What are the hottest jobs right now? We recently published the 25 Best Jobs in America for 2016, ranking jobs according to three key factors that make up the “Glassdoor Job Score”: earning potential, career opportunities, and number of job openings.*
While this list helps job seekers identify which careers to consider, recruiters should also be paying attention. Jobs that appear on this list reveal where you may need to double down your recruiting efforts due to increased competition, or where your company may be missing out by not having strong hires in these roles. After all, the purpose of any position is to create value for the business.
We’re taking a closer look at six jobs on our list, including the key abilities to recognize when hiring for one of these roles, and how they can help your organization move ahead in 2016. And, note that while many of these roles are traditionally thought of as tech roles, companies across all industries are hiring for these positions currently - just another reason why they made our Best Jobs for 2016 list.
Data scientist has ruled as one of the hottest jobs for years, thanks to the high demand, high salary and great career opportunities. There are currently 1,763 open data scientist positions, the average salary is $116,840 and the career opportunities rank at a 4.1/5.
Not only are tech companies scrambling to hire data scientists, but industries across the board are also searching for this talent. As companies collect more and more data on their operations and customer behavior, they depend on data scientists to analyze this data, find insights that enable smarter business decisions and improve operational processes.
Data scientists usually have a Master’s Degree or PhD and understand data mining techniques, statistical methods, machine learning, data visualization, and have experience with programming and relational databases. The top data scientists are strong communicators, using storytelling techniques to translate often obscure technical knowledge to a non-technical audience.
Often found in a marketing function, the analytics manager looks at performance data from a variety of systems to optimize business functions and/or media investment. The old adage “you can’t manage what you don’t measure” is the very reason the analytics manager exists. By reporting on performance measures, they help create efficiencies by spotting inefficiencies.
Like the data scientist, they must have strong technical knowledge to oversee scheduled reporting and perform ad-hoc queries but must also be able to translate the insights into recommendations that drive business results.
QA, or Quality Assurance, is an essential function in the production of any hardware or software product. QA Managers systematically test each aspect of the product before its release, report on any defects or bugs, and provide recommendations for improvements in usability and reliability. They think critically about how customers will interact with the product, and turn those thoughts into action items.
The best QA managers are skilled at building consensus among product managers and engineers to move their recommendations forward. Without the quality assurance function, products can be buggy or fail to meet important customer needs, affecting bottom-line results.
Without a product manager, a company’s products can fail to meet market needs, suffer from constant production delays or bugs, or simply not work as intended. The product manager’s job starts with understanding market needs. Then they plan the product roadmap and write product requirements. During the product development process, they collaborate with engineering as well as customers to make sure the product meets technical requirements and customer needs.
They also work with marketing and product marketing to ensure that the product is communicated about accurately. In short, the Product Manager holds the product vision and ensures its execution.
While product manager ensures the product gets made, the product marketing manager ensures people know about it so that it sells. Product marketing managers plan product launches, develop collateral, attend tradeshows, and often speak publicly about the product. They might work closely with the sales and marketing function to make sure they understand the product and are armed with compelling messages that communicate product features and benefits.
Now that more than 60% of digital time is spent on a mobile device, creating mobile applications is more important than ever for companies that make digital products or want to reach digital consumers. Mobile development positions are usually divided between Android and iOS applications.
Developers must understand multiple programming languages and how to integrate applications with server-side technology. The best mobile developers always keep the user in mind so that apps need less time in QA.
If you’re unsure what to look for when hiring for popular positions, be sure to do competitive research on Glassdoor to review other company’s job requirements. Also, read interview reviews of your own company and others to evaluate what candidates experience in the interview process.
Download our eBook, 25 Tips to Build a Recruiting Strategy, to learn how to attract quality candidates like these with an authentic career site, using mobile and incorporating social media best practices.
*Methodology: Glassdoor’s 25 Best Jobs in America report identifies specific jobs with the highest overall Glassdoor Job Score. The Glassdoor Job Score is determined by weighing three factors equally: earning potential (median annual base salary), career opportunities rating, and number of job openings. Results represent job titles that rate highly among all three categories. The Glassdoor Job Score is based on a 5-point scale (5.0=best job, 1.0=bad job). For a job title to be considered, it must receive at least 75 salary reports and at least 75 career opportunities ratings shared by U.S.-based employees over the past year (1/8/15-1/7/16). The number of job openings per job title represents active job listings on Glassdoor as of 1/8/16. This report takes into account job title normalization that groups similar job titles.
