GIS Managers - what do you look for when hiring?

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12-18-2015 06:07 PM
ChrisDonohue__GISP
MVP Alum

Given the interest and controversy in the recent topic Does GISP make a difference for GIS analysts? , it may be beneficial to hear specifically from the folks who are involved in the hiring of GIS professionals as to what they and their organizations value when choosing to hire.

Hiring is not a cut and dried science. Pragmatically, as a hiring manager, you have a limited amount of time to evaluate potential candidates.  You are tasked to fill a need and there are usually many candidates to choose from for each position.

So how do you test/vet GIS candidates?  Specifically, how do you figure out the best candidate for your organizations needs? 

  • Is a degree important?  If so, what level, and does it have to be in GIS?
  • Experience?
  • Certification(s)?
  • Candidates portfolio?
  • How the candidate interviews?
  • How the candidate performs on a test you give them?
  • Their recommendations from other professionals/professors?
  • None of the above?
  • All of the above?

What factors into your organizations decision? And overall, does the process yield good results, or are there other methods you think might be better?

Obviously this will vary by organization and position requirements, but it will educational for all if we get a cross-section of replies so folks can get a better understanding of the ways it is done.  So if you are a manager hiring for a GIS position, how do you do it?

Chris Donohue, GISP

15 Replies
ChrisDonohue__GISP
MVP Alum

Some more questions to add on the above - if your organization does testing of candidates, can you also elaborate on:

  • Does your organization do written tests?  Are these tests emailed to the candidate or taken at the workplace?
  • Do you have your candidates do a practical test - i.e. the candidate gets on a computer and works on a task in GIS? 

I thinks folks will be interested to hear the management side of GIS hiring, which offers a whole set of challenges people may not realize.

Chris Donohue, GISP

ChrisDonohue__GISP
MVP Alum

OK, time to resurrect this thread, as I think my poor choice in timing (Friday night just before the Holidays) led to a lack of response.  Hopefully it is not because there are few GIS Managers on GeoNet (thought that is possible).

GIS Hiring Managers - how do you go about deciding on a candidate to fill a position you have open?

Chris Donohue, GISP

ChadKopplin
Occasional Contributor III

Thank you for the question, I know when I have been on a hire committee, the steps that we follow are first the position is opened, then a list of job requirements and knowledge and skill questions are added to the job listing.  It is important for the candidate to answer those questions as thoroughly as possible from their education, and experience, because the application is graded electronically before a person even looks at the application.  The department will tell the state HR, to give all of the qualified applicants, to select ~5 for interviews.  So, including knowledge of not just GIS, but knowledge of the specific department and program that they are applying for will qualify the person.  During the interview the candidate may be asked scenario type questions about how they would apply GIS to the specific needs of the program.  Planning for these types of questions would help the candidate gain more points on the interview.  So, after this explanation, all of the above is looked at and can help the candidate when we are hiring someone.  Thank you once again.

ChrisDonohue__GISP
MVP Alum

Thanks for your input Chad.  The part you mentioned about knowing the specific department and program besides knowing GIS reminds me of one of your poll categories "Know the Business".  In other words, one has a better shot at a job if one can find out the role and purpose of the department and program (besides just showing one is competent in GIS).

Chris Donohue, GISP

ChadKopplin
Occasional Contributor III

That is correct and then be able to demonstrate how they would integrate or better implement GIS to meet the needs of the department or program.

JoaquinRoibal
Occasional Contributor

Chris,

great thread! As a soon to be graduate with a Master's degree in Geotechnical Engineering (NOT GIS!), these answers are PROFOUND importance for me and in preparation for my first job after graduation. I will keep an eye on this thread and look forward to more answers!

-Joaquin

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CarmenBremmer
New Contributor III

I have been shocked at how poorly people have interviewed for positions I've hired.  The first thing is go to your career center at your college and get tips.  Rarely do people write cover letters (and a form cover letter is no different than a resume in my opinion), so those who have one specific to how they would address the posted job description is important for an initial review by a hiring manger.

So to some of your specific questions:

  • Is a degree important?  If so, what level, and does it have to be in GIS? - For me, having a degree in a related field and at least some classes in GIS is important, but not necessarily a degree in GIS.  When I was in college, GIS as a major was not offered, so took all of the GIS classes they had and found a GIS internship to supplement it.
  • Experience? Really depends on the position level.  If it is entry level (btw, saying 3-5 year of experience can still be entry level), I have a heavy emphasis on courses/projects completed and actual experience is a bonus.
  • Certification(s)? I personally don't take this into account in private sector, others may.
  • Candidates portfolio? Yes - If you have a portfolio, it is a bonus.  Have your professor or employer review it though because a bad portfolio is an immediate no for me.
  • How the candidate interviews? Of course this is very important.  DO YOUR HOMEWORK! If you mentioned it in your resume or cover letter, you better be prepared to answer questions about it and have questions for the interviewer to see if it is where you would want to work.
  • How the candidate performs on a test you give them? It's very important. If you can't complete it, make sure you can explain how you would have with more time.  We do this to make sure what you say you can do you actually can do.  I'm normally hiring for a Developer/Analyst, so we do a map request and programming test.
  • Their recommendations from other professionals/professors? - Somewhat.  It's validation for the above

Good luck

JoshuaBixby
MVP Esteemed Contributor

Carmen Bremmer​, very thoughtful response, and I second most or all of your points.

One comment or point I would add is demonstrated ability to play well with others, i.e., be a team player.  The less bench depth an organization has in given roles, the more important it is for a person to be socially and organizationally aware.  The best technical and business skills aren't worth anything if they can't be applied to produce actual benefit within an organization.

RebeccaStrauch__GISP
MVP Emeritus

I would also like to add that an attitude and aptitude to continue learning and expanding your current GIS skills is a must....not just what you know right now.  GIS software and capabilities are constantly changing, and although the basics such as understanding coordinate systems, etc. are VERY important, realizing what you've learned in school isn't the end product, but just a base to build upon, (I think) is also important.   There are plenty of free or low cost training opportunities, in there aren't new skills to learn at work....

....and in this same tone...don't think you know everything about GIS just because you have a degree/cert/GISP/experience.  In my opinion, nobody knows everything  about GIS (although there are many that know a lot about some facets of GIS).   And if you ​do think​ you know everything (or your attitude is such) I would have second thoughts about you.  (this kind of plays into the team player concept)

btw - This is for those positions that I consider full-time GIS jobs, vs. the -ologist and just about every other type of job that just need the minimum to be able to do some analysis and produce maps.  Although continuing education is important in just about any field, I wouldn't expect occasional GIS users to put in that much effort to become experts.

Disclaimer...I only have one employee (but support many), and they have worked for me for about a decade.  Prior to that, I went thru several new hires, fresh out of school but, in my opinion, they liked the bright and shiny of GIS concept, and never had their heart into wanting to do GIS.  None of those stuck around very long (<2 years).  Being able see who will fit is sometimes as hard getting a job....and can be just as stressful.

EDIT: ..rather than adding another post, editing this to comment about Cole's cover letter question.  Keep in mind my relatively small hiring sample..but including other GIS staff hires.  In our Department, we do not use a HR to filter applicants for jobs like this, and instead we tend to analyze, choose and hire the applicants ourselves....based on criteria from the job class, policies, etc.  So for me, the cover letter is a summary and I read it, but I'm looking more at the resume showing actual training and experience when "scoring" the application for interviews.  Of course, if/when I look for a job, I would probably include one.  Better to have it and have it set aside then not include it and have it be a requirement.