On finding & retaining data and technology talent

###A guide to finding, hiring, and retaining data talent

Focus on the data people.

You don’t need computer scientists to build government apps or to try new technologies and development tactics. Similarly, you don’t need data scientists or statisticians to develop your team’s analytic capabilities and abilities -- but you do need to find and/or hire people with the basic skills to take on this kind of work, if your goal is to use data and tech in service of your community.

The question becomes: Where do you look, and who do you look for? Internally, can you find staff who might be able to take on data work? Externally, how do you attract people who otherwise wouldn’t think to work in government? Moreover, once you’ve built your team, how do you retain those team members?