10 Explore & Engage: Be a People Analytics Consumer

Set a goal to consume some form of people analytics content every day. This can be as focused or broad as you like. If you are still figuring out your interest in the field, get as many different sources as you can. If you have a particular industry or a focus area you are interested in (like learning, recruiting, or diversity analytics), that’s great too. But don’t JUST consume. Keep a notebook of what you learned, observed, and didn’t understand from each item.

• Action – Consume existing content: This activity will be the easiest to coordinate and fit into your life when things get hectic. Dedicate a small portion of your day to consuming people analytics content in any format (article, video, podcast, training, book, etc.).
  • Take notes – Take notes during and immediately after.
  • Summarize – At the end of each week, write a summary of what you consumed in your notebook. Include in your summary what the items you consumed had in common, how they differed, and each point where they contradicted or supported each other.
• Action – Learn from those living it: When you have the opportunity, attend conferences, webinars, and/or meetup events. There are some larger People Analytics conferences around the world and many smaller meetup groups in certain cities. You can also join a community online. Search for events happening near you or communities to join and plan ahead.
  • Take notes – After each event (or review of a online forum) create a summary of what was said/shared. List common themes mentioned by multiple people. Write down any questions you now have about topic(s) from the activities.
  • Tip – Be sure to gather names and contact info for people you learned from or met! These are great resources for future learning opportunities.
• Action – Watch the magic as it happens: Get yourself invited to any meeting or project presentation where analysis or data about the organization is being discussed. It doesn’t need to be related to people analytics, any topic or type of data is a great learning opportunity.
  • Take notes – Write a summary of what was said/shared. For each summary indicate: what analysis was used, how it was displayed/shared, what problem or question was it addressing, and what you thought was done particularly well or poorly.
  • Summarize – After every 3-5 meetings review your notebook and list any patterns you see. (For example, are some types of analyses better received than others? Do the presenters always seem to get the same types of questions? What did they all do well? Poorly?)

Helpful tips on what to consume during your journey:

• When you are just starting out and looking to consume existing content, focus on case studies that share what specific organizations are doing, explainer pieces, or descriptions of analyses used in people analytics. These will be more beneficial to you than opinion pieces.
• Worried about time? Prioritize short items. Or, break items up into smaller pieces (like reading for just 10 minutes from a book each day). If you must, you can pick a smaller goal, like one article a week.
• There are so many people analytics articles out there! You won’t be able to read them all, even with a daily commitment. Try following Insight222’s monthly roundup of the best people analytics articles on their blog on MyHRFuture.com. It curates a great selection of articles for you every month.

Bonus Action – Start using the data you consume.

Let’s say someone asks you a question, you have a decision to make or you have a presentation or interview coming up. Go back through your notebook to look for insights related to the topic that you can use. And, when you have the opportunity to research things – even if it’s only 5 minutes – get in the habit of always consuming some form of outside information before taking a stance on a particular item.

Being a consumer may seem almost too simplistic and so it often gets skipped in our busy hectic world. The more you proactively consume information, the more likely you will already have the necessary information available to you when you need it. You’ll be surprised by the number of times something will come up in a meeting, job interview, or other instance where what you previously consumed will apply. That will be your time to shine as the informed expert with ideas to share that you are.