to know that the applicant has a high degree of critical thinking skills.
This can be difficult to prove in a resume, and it may well be that the company will have different ways of trying to assess this during an interview.
Often in interviews, applicants tend to be quite reserved or quiet and unwilling to appear to forceful. If someone needs to prove they have good critical thinking skills, then they may well need to be more willing to question the employer then they would do for another type of role or job.
Hours / Shift work
Many jobs nowadays do require a degree of shift work especially in the cyber security field. If this is required, it is important that it is spelled out in the contract and clearly understood before a candidate is employed.
A contract should also spell out if compensatory times off are given for certain types of shift work i.e. working at night or weekends.
Salary / Benefits
Although an entry-level position, a starting salary should still be somewhere in the region of $25000 / 30000, depending upon the industry, company and location of the job, and whether it is hybrid or not.
The salary level may also be dependent on the candidates previous experience in the industry itself.
Training
An entry level role implies that the company or business will have some type of training program in place. It is worth the candidate making sure this is the case, what type of training there is and how much flexibility is offered to meet a candidates individual or special needs in certain areas of learning.
Location
Most job adverts will specify the location of the business. The role of data Analytics normally allows some degree of flexibility in terms of location / hybrid working. If this is not made clear in the job advert it is worth questioning the company on what their policy is, and whether or not that is likely to change in the near future.
Vetting
Some degree of vetting may be necessary, given that the candidate will have access to significant amounts of data within the company.
The level of vetting may well be determined by the title of industry the candidate is working in, with certain Industries such as defense and healthcare being more sensitive than others.
It is always worth flagging up at the outset any background issues that are likely to come up at a later date such as a criminal conviction, whether or notices particularly relevant to the role itself.
