Best Blogs of June

Our Best Blogs of June post includes stories on the demand for data engineers, advice on how to structure teams and tips to use in a negotiation. That’s a lot of great stuff to read when you’re waiting for the backyard grill to heat up!

The Desperate Need for Data Engineers

According to an analysis of millions of job postings by Burning Glass, a data engineer is the most in-demand tech job right now, with an increase of more than 88 percent increase in postings over the past 12 months.

Other top jobs in the analysis included “computer scientist”, “actuary” and “video game designer”.

As businesses attempt to gather and analyze data to gain business insights, the need for data-related talent will only rise. Organizations are desperate for people who can crunch numbers, and yet these companies don’t want just anyone with basic tech skills. They’re increasingly looking for specialists with a deep understanding of particular techniques and industries.

Read the whole story here.

How You Should Structure Your Next Team

When business leaders design a team or even an organization, they often based their design around something abstract, like a specific vision. This approach involves laying out what you’re attempting to accomplish, and then the way you want to go about doing it. Once the work begins, however, that initial vision is rarely revisited.

The other approach that leaders often take is to design around the product or service being offered. However, if too much of a design is oriented around an offering, it doesn’t adequately consider change or evolution, which is particularly an issue in the tech industry.

Instead, the essential challenge of designing a team is sizing. A team that is properly sized understands how to work together and individually to accomplish remarkable things. When leaders design too rigidly, a set size can lead to churn loss of individuals who know how to work together with the organization.

Read the whole story here.

Negotiation Tips You Should Follow

Negotiation shouldn’t be about ‘winning’. It should be about coming to the conclusion that mostly works for all parties involved.

Negotiation is about compromise and understanding. The idea is to walk away from these types of discussions feeling satisfied about the outcome moving forward.

Listening is the most valuable tool in any negotiation, as it ensures you correctly understand where the other party or person is coming from. The more you understand the position of the other person, the more able you are to reach an agreement. Attempting to get a good deal without understanding the position of your negotiating partner is like trying to hit a baseball in the dark.

It’s also important to know what you want and the different ways you can go about getting it. For instance, if you’re looking to earn a higher pay rate, but you don’t need more money right away, you could ask for a higher rate that gets phased in or that doesn’t start right away.

Read the whole story here.