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Hiring Data Engineers in Europe: Nicolas Rassam on Interviews, Skills & Career Switches

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Hiring Data Engineers in Europe: Nicolas Rassam on Interviews, Skills & Career Switches

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Episode Overview

How do you hire data engineers in Europe today — and what should candidates and hiring managers actually focus on during interviews? In this episode, Nicolas Rassam, a Senior Talent Acquisition Partner at Helsing with 10+ years scaling AI and engineering teams at Onfido and Criteo, walks through the practical realities of hiring data engineers across Europe’s competitive, borderless market.

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Nicolas Rassam

Chapter Summary

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0:00 - Episode Opening & Guest Welcome
1:15 - Guest Background and Career Path
3:12 - Onfido Role & European Hiring Footprint
3:40 - Roles Recruited: Data, ML & Research Spectrum
4:33 - European Tech Market Differences
6:15 - Borderless Recruitment and Competition Dynamics
6:59 - Episode Focus: Why Data Engineering Matters Now
7:48 - Tech vs Business Balance and Training Gaps
11:06 - Data Science Misconceptions and Data Quality Dependence
13:14 - Rising Demand for Data Engineering and Modern Tooling
16:00 - Recruiter Technical Literacy: Big-Picture Knowledge
18:47 - Hiring Challenges: Titles, Experience Mismatch, Demand
20:57 - Evaluating Transferable Experience from Software/BI Roles
22:55 - Expectations by Level: Junior → Senior Responsibilities
26:38 - Typical Interview Process and Level-Based Assessments
30:39 - Career Switchers: Internships, Projects, and Focused Skills
31:16 - Resume Essentials: SQL, Python, Problems & Outcomes
35:07 - Transition Strategy: Team Structure and Role Selection
39:41 - Cloud Fundamentals: Tool-Agnostic Conceptual Knowledge
41:50 - Infrastructure & DevOps Skills: When They Matter
44:35 - Interview Prep: Research Company and Explain Projects Clearly
48:13 - Targeted Applications vs. Spray-and-Pray Approach
50:45 - Hiring Without Degrees: Skills, Projects, Continuous Learning
54:25 - Standout Project Examples: First Pipelines & Privacy Work
55:53 - Portfolio & GitHub: Shareable Work and Storytelling
58:05 - Industry Fit: Domain Knowledge for Regulated Data
1:00:59 - Follow-up Resources: Webinars and Further Reading
1:01:38 - Episode Close and Final Tips