So, you’re on the hunt for a job in the IT industry. You visit the websites and social media pages of top companies. You are neither a designer nor a coder. So, another job title catches your eye: Data Analyst. Sounds simple enough, right? It’s not like you don’t have a degree. How to become a data analyst? What does a data analyst do?
You check out the job description. Collects data, processes and presents it in an organized manner that will provide the necessary insights for important business decisions. Hmmm, probably trickier than you first thought, huh?
No worries. Here we have two of LegalMatch Philippines’ senior data analysts to basically answer the question: What makes a Good Data Analyst?
They Test and Use Multiple Tools
LR has been working with LegalMatch for a few years now. As a senior data analyst for Marketing, he uses 3 tools: Looker, MS Excel, and Salesforce. Looker is what he mainly uses to get raw data. Salesforce is also a source of data but with focus on sales. Excel is for further analyzing the data. All three offer varying levels of visualization, with different charts to show different data types.
“I studied and tested several tools including Insights, but I chose Looker. It has unlimited rows for data and can be connected to our database for easy access,” says LR, comparing Looker to its rival business intelligence tool.
But knowledge of tools is just partly the answer to the question at hand. LR cites the following necessary traits of a good data analyst: likes math, highly capable of logic, can be adaptable, and practices critical thinking. After all, a tool is only as good as the person who wields it.
They Possess the Right Attitude
RN, a Senior Sales Operations Data Analyst in LegalMatch Philippines, echoes LR’s views.
“Knowledge and skills are just 20%. Attitude makes 80% of being a good data analyst,” he says.
He explains that knowledge and skills at using tools will evolve over time and job experience. But being curious and eager to learn and investigate cause and effects are personal attitudes that should be possessed long before even acquiring either.
According to RN, data analysts must be ready to pivot to new tools as work requirements often shift. Right now, he uses Looker at times for data generation. But, more often, he utilizes Power BI to create reports and track sites and Python for data modeling and machine learning to get predictions.
For companies like LegalMatch, there is too much online data that needs to be tracked. In marketing, messages are ineffective if they are not organized and targeted properly. Meanwhile, in sales, there are patterns that cannot be seen immediately, unless they are quantified and qualified. Data analysts like RN and LR thus support their sales and marketing teams to determine where their efforts had more impact and work from there.
They Maintain Work-Life Balance
Both LR and RN at the end of their interviews are asked what they do outside of work. Both change their tone instantly from formal to friendly. RN shares that if he isn’t on badminton games with friends, he is still online, doing short courses on anything that catches his fancy, such as financial literacy. LR, on the other hand, hops on his mountain bike every weekend. Taking to the highland trails relaxes his mind but also ensures that his body remains energetic for a new work week.
This is why LegalMatch Philippines encourages work-life balance. The tools and attitude may make a good data analyst. But keeping the body and mind healthy will make sure they go a good and long way.