Career Advancement for Veteran Web Analysts

June DershewitzMay 4, 2010

Career Advancement for Veteran Web Analysts

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• 12 Years in Web Analytics• 8 Different Roles (so that’s 18 months/role)• Client, Vendor and Consulting Experience

• Currently VP of Analytics at Semphonic• WAA Board Member• WAW Co-Founder• Also a blogger, twitterer, writer, speaker … and

still a hands-on web analyst

June’s Story

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What does it mean to be a veteran web analyst?

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We Are Experienced

“… only 47% said they had fewer than three years’ experience in WA. Last year, that number was 62%. And the number who said they were 10-years plus practitioners doubled, from 5% last year to 10% this year. In 2010, WA professionals will have more expertise and more experience than before.”

Among WAA 2010 Outlook Survey respondents:

2008 20090%

10%20%30%40%50%60%70%80%90%

100%

WA Experience Level

0-3 yrs 4-9 yrs 10+ yrs

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“The average tenure for a professional in the

online marketing space is just over 18 months. That is 18 total months as an employee at the company…”

- Corry Prohens, IQ Workforce blog, January 2010 http://www.iqworkforce.com/blog/2010/01/11/11-tips-for-successful-interviewing/

We Get Around

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How should a veteran – experienced, job-hopping –

web analyst handle career advancement?

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Choose Your Own Adventure

http://www.flickr.com/photos/paxtonholley/4479074774

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Find Your Favorite “Segment”Several possible routes, each with pros and cons:• Client: Management opportunities but

potentially limited variety• Vendor: Naturally tool-focused• Consulting Firm: Plenty of variety but can be

hectic• Independent: Ultimately flexible but no

stability

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Seek out growth opportunities in areas like:• Marketing: Get an MBA, focus on campaigns

and search• Business Intelligence: Develop general BI skills

such as SAS, databases, CRM• Emerging Fields: Social and mobile• Management : Client-side web analysts can

move up within the same organization by establishing credibility and knowledge

Combat the Glass Ceiling

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• Your choice will always be a cross-section of:

Plan Your Next Move

Passion

OpportunitiesSkills

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Source: wordle.com + indeed.comCloud based on search for “web analytics” $120k+ job descriptions

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Thank you!

June Dershewitzjune@semphonic.comblog: june.typepad.comtwitter: @jdersh

May 4, 2010