Aspiring data scientists, here’s how you can get hired

Photo credit: TheAWPMaster

Working in recruitment for data science, we’re no strangers to the mountains that you have to climb and the pitfalls you can plunge into as you try to kick-start their careers. Despite the mounting demand for data science professionals, it’s still an extremely difficult field to break into.

The most common complaints we see from candidates who have faced rejection are lack of experience, education level requirements, inadequate opportunities for newbies, and overly demanding and confusing requirements for the job.

Experience and opportunities

First, let’s tackle what seems to be the hardest obstacle to overcome: insufficient professional experience.

This is a complex factor that’s not just applicable to data science. Across professions, it’s a common complaint that employers for entry-level jobs seek applicants with years’ worth of experience. Every company wants a seasoned data scientist, but with the rapid emergence of the field and growing demand for professionals, there’s just not enough to go around.

If you’re trying to get a foot into the industry, you can beef up your experience by directly approaching companies to get an internship. While recruiters are sometimes looking to fill these types of positions, you’ll probably have more luck if you take the initiative.

You can also build experience outside a business setting in a way that a hiring manager will notice. For instance, you can join Kaggle competitions (the world’s largest community of data scientists and machine learners), write code, and that put that on GitHub (which provides free plans for open-source projects and paid plans offering unlimited private repositories) for people to see. Perhaps you can also offer free consultations for coding and analysis to friends or businesses. You may also consider writing a detailed post of your analysis and code on a personal blog, data site, or LinkedIn. This gives you even more exposure and shows that you have a deep understanding of what you do.

But it’s not just newcomers who get rejected – even old hands in the industry can be deemed as lacking in experience. The truth is, when employers say that you don’t have enough experience, that often translates to you not having enough applicable experience for the role you’re pursuing. To overcome these obstacles, make sure you’re reading job descriptions properly, researching the company, and tailoring your resume to showcase that you are what they’re looking for.

Deciphering job descriptions

The growing demand for data scientists in different industries means that it can be difficult for employers to define a reasonable, “blanket” skill set, and this in turn can lead to a lot of confusion for those just starting out. Beyond knowing that a good data scientist needs to be a critical thinker and a great communicator as well as have an analytical mind and passion for the work, the technical requirements and experience needed can vary greatly between roles and companies.

Try not to be overwhelmed when looking at job descriptions. It’s important to remember that many companies will include more information than what’s actually needed in job descriptions. So even if you only possess half of the skills that they’re asking for, but you know you can make up for it with your willingness to learn, desire for the role, or transferable skills, then don’t hesitate – just go for it. If you’re still unsure, then look into the skill patterns of what is being asked for, highlighting the top requirements for the roles you’re eyeing, and then improving your proficiency in these skills.

Reaching out

Many professionals may have top-notch technical qualifications, but when it comes to communicating with hiring managers and recruiters, their basic skills are wanting.

Commenting on LinkedIn posts asking for a review of your profile is not going to cut it, unfortunately. Reach out to those who post the job ads or if it’s a company, find out who the hiring manager or recruitment team is and contact them. They’ll appreciate the direct approach, and you’ll be able to provide more information on why you should be considered for the role. It might seem like a good way to get noticed as your CVs may get lost in the piles that recruiters receive. But this is where resume-writing skills will come into play – and knowing how to get yours noticed makes all the difference.

Resume skills

You’ve more than likely got some great points on your CV that are noteworthy. But CVs are also often littered with irrelevant information to pad them out, especially when you’re just starting out. Get rid of the filler, cut to the chase, and point out what you can bring to the organization.

Make sure that the skills, experience, and projects listed on your resume will show the hiring manager that you have the tools necessary to make an impact on the business, and explain how applying these techniques has produced results. Then you need to quantify these outcomes – how did the company benefit in terms of revenue, ROI, efficiency, or costs?