A Data Pro’s HR director Milena Ilieva shares her opinion about the essence of working in the information-intensive industry.
More and more businesses and organizations use media monitoring services mainly because of the constant flow of information online and the impossibility of managing that amount of data on your own. That is the reason why data gathering, data processing, and analyzing are becoming sought-after qualities in various industries. The need for data analysts will undoubtedly increase in the following years. Their role in the industry will also become more valuable.
What are knowledge-intensive services?
Knowledge-intensive services are used in various industries – from IT to business and marketing consulting to data analysis. At A Data Pro, knowledge-intensive services can be divided into three groups.
The first one is risk management, where most of the clients are from banking or the finance sector. Usually, such organizations are looking for data that will allow them to make better data-driven decisions connected to the regulations in their respective industry.
The second group is about the media monitoring sector. In most cases, media monitoring is concerned with measuring a company’s reputation. Companies can use that information to manage their reputation, prevent any PR crises, perfect their customer service, and understand how well they are using social media, and traditional media channels.
The third group is about how we process and structure information to make it useful for the clients and their decision-making process. Sometimes our clients need services that help them make sense of data, aggregate it, and structure it to use it in their business analysis.
What are the requirements for research analysts?
Work in the information-intensive service industry is very diverse, but most analysts have similar work profiles. The most important requirement for research analysts in the sector is language proficiency in English and at least one other language.
Having additional qualifications is always an advantage, especially if working in the risk management department. Analysts in that department can use their knowledge in finance or law to manage and analyze information more effectively.
That, however, is not a requirement to do the job but rather a plus. For analysts in the media monitoring department, education in communications, human resources, or marketing can be very useful. The most important requirement for every analyst in the industry is the skill to research thoroughly through vast amounts of information.
While it may sound like a simple task, it’s not that easy. For this reason, A Data Pro is determined to invest in training and education of new additions to the company to ensure that analysts do their best. In addition, the company has contracts with universities around Bulgaria that help find new talents and motivate them to broaden their job qualifications.
What does a research analyst do?
The work of a research analyst revolves around researching large volumes of information from various sources daily. The main goal of the work is to determine the credibility of the data and deliver it as reports or newsletters. Analysts also summarize their findings and insights in an easy-to-read way.
Working in the information-intensive service industry is very dynamic, and usually, every day on the job is different in one way or another. This is the reason why information flows at an immense speed and analysts have to quickly decide which content is most valuable and serves the client’s needs.
The quick flow of information is also one of the challenges in the industry. The constant flow of articles, blog posts, social media posts, or online comments only makes the job more challenging, because it’s harder to find relevant information between irrelevant or even fake news. That being said, there are many ways to limit spam, so that analysts can do their job without many difficulties.
“The work is extremely dynamic. I would say that no two days are the same for our analysts. Every piece of news could severely change the information flow both in terms of volume and focus. Therefore, working as an analyst is always interesting. However, this position also requires you to be able to quickly adapt to the shifting environment and to make an adequate decision based on the client’s data.”
The role of technology
Technology is a huge part of the information-intensive service industry. Analysts need advanced AI technology to find relevant sources of information and limit irrelevant results to do their job faster and more efficiently. Here’s where we can ask the question of whether AI will one day replace humans in the field of media research and analysis.
Most specialists say that AI will be mostly used when filtering and structuring information so that analysts can quickly find relevant facts needed for the research. Also, technology is most likely to replace repeatable tasks such as copying data and putting it into documents. That will allow analysts to spend valuable time on more important tasks such as analysis.
However, it’s worth mentioning that the relationship between humans and technology is two-sided. Technology “learns” from what people do with algorithms, and humans learn from automation too. That is the principle of “human-in-the-loop” used at A Data Pro as well.
A look into the future
The need for information-intensive services will increase shortly. Companies and organizations need monitoring services more and more in recent years due to the ever-increasing flow of information. Data gives companies the opportunities to make data-driven decisions or even forecasts. That being said, research analysts will need advanced technical understanding and research abilities alongside excellent language expertise.
Soft skills are also a contributing factor, especially after the COVID-19 pandemic. Analysts need to communicate on various channels such as email or in person. The ability to adapt and learn quickly is also key to success in information-based services.
A Data Pro considers supporting analysts with educational courses and training to be crucial for the company’s success. Not only that but promoting work flexibility is key when it comes to achieving a balance between work life and personal life. A Data Pro supports the hybrid work model, where employees decide which place is best to work. That allows employees to increase their productivity and efficiency during work.
This text is based on an interview with Digitalk. Read the original article here.
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