During my time at Spotify, I’ve reviewed thousands of resumes and interviewed hundreds of people. Lots of them were rejected but lots of them also got offers. Finally, I’ve also had my share of offers rejected by the candidate.

Erik Bernhardsson

A seasoned engineering leader at Spotify shares hard-won lessons on building a data team, covering every stage from employer branding and sourcing candidates to interviewing, hiring decisions, and team composition. Key insights include prioritizing programming fluency and big-picture thinking over theoretical credentials, the importance of a well-structured interview process to impress senior candidates, how to tailor your pitch to each candidate's background, and the risks of monoculture in early-stage teams. The post also touches on diversity math and the value of letting candidates meet their future teammates before accepting an offer.

How to build up a data team (everything I ever learned about recruiting)