Job hunting in the present time has become challenging and time-consuming for many graduates. Universities and middle colleges are churning out thousands of graduates in many career fields.
However, with the right strategies, you can stand out from the crowds and get yourself hired by the best employers on the globe.
Among the highly sought-after professionals are experts in data science. It’s projected that job openings for data science will grow by at least 50% in the next few years. The growth in demand for these professionals is attributed to:
So, to give you a good head start, whether you’re a fresh graduate from college or are seeking greener pastures, here are some tips that can help you land a job in data science:
If you want to market yourself in the best fashion possible, the best starting point is your Resume. Your resume needs to reflect everything good about you. This means all your past professional experience, educational qualifications, and any detail that can help your case.
Working with an experienced platform like Arc Resumes can help you create a resume that will be professional and help attract the right kind of attention from employers.
COVID-19 has deconstructed the traditional strategy that employers have been using in recruitment processes. The requirement for social distancing is shifting many recruiters to virtual employer branding, assessment tools, and outreach. Because of this, you should create your presence in the following areas:
The first thing the employer will see is your profile picture, which creates the first impression. Upload a professional image, write a bio optimized with relevant SEO keywords, and something that encapsulates your prior experiences.
To increase your chances of getting seen on this platform, you can study more data analyst resume LinkedIn tips and look into some templates that can help you build your online resume.
Place this information on your website. You can also create a GitHub portfolio showcasing recent projects you’ve accomplished.
While your college degree will suffice, you can increase your chances of getting hired by gaining more data skills through online courses. For applicants in the field of data science, employers typically prefer those with a degree in computer science, statistics, applied mathematics, economics, or other related courses.
However, during interviews, most employers look for candidates with more skills and experience than candidates with countless degrees. Take advantage of the setup you have now and earn yourself more certifications. You can earn the following skills by studying data science:
Maintain your relationships and connections with your coursemates or even other professionals who have been in the data science field for a long time. Through this, you can land yourself good referrals or stay updated on opportunities around.
Many times, the real challenge is securing your first entry-level job. Therefore, having a web of good connections can work miracles for you.
Networking may not yield an immediate outcome, but it can be extremely helpful in the long run. To increase your network, attend the right events and contact individuals working in your company of interest.
Many professionals in this field deal with business data. Thus, you must ensure that the role you’re applying for matches your skills. Understand that data analysts, data scientists, machine learning engineers, and data engineers differ from data scientists.
Large technology companies require further specialization, which is done internally after recruiting new graduates or interns. Top global companies that give amazing opportunities to data scientists include Pinterest, Facebook, Lyft, and Uber. You can also become a freelance data analyst and have flexible work schedules.
Not many people think that communication skills are critical for individuals pursuing a data science career. They tend to think that their prowess in technicalities is good enough to get into the job market.
Well, remember that you have interviews to attend, and this is what usually edges away many data science job seekers. Moreover, you’ll need communication skills during your company meetings for presentations and discussions with your colleagues.
With the help of data analysis and programming, try building interesting projects. But you must know the basics of machine learning. Even if you do not have the bandwidth to learn the algorithms in detail, you have to focus on the following:
When you are comfortable with building baseline models, you have to focus on these particular things to build better models.
Then its time to build the projects. You can begin with something simple, like predicting a loan deficit project, and then move to predicting employee attrition and more.
It is a common notion of aspiring data scientists that they focus more on learning and less on building a portfolio of the interesting projects they have been a part of. It will not matter how much you learn; if you do not showcase your proficiency, you will not get recruiters.
It takes a lot of front-end coding to create a simple page for showcasing projects, and that is one of the main reasons why people avoid making a portfolio. There are various free platforms you will find that would help you make a data science portfolio showcasing all your best works.
Choose the project thinking, which domain you would prefer to get a job, like supply chain, healthcare, and a lot more. So, pick a project where you will be able to show your interest as well as proficiency.
Having someone who is more experienced in the field can be very helpful for starters. There are relatively few individuals who have conquered the field of data science.
Ask your mentor how they’ve come this far in the field. They can also guide you on the right professional courses to enroll in, as well as the role that suits you in the data science field.
A mentor is also critical in knowing the important events to attend for your networking efforts. Finally, a mentor can give you referrals that you would not have found on your own.
Data management is a critical thing in many companies, especially telecommunication companies, and social media companies, among others.
To land a job in data science, most companies require you to possess excellent knowledge of programming languages such as Python, C++, and R. Good skills in scripting languages will also be an added advantage for you.
Create a solid online presence to enhance your visibility, look for a mentor to guide you, optimize your website and social media accounts, and keep on learning how to level up your resume. Applying these tips when hunting for your data scientist job may help you reap amazing results in the future.
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Mashum Mollah is an entrepreneur, founder and CEO at Viacon, a digital marketing agency that drive visibility, engagement, and proven results. He blogs at BloggerOutreach.io.
