Business intelligence encompasses the various tools, applications and techniques enable companies to derive usable information from raw data. These techniques and applications are designed to gather, analyze, store and access data; with the aim of enabling enterprise users to make better and more informed business decisions. Business intelligence systems and personnel are therefore essential in:
- Profiling customers
- Providing customer support
- Conducting market research
- Market segmentation
- Determining the profitability if products
- Inventory and distributions analysis
- Statistical analysis
An effective headhunter recognizes that in any company, the role of business intelligence professionals is to identify and analyze significant events, monitor trends; with the aim of enabling the company to adapt to change and thrive consistently.
Skills and Qualities of a Business Intelligence Professional
1. Broad Perspective
Most of the professionals working at any company need to adopt a micro-perspective in order to focus on their tasks and manage their departments effectively. This is not true for the business intelligence department. Orlando headhunters look for professionals who adopt a macro-mindset. This broad thinking means that the professional is able to analyze massive amounts of data and determine what is relevant not only to their department, but to the entire company.
2. Technical Skills and Knowledge
When sourcing for a professional to fill a position in business intelligence, Orlando headhunters are very keen on technical skills. The reason for this is that the position requires a lot of industry-specific know-how. Some of the areas in which the professional needs to be proficient include:
- Basic programming skills: Essential in order to understand scripting language
- Relational databases: The purpose of these is to identify how different items of information are related to one another and consequently, to the company
- SQL: This is the standardized language that professionals use while requesting information from databases.
- Key reporting software in the market
- Analytical skills: This describes the ability of the professional to derive positive business actions and outcomes from raw data and information
3. Adaptable
Business intelligence seeks to analyze trends that are constantly changing. For this reason, Orlando headhunters source for candidates who are easily adaptable to change, and who are then able to bring the company along for the ride. This requires leadership and communications skills. As a leader, the business intelligence professional needs to effectively and consistently integrate technology, processes and personnel in order to deliver value for the company.
Being adaptable to change also includes being able to make sound decisions on their feet. These decisions often have a major impact on the company and it is therefore important to the headhunter that the professional have a demonstrated capacity, having been required to undertake a similar undertaking in the past.
Orlando headhunters are keen to study the candidate’s track record in addition to the qualities that he/she demonstrates throughout the recruitment process. Business intelligence focuses on results and as such, the candidate needs to demonstrate that they can do the job effectively. They can do this by showing some of their past work, or by preparing a presentation, with concrete examples, on how their business intelligence skills would be useful to the company.