Working at AnalitiQs according to data scientists Kevin O’Driscoll and Billy Griep

Working at AnalitiQs, what is it really like? The best way to find out is to ask someone who works there. This time, it’s Kevin O’Driscoll and Billy Griep, both data scientists at AnalitiQs.

Hi Billy and Kevin, can you please introduce yourselves?

‘Sure! I’m Billy and I’ve been working at AnalitiQs for approximately two years now. I studied Economics and Business Economics and followed a Master’s degree in Data Science. I work as a data engineer and develop BI dashboards. What about you, Kevin?’

‘Well, I’m Kevin. My path to AnalitiQs was a bit less straightforward. I’m Irish-American, and I used to be a high school mathematics teacher. I came to the Netherlands to pursue a Master’s degree in Data Science, on top of my bachelor’s degree in Mathematics. After graduating, I started working at AnalitiQs. I’m also a data scientist, but I work with analysis, data science, testing, and BI dashboards. I have worked in different places around the world, such as Dubai and Norway. And since I was working in education, I became interested in student datasets. Now I like the fact that I am working in the HR field.’

What do you like about working at AnalitiQs?

Kevin: ‘I’ve worked in both big and small companies, and I appreciate the small and personal nature of AnalitiQs, where there are no hierarchy or bureaucracy. The founders, Irma and Gido, are approachable and value my opinion. I also appreciate the flexibility to work on various projects, including data engineering as a data scientist. 

Billy adds: ‘I find people data fascinating and less “dry” than financial data for example. I enjoy discovering unexpected relationships that have an impact on people. Although I have a Master’s in Data Science, I sometimes feel that I lack some expertise in areas such as data engineering. Therefore, I enjoy the challenge of becoming more all-round. AnalitiQs gives me the trust to do what I think is right, so I can grow in the field.

‘I value the variety of work at AnalitiQs, such as coding and programming, as well as brainstorming with colleagues about problems and other things. I also appreciate the ability to take the initiative and suggest new ideas. No two days are the same!’

Kevin: ‘I’ve worked in both big and small companies, and I appreciate the small and personal nature of AnalitiQs, where there are no hierarchy or bureaucracy. The founders, Irma and Gido, are approachable and value my opinion. I also appreciate the flexibility to work on various projects, including data engineering as a data scientist. 

Billy adds: ‘I find people data fascinating and less “dry” than financial data for example. I enjoy discovering unexpected relationships that have an impact on people. Although I have a Master’s in Data Science, I sometimes feel that I lack some expertise in areas such as data engineering. Therefore, I enjoy the challenge of becoming more all-round. AnalitiQs gives me the trust to do what I think is right, so I can grow in the field.

‘I value the variety of work at AnalitiQs, such as coding and programming, as well as brainstorming with colleagues about problems and other things. I also appreciate the ability to take the initiative and suggest new ideas. No two days are the same!’

So, you like the content of your work. And what about the work culture?

Kevin: ‘The work culture is great, and I enjoy socializing with the team over drinks. The hiring process was fast and efficient too. It was my first interview after graduating, and I started working at AnalitiQs before I realized it!’

Billy: ‘I agree. I appreciated the friendly atmosphere during the interview process at AnalitiQs. Actually, this friendly atmosphere extends throughout the entire workplace, which allows for collaboration and socializing with colleagues. This also helps with your work, as it is a lot easier to ask colleagues for help when you have a social relationship with them.’

Can you tell us more about the assignment you do?

Billy: ‘Our customer is a big retailer, with hundreds of stores. My main responsibility is to create HR dashboards for displaying various metrics, such as workforce and sick leave. These metrics are divided into different levels, such as stores, headquarters, and management.’

‘I also analyze survey data to measure employees’ journeys and visualize the results on the dashboards. Additionally, I conduct statistical analyses to determine the drivers of employee turnover and engagement. Sometimes, I create smaller reports to address questions that are not covered by the dashboards. 

‘I work interchangeably with Kevin, and we collaborate closely with other colleagues of AnalitiQs, including the project manager and analytics translator. The focus of Kevin and me is on the technical side of the project.’

Why did the customer hire you and your colleagues?

Billy: ‘Before we created the dashboards, the company had limited insights into their data. Now they use these insights to make their decisions. The effects of those decisions are also visible in the dashboards, so they can focus on continuous improvement. 

I am also pleased that they follow up with questions regularly, which shows that they are really using the dashboards and their data. For instance, they use employee engagement analyses and can also act on information such as capacity constraints at different sites in the Netherlands. This is a significant improvement when you consider that they did not have this information before.’

‘We are both proud of what we have achieved so far. Our data standardizations have been replicated, for example, so it’s nice to see that our colleagues are really working with what we have created. There was also a technical integration with Belgium where we worked on. This involved setting up a new system, and dealing with raw data can often be a challenge.’ 

What is the most important thing you learned?

Billy: I’ve learned not to overcomplicate visuals. The easier they are to interpret, the better. The same applies to analysis. Sometimes you can make it too complex, and then you might later think, ‘What was I trying to do here?’ Or the Analytics Translator shows it to the users and gets feedback that they don’t really understand what they see on the dashboard.’

Speaking of learning, what about development and growth?

Kevin: “Working at several customers in several departments and doing all these different data tasks makes you develop very fast. We have both learned a lot about data engineering and business intelligence by doing our assignments.”

Billy adds: “We also have the opportunity to participate in a certain number of study days per year for personal and professional development, with training in both soft and hard skills. You work together with an internal coach to help you create a development plan and pursue your desired learning goals.”

Kevin: “And don’t forget online training. You can just follow a course on your own, which is very flexible.”

Is there something you don’t like?

Kevin and Billy agree on this one: ‘not much!’. Kevin: ‘Well, just like in any other company, data quality can be an issue. And no, I do not like spending most of my time chasing bad data!’ 

Billy admits: ‘What irritates me sometimes, is spending a lot of time and effort on creating the best dashboard, only to receive feedback like, “Can you make this graph yellow instead of blue?”, haha!’

Is there anything you would like to say to potential new colleagues?

When asked if they have any message for potential new colleagues, Kevin and Billy are in complete agreement: “Just apply! We both highly recommend it. The best part is definitely the team. Both our colleagues and management are approachable and accommodating, and there are plenty of opportunities for discussion.”