It's because "data science" doesn't mean anything. People call themselves "data scientists" after they've set up a toy Hadoop cluster between their desktop and

It's because "data science" doesn't mean anything. People call themselves "data scientists" after they've set up a toy Hadoop cluster between their desktop and their laptop, and the meaning, expectations, and responsibilities associated with the title vary from organization to organization, much like "business analyst". Some people think that anyone who uses a SQL RDBMS doesn't qualify as a "data scientist" and that the role is limited to people who have experience in "big data". In general, if you want better applicants for this type of position, your job description should be explicit about the actual activities associated with the job, you should post it where people who know how to do those things hang out, and you should make sure it's apparent that you're willing to compensate well. You'll still get plenty of bad applicants, because every job posting does, but this should help refine it a little bit and clue in some good people that you're worth applying for. So the answer to your question is basically "Well, what is a 'data scientist'?"