Lack of technical people on marketplace?

Bluebirdman_of_Alcathays

InsideInsurance wrote: »

It was a Data Analyst rather than DBA but still, you have to know SQL to get the data to be able to analyse it.

Been a year so cannot remember all of them but they were typically:

Explain the difference between an inner and outer join?
When would you use a cross join?
What is a natural key?
How do you write statement to return the number of times a data element is within a field of a table (ie how do you write a count statement)?
What is the difference between a logical and physical model?

The rest of the DA type questions were about how you'd approach validating data when you know all sources have issues and/ or are incomplete

Crikey, I'm an accountant and I can answer all apart from the last of the SQL questions. I would have thought basic SQL would be required for a BA these days.

peter999

ben_m_g wrote: »

All too familiar Davis, I rang up a recruiter who told me (after much chasing)that I didn't have the required statistical software knowledge they needed.

I stated that; I do, it is in the first paragraph of my CV, and that I am an administrator of a near identical if not more complicated software, and am currently leading an installation project for a very well known company.

She said; sorry they have gone with another applicant.

Lot of recruiters and agency staff just don't have a clue.

peter999

Gavin83 wrote: »

What sort of SQL questions were you asking? I'd expect a DBA to be able to answer these with ease and I'd have expected even entry level IT staff to have a basic understanding of SQL.

Shame really, I'd have done that job.

But why, depends what you mean by "IT", hardware, software, lots of languages and skill sets, all of these or combination

Anyone using word "IT" in a professional field should be shot, as it means nothing.

BigAunty

Where are you advertising this vacancy?

DKLS

Seems a very odd JD to have dogsbody and techie tasks in the same role I can see the difficulty in attracting the right person.

I can echo the fantastic opportunity emails and calls, I had one today which began the usual, I found you on linked in and you have the perfect mix of skills and experience for this awesome role with my awesome client. Which turned out to be delivering a 5 million quid project all on my own for 32k a year with access to a pool car :j

He didn't seem impressed when my reaction was :rotfl:

InsideInsurance

Bluebirdman_of_Alcathays wrote: »

Crikey, I'm an accountant and I can answer all apart from the last of the SQL questions. I would have thought basic SQL would be required for a BA these days.

There are none technical BA who focus more on process design etc but these were all people claiming to have extensive experience with data.

Unfortunately you cannot be confrontational in interviews but it was tempting to ask how the hell they achieved what they claimed on their CV if they cannot even write basic queries.

robatwork

I can't possibly respond to all the queries on this thread (too busy unpacking boxes) but am grateful for all the responses, so thanks.

It's obvious a lot of people here work for bigger companies where a round peg does a round hole job, likewise square. Some companies just have a big hole and an amorphous peg - although I could be stretching the analogy somewhat. We all move boxes, help load cars with PCs, even crawl round on the floor connecting our own patch cables. I would even expect someone senior to make tea.

We have had some interest and have had a couple of interesting candidates, with 99% accurate CVs when it comes to apostrophes. I must be old fashioned, but knowing its from it's isn't difficult. None of these people claim any issues with some "mundane" work along with the subtle thrill of a router port forward.

I will keep you informed if anyone's interested...

diable

What was the salary on offer?

Gavin83

diable wrote: »

What was the salary on offer?

I second this. I asked earlier in the thread but it wasn't answered.

I don't actually think your problem is with the mundane part. The way you worded a previous post suggests to me your company has said 'the job is half manual labour, half IT' and pitched the salary somewhere between the two. If you want someone experienced with a good skill set then you need to be paying a rate at that of the higher paid job. In other words I'd expect your job advert to be paying the same as someone expected to only do IT.

Why would someone choose your company at a reduced salary when they could work elsewhere for more?

Pennywise

Doing the mundane is all part and parcel of working for a small firm. It's a completely different workplace to larger organisations. Basically, everyone has to muck in and do things outside the straight-jacket of their job title. Probably why it's so hard for people to swap between large and small employers. People working in smaller firms usually need a broader range of skills, but in less depth, so more need for a good all-rounder and less need for specialists.

I'm a qualified accountant and have done making the tea, vacuuming, counting change, shredding, going to the bank, going to the post office, filing, archiving, collecting/delivering client paperwork. It's just part of the job in a small firm. If someone isn't prepared to muck in, then they aren't the right person to work in a small firm.

If you can't offer the going rate of pay, then you have to market the job on other grounds, such as flexible hours, less travelling time/costs, career progression, etc.