Technical skills scrutinized

At easyDBA we recognise the challenge of finding the right person for the right position in a fast moving and diverse industry.

Generalist IT recruiters usually focus on social skills and/or experience of candidates much more than on their technical skills, just because they are simply missing the necessary knowledge to evaluate the profiles on a technical basis and identify the ones matching the requirements of the target position (more details in “Your Qualifications first !”).

At easyDBA, the database technology is our daily challenging job! By applying proprietary processes and specialist talent management, we identify individual's competencies and motivations - matching IT job seekers with the right technical skills and culture in a long-term performance.

Whatever the level of competencies of the person you want to hire (junior DB specialist, DB specialist or senior DB specialist), we do have the necessary expertise to recognize the profiles matching closely your needs.

Hiring a Database Developer

Database developers design and maintain complex databases. They develop applications or libraries accessing databases and they may train other software developers in the organization on how to access optimally a database and how to make the best use of its contents.

In addition to an in-depth understanding of software development methodologies, programming languages and software integration, database technology proficiency is required to work as a database engineer. Database expertise for a database developer should include at least conceptual database design and data manipulation techniques.

Hiring a Database Administrator

The primary role of the Database Administrator (DBA) is to adminster, maintain and implement the policies and procedures necessary to ensure the security and integrity of the database(s). The first skill expected from a DBA is its ability to evaluate the corporate needs in terms of database technology: the required database management system (DBMS) and storage technology, database sizing, etc. It is then its responsability to perform the installation and the configuration of the DBMS with the help of the system administrator regarding pure system tasks. Typical DBA activities are:

• Refining the physical design to meet system storage requirements
• Installing, testing new versions of the DBMS, and updating/upgrading the DBMS
• Monitoring performance and managing parameters to provide an optimal system response
• Controlling access permissions and privileges
• Monitoring user access and security and controlling access permissions and privileges
• Developing, managing and testing back-up and recovery plans
• Ensuring that storage and archiving procedures are properly performed
• Storage and processing capacity planning

Security and disaster recovery are becoming more and more important aspects of the work. Indeed, in some environment where the system downtime is too critical, the disaster recovery should be fully effective and under the total control of the DBA.

Different businesses will have different database needs and diverse requirements. Depending on the company size and its needs, the role of the DBA can either be highly specialized or incredibly diverse (DB programming, system administration, application installation, etc.).

Since technology is constantly changing, nowadays companies give more credence to an applicant's technical skills and professional project portfolio than to their degree, but degrees are often required for entry-level positions.