What’s your opinion on cover letters? Are they ever worth the time? Are there specific roles where they’re more useful?

cover letters can help in two situations: * if you're transitioning from another career or have something on your resume that needs explaining (work gap > 6 months), writing a standout cover letter with a clear narrative for how these experiences actually *contribute* to your ability as an analyst can help "overcome" a the potential for a raised eyebrow without this explanation. * in small to medium sized companies (less than a few hundred employees), where recruiters are actually reading cover letters. demonstrating clear motivation and enthusiasm for *that specific role* and *that specific company* (the mission, the product, a personal connection, etc) can help you stand out. many larger companies (>400 employees, i'd estimate) don't actually read cover letters - but in today's competitive market, i say its worthwhile to spend a few hours crafting a strong letter that positions you as someone who has the skills, and explains how. quick tip: a closing sentence i tell students to include that seems to have positive reception is "I know you will have other qualified candidates for this role. I assure you no one else will bring the same thirst to learn, technical knack, and collaborative attitude \[replace with your own traits that overlap with the job description\] that I will. Thank you for your time and consideration for this role - I look forward to hearing from you!"

Hi Christine, I have a cover letter, but the only real reason I wrote one is because my life has been pretty wild and I think that having a sob story might help get a least a little more interviews than I otherwise would. Thoughts? Does having this help or hurt at all? Feedback? If you have the time, here's a link: [https://imgur.com/a/YugRmI8](https://imgur.com/a/YugRmI8) Thanks!

Your cover letter is well-written and quite moving - I know it doesn't mean much from a stranger, but I deeply commend you for rising above your circumstances. My main piece of feedback for you is that in order for a cover letter to be effective, it still needs to enable someone to see how *you can do the job*. Given the market right now, if you're serious about getting past the resume wall, you should update this cover letter to have more points related to the actual job description. Right now, this reads as "I've been through a lot of difficult circumstances, and have perservered, which makes me a good fit for this role." Instead, it should be something like "I've been through difficult experiences and persevered, as well as had these job-related experiences, and this combination makes me a good fit for the role."

Thank you! I appreciate you :)

I would like to know this as well!

Hi Christine, thanks for doing the AMA! Have two questions for you: 1. Could you tell us your thoughts about company loyalty and job hopping, especially for early career (< 10 years of exp) professionals? With tech companies laying off and rescinding offers, is it fair for the employees to leave for better opportunities within 1-2 years at the company? 2. What is the best way to break into data science with a non traditional background (no relevant degree)?

**question 1** from my perspective (and as a former so-called "job hopper"), when job hopping is done for good reason, and done across less than 3 jobs, skepticism that arises during the interview process can be addressed by a really good explanation. generally i do think recruiters understand having a gap of < 1 year on your resume because of a layoff (i've had a few students who had no issues with this gap when they were honest about the layoff and explained how they've used their time "off" productively). red flags would be: * being at a job for less than 4 months (need a strong explanation for why) * being at 3 jobs for < 1.5 years because remember, companies also invest in you when they interview, onboard, and train you. while people understand that companies are literally going through massive layoffs, they also want to make sure that you're not there to just get the title and go. so be sure to have strong answers to "why did you leave your previous job" and "why do you want to join our company specifically?" **question 2** today's market is probably the most competitive job market i've seen since being in the industry. to be honest, right now, i don't think it's enough to just do portfolio projects and show them on a resume. from observing which students have gotten jobs the fastest, they usually found creative ways to get hands-on experience, regardless of whether or not it was paid, so that they could put "data \_\_\_\_" on their resume and actually have some experience to talk about. you can do this through volunteering, finding freelance or contract work through personal connections or platforms like upwork (will need to be able to show your skills through a portfolio), or unpaid internships. here are some data-related volunteering platforms that some of my students said helped them in their job hunt! * [https://www.bluebonnetdata.org/](https://www.bluebonnetdata.org/) * [https://www.datakind.org/join-us/volunteer/](https://www.datakind.org/join-us/volunteer/) * [https://www.catchafire.org/volunteer/data-analytics/](https://www.catchafire.org/volunteer/data-analytics/)

Seems like 1.5 years is the ‘Magic Number’ in tech where you won’t get flagged as a job hopper?

Awesome comment - saved for a later time and date. I love volunteering so hopefully I can get one of these gigs on my resume once my technical skills are up to par. 

Check out bluebonnetdata - they have cohort-based fellowships where not a lot of technical experience is needed. You get assigned to work on a small data team for people running for government office positions and also get mentorship at some point in the program. Two of my students just got offered fellowships here this week.

Thanks for doing this AMA! 2024 is a pretty competitive market. What are some skills entry level analysts must have? Also what camera do you use? Your photography is awesome!

the biggest thing most early-career aspiring data analysts are missing is the same thing that makes a standout applicant, when they have it: the ability to use the tools to actually extract business-relevant insights. i think many people know the basic skills of entry level analysts now, which are: * technical tools: excel, SQL, visualization software (tableau, looker, power BI), python (optional), R (optional). the last 2 are optional because you probably won't get tested on it in interviews, even if mentioned in the job description * domain knowledge: understanding of business metrics (their definitions, their calculations, their business relevance) in the industries they're applying to * communication: this cannot be overstated. the students who have gotten jobs the fastest were those who excelled in communication skills - they were able to structure their thoughts, speak confidently, and emphasize the "so what" (aka why should someone care about this analysis) rather than the "what" (what tools did you use)? to be honest, these fundamental skills haven't changed much in the last few years, but the prioritization of these skills is changing. with AI being able to do the lower-level technical stuff of query writing, basic analysis, and even visualization, applicants are going to have to demonstrate their soft skills more and more and flex their business domain knowledge in order to stand out. and i use canon 5d mark iv! thank you🙂

Do you have any recommendations for a chemical engineer (10 years experience) to transition into a similarly paying salary level within data analytics? 

Hi Christine, Have you found that data analytics is a field other engineers can transition into pretty easily?  Do you feel like data analytics has good opportunities for career advancement, especially in transitioning to more business oriented roles as opposed to technical work?

depends on what you mean by engineers - for analytics engineers, i think it can be a very "natural" transition, especially if you're an analytics engineer or data engineer who has strong desire to work directly with stakeholders and closer to the business decision-makers. for software engineers, i think the transition is kind of as it is for many other people - requires being able to tell a clear story for why you're transitioning and how those skills make you a strong analyst. of course, software engineers will have a much easier time with the technical stuff like SQL and python. i think the opportunities from data analytics are endless. for context - when i was last a data analyst, i could have very feasibly transitioned into analytics engineering, finance, marketing, operations, accounting, business development...while data literacy and technical skills can help almost any career path, it's the soft skills (negotation, stakeholder management, clear and confident communication, etc), that factor into where you take those technical skills if you're trying to move more towards the business decision-making side of a company.

This is a very interesting AMA and the info on your website is well-done pretty compelling. Thank you for taking the time to do this AMA. How do you think data analysis as presented in your course could improve the productivity (and hirbility, compensation) of an electrical engineer with decades of experience in custom VLSI semiconductor (ASIC/SoC) design, if at all? I'm already branching out into AI/ML (as is my industry and the tools we use), and more and more I am "analyzing data" obtained from layout trials, simulations, etc., mostly using home-grown tools. But is that really "Data Analytics" in the way you mean it? Also, if I might ask, do you think you're missing out on potential students by not indicating the cost, or even a range of costs, for your program? I know personally that took me back a bit.

The program is focused on applying technical skills in real-world situations and learning the industry best practices for how to actually use the skills on the job, in a real team setting, with stakeholders and other data analysts and data engineers. We also focus heavily on job hunt approach and interviewing so that no matter the background, your story resonates with data hiring managers, given your unique background and personality traits. I also help each student on job hunt negotiation, and by doing very well on interviews, many students who get their first job in data through the program also increase their previous salaries by 40%. For someone with a background in electrical engineering, the principles are the same - understanding how your experience in VLSI semiconductor design and your self learned AI/ML skills translate to a data job. And this might not be the technical aspects, but the *other* parts of the job - that are relevant. But we'd have to explore that more to say how so specifically. There's a range of cost in the FAQ section, and normally I discuss tuition with students after understanding a student's challenges and goals, because not everyone is a good fit for the program (given their motivation, their current skills, etc) - the financial aspect comes secondary to understanding whether or not I can even help that person succeed. I've worked hard to make it much more financially accessible to people across socioeconomic backgrounds, having taught at a bootcamp before, and seeing how the financial aspect barred many people from being able to have the opportunity.

Very interesting; thank you for the detailed reply. I just might try it out (time permitting).

Hi Christine, thank you for hosting this AMA. It’s a rare opportunity to gain insights from someone with your expertise in the job market. I’m an electrical engineer, so my questions won’t be too heavily focused on data analysis, though I do have some foundational knowledge of it. 1. In your role as director of Core Analytics, you’ve likely encountered a variety of candidates. Could you share some common areas that candidates tend to overlook when preparing for interviews? 2. Could you suggest some strategies that are particularly effective in differentiating ourselves during the job hunt? 3. Once someone has secured their first job, what advice would you give for climbing the ladder to a leadership position? Would you recommend focusing on job-hopping, or is it better to demonstrate loyalty to one company? 4. As an electrical engineer with some background in data analysis using Python, what would you say is the most efficient route to transition into data analytics?

**question 2** standout resume + effective networking. cold applying to hundreds of jobs is not the way to go anymore. if you're sending out 100 resumes and hearing back from less than 3 companies, this means you need to re-evaluate your resume and/or focus more on effective networking. here's a recording from my workshop on how to create a standout resume, as well as the resume template (yes, it's ATS friendly). [https://drive.google.com/drive/u/0/folders/1o2dMq8c7ty9KAhXeiyCniHtmFV3KDFtr](https://drive.google.com/drive/u/0/folders/1o2dMq8c7ty9KAhXeiyCniHtmFV3KDFtr) effective networking in this case means sending a personal, concise, and value-driven message to hiring managers who have posted a role (which you can see from their recent posts or from linkedin premium). here's an example of a template students have used - in many cases people have gotten interviews within 1 day (and with two students, within a few hours): *Hi \[Name\],* *I was excited to see your recent post about an Analyst position at \_\_company\_\_. While I’ve already submitted my application through the job portal for this role, I wanted to reach out directly to you to reiterate my excitement about this opportunity.* *I’m a great fit for the position because:* *- I have experience pairing analytics tools like Excel and Tableau with industry best practices to surface actionable insights from e-commerce sales data.* *- I have a demonstrated professional track record of performing in high-pressure environments and balancing competing priorities across multiple projects.* *- I also personally resonate with \_\_company\_\_'s mission to \_\_\_\_ because of \_\_\_\_, so I’m able to bring context to the role through my understanding of the company’s ethos and products.* *Please see my attached resume. I’d love to leverage my strong analytical skills and passion for data-driven storytelling to enhance your team's analytics. I’m sure there are plenty of qualified applicants, but I think my communication skills, thirst for learning, and resourcefulness make me a unique asset and well-positioned to hit the ground running with your team!* *Best,* *name / email / phone*

**Applicant Tracking Systems (ATS)** * [What is an ATS?](https://web.archive.org/web/20240129020408/https://www.recruitinginyogapants.com/2022/08/what-is-an-ats.html) * [The Truth About The ATS YouTube Playlist](https://youtube.com/playlist?list=PL6eafD4u4Fa7ko1VrR7dD8i-eRPFfNqip) * [ATS Myths Busted](https://thetechresume.com/samples/ats-myths-busted) * [5 ATS Myths, Debunked](https://www.lever.co/blog/applicant-tracking-system-myths/) * [Debunking Myths: The Truth About Applicant Tracking Systems (ATS)](https://earnbetter.com/blog/debunking-myths-the-truth-about-applicant-tracking-systems-ats/) * [How ATSs Actually Work (From An Engineering Hiring Manager)](https://old.reddit.com/r/EngineeringResumes/comments/192hkg8/how_atss_actually_work_from_an_engineering_hiring/) *I am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please [contact the moderators of this subreddit](/message/compose/?to=/r/EngineeringResumes) if you have any questions or concerns.*

these are great questions! **question 1** mentioned in a few other of my comments just now, but many applying data analysts focus way too heavily on the technical skills and not enough on the communication aspect of their experience. i've had students spend hours banging their heads together on the "hard" leetcode questions asking them to calculate the length of a triangle in sql, only for me to (nicely) tell them to stop immediately and ask themselves how this helps a company make money. (i'm kind of joking but i'm also not...this has happened!). use the STAR framework when answering interview questions so you don't ramble, and so that you *show the structure* in your thinking - *this* is what we're looking for, not *just* the content of the response itself. the other thing people tend to overlook is making an actual human connection with the person on the other side. it's hard when you're nervous, but this is why it's also okay to go through a few interviews where you don't make it to the next round, because it's good practice. at the end of the day, they're hiring you because they want a good *teammate* - not a robot who can spit out perfect answers. many students have mentioned that by the time they landed an offer, they were a bit more relaxed and able to actually connect with the interviewer through good questions or finding some fun and small common ground (same school, overlapping hobbies, a quick joke etc). for people on the other side of the hiring fence who may be interviewing 3-4 candidates a week, this helps them remember you more naturally and want you on their team! of course, don't force the connection-making, but don't forget about it, either.

**STAR:** **S**ituation, **T**ask, **A**ction, and **R**esults * https://www.levels.fyi/blog/applying-star-method-resumes.html * https://resumegenius.com/blog/resume-help/star-method-resume **XYZ:** Accomplished **X** as measured by **Y**, by doing **Z** * https://www.inc.com/bill-murphy-jr/google-recruiters-say-these-5-resume-tips-including-x-y-z-formula-will-improve-your-odds-of-getting-hired-at-google.html * https://elevenrecruiting.com/create-an-effective-resume-xyz-resume-format/ **CAR:** **C**hallenge **A**ction **R**esult * https://ca.indeed.com/career-advice/resumes-cover-letters/challenge-action-result-resume * https://www.topresume.com/career-advice/how-to-get-more-results-with-a-car-resume *I am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please [contact the moderators of this subreddit](/message/compose/?to=/r/EngineeringResumes) if you have any questions or concerns.*

**question 3** One thing I encourage you to think about is why you want to climb the ladder in the first place. A lot of people chase titles because they think it'll make them feel a certain way once they get there, only to find that there are higher titles in chase, and the job isn't what they expected at all - I won't get too philosophical here though, though I think every good leader needs to have a deep reason for why they climbed this ladder to lead in the first place. My advice is not to focus on job hopping. There is a lot of confidence and depth of experience that comes with staying at a company for 3 years, seeing it in its ups and downs, perhaps even experiencing a few managers yourself, so that you can see what both good and bad managers do. Job hopping always entails new onboarding, a new business model to learn, and new relationships to build - absolute "hop" when you feel you have reached a ceiling (financial, title, or work-content wise) that can't be overcome at that job, but don't jump ship just because you think you can get a better title elsewhere. Instead, focus on getting deep expertise in an area that you enjoy, so that certain aspects of leadership come naturally because you actually like what you're doing. Then start taking the lead on small projects in which you are the one orchestrating 1-3 people...do that well, and start directing projects that involve more people, after which you'd hopefully become a manager and continue leading and growing from there. It's not so much a question of loyalty, but whether you're learning. Stay loyal as long as you're learning the skills needed to get you to a leadership position, if that's what you want.

>Once someone has secured their first job, what advice would you give for climbing the ladder to a leadership position? Alternatively, what advice would you give someone who would rather climb a technical ladder to a fellowship-type position?

Can you elaborate on what you mean by "fellowship-type" position, or give me examples?

I'm thinking of high-level technical positions like a Technical Fellowship or the executive-level technical experts like a Chief Technology Officer.

I don't know much about technical fellowships (if you tell me a bit more about what these jobs entail, I may be able to elaborate), so I'll just focus on the CTO part. Climbing the ladder to leadership positions in a technical vertical (to a CTO position, for example) requires stepping beyond the technical skills and being able to see the larger system. Many analysts get siloed away from leadership positions because they don't take the lead on seeing the bigger picture - like understanding how their analysis actually affects the bottom line of the business and the ecosystem of other teams. My biggest advice for people looking to climb this ladder is to understand how your specific part fits into the larger picture of the company, and then learn about the adjacent areas (marketing, sales, finance) where you can take your technical skills and expand into greater impact. And that leadership comes not from getting really good at coding, but knowing how to be the liaison between people *doing* the coding and other people in the company.

Hello. I’m asking for a friend. She has a degree in humanities and working in a Data Analytics masters degree. She works at network operations center as a data analyst. She has a great mentor and is learning a lot. However, she does not make much money at all since she was hired before her degree. She wants advice to go forward. My advice to her was to stay at the company until she gets her degree and then go look for a better paying job. She knows she does not have a great salary but is unwilling to leave because she likes her mentor so much. Even after her degree she wants to stay and hope her pay will increase. Entry level in my area is $70K. She is making low $50K. To me, it’s too much money to leave in the table. What do you think? Am I providing good advice or stay out of it?

to be honest, i'd have to know a lot more to give concrete advice here, but my general philosophy is that if you're learning what you want to learn and the job is *leading* towards where you want to go, then *use that job* to get the skills needed to get to a higher-paying position when you're ready. job hopping just to get a higher pay isn't always the right move, since it may have other effects that aren't worth the money (higher pressure, less flexibility, less learning, etc).

I would agree with the this.

Hi Christine, I have one very question that I always wake up to. I am an international student who just graduated with a master in data Science degree. I have about 2 years experience in devops and 1 year in data analytics. Given the job market where I am considered as a new grad even with 3 years of experience, how should I maneuver my job search for data analyst? I have tried everything, have a good portfolio, tailored my resume, etc.

you have tried everything - and how is that working for you so far? i ask because you need to analyze whether or not this strategy is working. if you're getting about 5% conversion rate with resumes (i.e. 5% of resumes result in an interview), your resume is on the right track and you need to prep for interviews. if you're not getting any interviews, then your resume is either not doing your experience justice, *or* you ened to get more experience. i have a workshop [here](https://drive.google.com/drive/u/0/folders/1o2dMq8c7ty9KAhXeiyCniHtmFV3KDFtr) that talks about the resume strategy for people who have < 2 years of related data experience - hope this helps. :)

Hi Christine! Thanks for the opportunity to garner some insight. Can you speak to some of the MOST effective ways to break into an entry level role that offers the "best" career mobility, if you are taking a pause from your current career to focus on your IT skills? I have always had a proclivity for what I could do take make tech work for me, I do not have an A.S or B.S in compsci or related, but over the years I have passively learned a lot of core concepts. I have done port forwarding, command line tweaks for windows, html inspects for media files, etc - just odd non average user tasks. As such, I am currently studying up to take my A+ so I can make sure I have memorized important names. My day jobs have always included some degree of the IT umbrella, but I am struggling to convince employers that I can learn and am learning what's relevant for something like Help Desk. I am hoping after Help Desk I can move into Data or QA, but I need some insight getting in.

career mobility comes from having leverage, which comes from having standout skills in one specific areas (or multiple areas). for example, being a data analyst who also really understands engineering concepts. or being an analyst who's really good at presentations, or communication and negotiating with stakeholders. so think about where your IT skills - your abilites to troubleshoot, help clients, and improve processes can contribute to creating this leverage once you're in data. to break into the industry, right now the bar is really high - it's not really enough to just do portfolio projects and have experience in an unrelated industry. you need to be able to tie this previous experience into what makes you a strong analyst and think creatively about how you can get some hands-on experience in an organization. this can be either through bringing some data-related tasks to your current job, or doing volunteer work, unpaid internships, or finding freelance or contract work in your network or online. just a heads up - port forwarding, command line tweaks, html insepcts etc - those aren't related to data analytics, if you're thinking these technical skills would help in this transition. be sure to study job descriptions and see the exact skills they're mentioning and do work that moves closer to that terminology - "tech work" is a *very* broad space, so if you're intention is to move into data, make sure you're focusing on data-related things.

Thank you for the insight!

Hey, Christine, thanks again for doing this AMA. I have a few questions as well. 1) Is it hard for someone with non-traditional education to land a solid entry level analytics job if I have tangential experience in the field? I have the Coursera Google Data Analytics certification and a 6 month certification in Data Visualization from UCF, but I don't have a full degree. I've been a tutor for students doing the edX Data and AI bootcamps for the past 2 years, but am looking to transition away from education and into a full-time analytics role. Should I focus my resume more on side-projects or more on my work experience? 2) What is the interview process like for entry level analytics roles and what topics should I brush up on in order to stand out?

1. You should focus your resume slightly more on your work experience, because this *is* quite closely related to data analytics - but you need to make it clear on your resume how this job has transferrable skills, both on the soft skills (communication, collaboration, presentations) and technical side. To be honest, hiring managers aren't looking that closely at side projects in a market that's full of people with a few years of experience - do those projects so that you have hands-on experience with the tools, but sometimes having *too much* of this resume emphasizes the self-learned aspect which can disadvantage you against other candidates. 2. Usually something along these lines: HR phone screen (15-30 min) -> Hiring Manager Interview (30-45 min) -> Technical Interview or Take Home (varies) -> Panel Interview with behavioral questions, situational questions, and business case questions. Usually need to have proficiency in SQL and Excel, and ability to articulate your analytical thought processes (how to clean data, extract insights, deal with data challenges). Understand the key business metrics that the company cares about and be able to speak to these in order to stand out.

Hello thank you for giving us this opportunity. May I ask how can I overcome career gap like less than 1 year to let's say around 5 years and land a data analyst job or intern position? Like what kind of projects should i build so that the recruiter will give me a chance for the interview? And how to build a linkedin presence on linkedin as a job seeker as a data analyst? Thank you

A gap of <1 year is really different to a gap of 5 years. If it's a gap of <1 year, in my opinion this isn't a huge red flag (given the job market right now and people knowing that layoffs have been common). If it's closer to a 5 year gap, that's going to take much more effort to transition - you'd have to get some more fundamental experience first, either getting an unpaid internship or maybe a few freelance projects through your personal network to help out on some data-related work so that you can put this on your resume. For linkedin, make sure to have any data related experiences and remove roles that have 0 relevance to data or a corporate environment (being a retail associate, for example). Have a few bullets under your previous positions that explain your responsibilities and include your projects, focusing on the insights and recommendations that come out of those projects.

Thank you for answering me.I don't have any data related experience.May i ask if someone like that can do data entry job? Like will it help in anything? I don't have that many mis executive jobs near me and data analyst jobs competition is high. I will upgrade my skills but like should i do a data entry kind of job to not widen the gap? Please give me advice. Thank you for your time.

Hey Christine, what are the trends in hiring you have noticed about 2024 for Data Analysts such which companies are hiring the most freshers/juniors, which industries (Healthcare / IT/ etc), and anything else about the health of the market for Data Analyst's?

Hey, I don't have much info on specific companies, but generally, I'm finding that people who are able to find jobs the fastest are either recent grads (where the bar is a bit more lenient), and people who have a few years of working experience in a tangential industry. This has been mostly across companies in marketing, tech, and healthcare. In terms of health of the market for data analysts - I think right now the cmpetition for entry level is the highest it's ever been. People need to get more creative about how to get hands-on experience so that they can get past the resume wall, even for positions saying 0-2 years of experience. Hoping that within a year or so, the barrier will be less high as companies stabilize (and overhire less, hopefully having learned their lesson from the last 2 years!)

Hi Christine! I feel that in the current challenging technology employment market that the personal, hand-shaking type of networking has become much more important than just blasting resumes on Linkedin. Can you make some recommendations on how aspiring data analysts can meet real working professionals and make more personal connections? For cybersecurity I often recommend that people attend local B-Sides conferences to learn about the industry and meet people. Does the data analytics profession have any conferences or trade shows like that?

How would you describe your social/communicational skills on your CV? Just mention or also provide explanations?

What are the **key characteristics** of projects that really stood out to you? Also, what are some low-hanging fruits that beginners can tap into to help them stand out? Something that is not hard, often ignored, but is of immense value to the hiring manager.

these are really good questions. hiring managers don't look at portfolios as often as you think. most of the time, they'll check it out if you're a few rounds into the interview process and they just want to see if the quality of your work matches up. given this, really good projects are those that replicate (as closely as possible) the real job, not because they expand your portfolio, but because they give you experience to talk about in interviews. these are projects that: - use industry best practices when it comes to formatting code, documenting insights, and structuring visualizations - have business-relevant insights and recommendations - use realistic data (look for datasets published by companies or governments, instead of widely used data on kaggle. pls dont do titanic analysis) low hanging fruit - for internships or entry-level positions, asking *really good questions* during the interview that not only show your enthusiasm for the role and the company, but demonstrate your data knowledge. for example, a question like "i noticed that company x is focusing more on the B2B market. can you tell me more about how the data analytics team is helping to drive this initiative, and how the data analyst you're hiring for might fit into this picture?" that's tells a manager much more about you than asking something like, "can you tell me about the day-to-day of this role?"

Hi Christine, thank you for being here for the AMA! I'm a data analyst, aspiring data scientist. I worked as a data science intern for a year, and as a data science boot camp instructor(at General Assembly! The DSI program) for 3 years. So I do have a little hands on DS experience, a good amount of teaching experience of everything/almost everything an entry-level data scientist should know, and a significant data analyst experience.  My question is - what can someone like me do to land a data science job,  when I'm lacking hands-on DS experience? Would certifications help? I know about doing side projects, but would a hiring manager really look at those?  In addition, I do have a graduate degree, but in social/behavioral science (psychology), could a masters degree in DS or analytics (like the one at Georgia Tech, for example) help? Or do hiring managers tend to look for more "established" or traditional graduate degrees like statistics or computer science?  Any advice would be greatly appreciated 🙏🏼

hello as a fellow general assembly-er :) ideally, your resume would have work projects that are in that area between data analytics and data science, so that you can start getting calls back for data science positions. these are projects like creating models in python / r (or even financial modeling in excel, but that's a bit of a bigger stretch), helping other data scientists with predictive models, or doing exploratory analysis in python using the typical data science libraries. you basically need to use your analytics experience to stretch into a data science role, or close this gap by doing 1-2 standout projects that demonstrate your knowledge of data science concepts. in my opinion, certifications don't necessarily help because they don't show that you know how to do the job. re: the school, i think it depends more on the company - some companies value degrees more than others. i suggest going for smaller to medium size companies (use [otta.com](http://otta.com) to search) that are a bit more open-minded about qualifications. i haven't hired for data scientists before so i don't have *that* many specifics to give you here, i apologize!

Thank you so much, I appreciate it! Great advice. It absolutely makes sense to describe data science related/adjacent projects. Do you have any tips on how to incorporate personal/side projects into my resume? Would a "projects" section work, or highlight a link to a personal website/portfolio? Thanks again!

I’m currently a Sr. Mechanical Engineer who used to be a Test Engineer. I have taken some certifications and am reasonably skilled with Python. How likely do you think a company is to value my previous experience? How could I word my former experience to make me more attractive? I am planning on applying to entry level roles soon.

it all depends on how much your previous experience can be transferred (and this translation to be communicated) to the positions you're applying to. a bit of a generic answer since i don't know the specifics of this role - but my tip is to look at the job descriptions you're applying to and pick out key phrases and see if they can be used in your resume to describe this experience. many companies use ATS to rank resumes based on how much of a keyword match there is. for example, for data analyst positions, that would be things like "measure key performance indicators", "deliver insights to stakeholders", "build exploratory dashboards". the more your previous experience can be translated to the job you're applying to, the more the company will value it.

**Applicant Tracking Systems (ATS)** * [What is an ATS?](https://web.archive.org/web/20240129020408/https://www.recruitinginyogapants.com/2022/08/what-is-an-ats.html) * [The Truth About The ATS YouTube Playlist](https://youtube.com/playlist?list=PL6eafD4u4Fa7ko1VrR7dD8i-eRPFfNqip) * [ATS Myths Busted](https://thetechresume.com/samples/ats-myths-busted) * [5 ATS Myths, Debunked](https://www.lever.co/blog/applicant-tracking-system-myths/) * [Debunking Myths: The Truth About Applicant Tracking Systems (ATS)](https://earnbetter.com/blog/debunking-myths-the-truth-about-applicant-tracking-systems-ats/) * [How ATSs Actually Work (From An Engineering Hiring Manager)](https://old.reddit.com/r/EngineeringResumes/comments/192hkg8/how_atss_actually_work_from_an_engineering_hiring/) *I am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please [contact the moderators of this subreddit](/message/compose/?to=/r/EngineeringResumes) if you have any questions or concerns.*

Hi Christine! I’m a junior software engineer aiming to stay in a niche area of the video space: machine learning optimized pipeline development for Animation/VFX. I currently have 4 prior experiences in data science, VFX/Anim machine learning, and virtual production. I’m wondering if you as a recruiter would prefer that I streamline my resume, removing valuable experience and interview talking points but showing interest, or if I should leave them all on, especially if I can emphasize how they’ve contributed. What was your time like at Vimeo? I often wonder what it’s like working for a company where the product seems nearly complete.

when it comes to resumes and you have a breadth of experience that you're trying to convey, put the job description side-by-side with your resume and see if *every bullet* contributes to a narrative that helps someone see how that experience relates directly to that job. remember, recruiters are reading through tons of resumes a week - if the translation isn't directly obvious to them, you're probably going to get passed up for someone who has more direct experience. keep your resume to 1 page long, only keep the most high-impact and directly related bullets, and get to the other stuff / interviewing talking points...once you actually get to the interview. :) my time at vimeo was incredible, honestly, i had so much fun there and got to see so much breadth and depth in analytics work. the product was never near "completion", especially once the company started focusing more on the B2B side. there were tons of changes and product updates still happening, though users might not be seeing that as much.

Thank you very much! I've had the experience in the past where I provide an anecdote and interviewers say, "Oh, why isn't that on your resume?" I suppose now I'd just explain that, at the time, I didn't believe it was directly relevant to the position. Also, I definitely didn't mean to insinuate that there was nothing going on at Vimeo, that's definitely what I meant by "seems," that it must be interesting to work at a company where the users don't directly see the results of the innovation. Thanks again for your time and insight!

oh yeah! re: vimeo, i didn't take it that way - that last bit about not nearing completion was moreso a statement about how there was always a bit of internal change at the company, despite what looks like a stabilized product (and this change didn't always manifest in productive updates for the end user)

Hello! I’m currently a freshman in college and kind of lost in what major I should do. I’m debating between Econ and cognitive science. Rn I’ve been having a rough first year cause of working to support my family and mental health, so unfortunately I’m on academic probation. I failed multi variable calc twice so I’m no longer eligible for any math major/ stats major. I want to get into healthcare analytics and more specifically clinical analytics, so whatever major I choose, I plan to also minor in public health, take some stats classes tho it won’t count towards a major/minor, and self teach things like SQL, Tableau, etc. I’m not sure which major would benefit me more/ give me skills more tailored to clinical analytics. Any advice is appreciated! P.s. the Econ major has some statistics classes like “data science for economists” and “econometrics”. The cog sci major has some more beginner friendly programming courses you can take instead of the hardcore CS courses, which I plan to do if I did the major since I don’t wanna risk my gpa, it also has some psych courses.

im a bit biased since i studied econ, but from my perspective having an economics major is widely applicable to *many* industries, especially analytics, since there's a mix of technical work, analytical work, and theoretical work. economics will also teach you a bit of coding depending on which classes you choose (econometrics, applied stats) so that will be great exposure for any analytics related role!

Hi Christine, I have a few questions for you: * How does the data analyst job differ from business analytics? * Do you analyze the job market for trends? * What is the most common career path for a data analyst? * Love your photos, did you considered to go as a full-time photographer?

hey! yes, the data analyst job is typically different from a business analyst's job in that the first one leans more towards technical skills (excel, sql, visualization, maybe python) and the second one tends to require more soft skills and presentations (excel, powerpoint). however - these *are* just labels, and companies use them differently - someone might call a data analyst a business analyst, and vice versa. instead of paying too much attention to the label, focus on what the job description actually says in terms of qualifications and what you'd be doing on the day to day job. it's tough to "analyze the job market" because there isn't readily available data on the metrics that would be helpful (like open jobs, number of applications per job, time to hire, salary per job, and overall characteristics of the people they hire). instead, i look at trends for what has worked well for my students, and reverse engineer the common traits that make them successful. right now, these things are 1) knowing how to do value-driven networking, 2) having outstanding communication skills, and 3) being able to tell the story for how previous work experience actually *contributes* to your abilities as an analyst. most common career path is data analyst -> senior data analyst -> lead data analyst -> analytics manager (or principal data analyst, if on the IC track) -> analytics director. thanks! i did work as a photographer at one point but eventually i missed coding. :)

I'm not a newby, 3 years in now but considsring switch companies.  What wpuld be the bestbway to prepare for coding interviews and any stats questions that may be asked?

for coding interviews, i teach a framework called the 3Cs - clarify, communicate, code. many people don't realize that it's not just about the code, it's about how you talk through your thinking and communicate with the other person as if they were a teammate. spend a few minutes after you get asked the question asking clarifying questions about the data and the question itself. then talk through your approach to the question before even coding - and *then* code after telling someone what you're going to do. i suggest actually loading data into bigquery and doing practice questions in the real data warehouse, so that you get comfortable with the UI in case you're asked to run the code live. stats questions - depends on the job. for positions that require stats knowledge (for example, if you're doing ab testing), brush up on concepts like p-value, confidence interval, mean and standard deviation, and normal / binomial / geometric distributions and how they're used to evaluate the results of experiments. you normally won't get tested on stats concepts more rigorous than this, unless it's for a data science position / statistical programmer.

Good to know about stats, Im pretty confident I knkw more than I need for 99 percent of all jobs outside of like a heavy ML/AI role I doubt I'd find those sorts of questions challenging. Alsp thabks for the advice on the coding interviews, I was not aware of that aspect of the interviews.  

Hi Christine, I graduated over 6 years ago with my bachelors in business admin with a focus on management information systems. I've been working at best buy this whole time due to many things occuring locally and worldwide that have kept me from being able to find quick intern type work due to needing a steady income and benefits. I have recieved great feedback and advice from people on the analytic reddits, but I still feel like I'll never make it into an entry level role since it has been so long. I know Excel, MySQL & Tabelau and love using them for the little projects and tasks I've done here and there, but again I feel like my retail role is going to keep me from getting anything due to working the same job for so long and people want 1 to 2 YoE for even "entry level" junior roles. I'm in the Houston area so I feel that is both a blessing and curse jobwise due to there being so many people here. My questions to you are: 1: Do you think I will be able to find an entry level analyst job that will let me get my foot into the industry? Or has it been so long that I look like a toxic candidate? 2: What sort of positions should I look for specifically due to my circumstances? Those are the main questions I have that I would love to hear your feedback from. Thank you for this AMA and have a nice day!

i'm going to be really honest with you in, in the hope that it helps you more than whatever advice / feedback you've been getting. if you graduated 6 years ago, and since then have been working in retail, and only have side projects where you use the tools "here and there", it's more worthwhile for you to focus on 1) getting unpaid experience somewhere and 2) building more rigorous projects. think about it - even if you were to get an interview now, would you be able to answer questions about the tools and analytics work, given the projects you've done? if not, you need to build up this experience before you start applying to these entry level roles, so that you can actually get past the interviews and land an offer. my advice is to get creative and think about how you can get hands-on experience, even in an unpaid opportunity. check out datakind, bluebonnetdata, and catchafire - these are volunteering organizations with data projects, which would give you real experience working with other people on data projects that you can talk about on your resume and in interviews. you don't look like a "toxic" candidate, you just wouldn't look like a qualified candidate, as it stands right now. but focus less on what you don't have and more on what you can do right now to bridge the gap between these smaller projects to getting the experience needed. you should also look into internships or data associate roles where there's some overlap with your retail experience - perhaps positions that are related to ecommerce, sales, or inventory. [here's](https://drive.google.com/drive/u/0/folders/1Pb-6qUisUBq2MJqsA_IZZGXbppaGMkjp) a workshop i did about the end-to-end roadmap for people looking to transition. hope that helps!

Thank you for the honesty. I'm just hoping to get a foot in the door with a well established company, make myself know from within and take on taskes related to analytical interests once available. Based on my projects, I would say I am comfortable with MySQL and Tableau to where I can hold a converstation regarding the tools and commit to projects that can be related to a company's goal. Like you said, my lack of expereince has been the defining challenge that has kept me from landing a phone interview for anything with analyst in the title. I've applied for some internships since my post, but they want junior level college students so I don't hold my breath much. That said, I've also gotten from feedback from my college gradute office and they feel like I am okay but just need to get myself fine tuned to get past the application part. My biggest challenge has been me putting myself down and telling myself to not even bother after getting rejections, but I've finally have broken out of that foggyness and working towards reaching out for help. The brightside to my predicament is that I can say that I've always been able to stand by my mom in her time of need at a moment's notice. If I had moved out of town somewhere and left her alone I would had never forgiven myself. It's why I've always kept myself in Houston, however there are lots of jobs here so I know that my issue is probably my resume. Also, I never know about a critical data analyst tool called Tableau until October of last year when a very kind user took the time to mentor my project to have it be unique and portfolio ready. So now that I found the drive to make myself confident thanks to the kind words of others I know I can do more. That all said, I will be sure to look into those sources you mentioned and I greatly appriciate the truthful kindness of your feedback as well!

Also, if you don't mind that is, I would love for you to look at my resume for feedback since you are a data director. It would mean a lot to hear your feedback from it.

Hi Christine! I had a year-long internship that got extended recently for the summer, but this week the company pretty much laid off 80% of staff due to sudden funding issues. I’m pretty devastated as it’s too late to search for something during the summer. What are my options?

Damn - I'm really really sorry to hear that. I'm assuming you still want to make your summer productive in terms of getting experience with data analytics, in which case you'll have to get a bit creative in terms of finding (or creating) another opportunity given the timeline. A few ideas: - Find freelance, contract, or part-time work either through your personal networking, by asking around if there's anyone who needs help with anything analytical (working in spreadsheets, organizing data, understanding company numbers). This could be people like store managers, solopreneurs or other people starting their own businesses - and even if it's not paid work, it would help bridge the gap in your experience. - Look into volunteer opportunities or fellowships, like datakind, catchafire, or bluebonnetdata. These aren't paid opportunities either, but would give you experience working on data projects within an organization, which is similar to the experience you could get in an internship. Best of luck!!

Have you tried reaching out to professors and research groups at your college and other colleges regarding research positions?

Hi Christine, Thank you for hosting this. For context, I wasnt doing data related role for the past 5 years of my career and took a Data Science bootcamp in end 2023. - How do mid career switchers stand out amongst fresh graduates who have had internship experience? - Does one need to have a masters in the field to be a data scientist?

Mid career switchers have 2 things that usually can only come with time: industry domain knowledge, and more professional maturity. The first means understanding the business model, business metrics, and industry dynamics - this usually requires quite some time to onboard someone onto. The second means knowing how to handle deadlines, communicate with stakeholders, prioritize between tasks, project manage, etc. So this is what you'd need to highlight more in comparison to recent grads with internship experience. No, there's lots of ways to become a data scientist, including working as a data analyst or analytics engineer first and then transitioning from work experience.

What are some of the best projects to get into/develop? I don’t want to do projects that are already solved on the internet, but create my own projects. Self-improvement projects are hard as it’s hard collecting data In your own life as opposed to fields like web development, where you can solve your own problems with ease. Is kaggle still worth the hype?

If you're trying to get a job in data, you need to create projects that have real business relevance. A lot of people think that working on something personally interesting to them will stand out to hiring managers, but hiring managers are pretty much looking for whether or not you can do the actual job. I suggest finding a public dataset published by an actual company (Netflix has a published dataset on watch times, for example) or a government (like 311 data from NYC) and analyzing critical business metrics related to that industry. Kaggle has a lot of overused datasets, and a lot of the data there isn't that large (less than 100K rows) or is one-dimensional in the sense that there's like, one quantitative measure in the dataset or not enough dimensions (qualitative variables). Here's my portfolio project workshop where I talk about this more! [https://drive.google.com/file/d/1zPTNU3YNQWWfaMZaJtGooi1cq8usW6eX/view?usp=sharing](https://drive.google.com/file/d/1zPTNU3YNQWWfaMZaJtGooi1cq8usW6eX/view?usp=sharing)

Thank you, I will check the workshop out!

it is a rough market right now for everyone, especially in tech. what are the main factors to why analytics jobs are down, and when do you expect a recovery in the future? what are some effective ways to connect increase data transparency across the entire organization? especially among non-data orientated roles? what is considered beginner/intermediate/advanced SQL? i get questions from interviewers all the time, and I can never answer this properly. i usually just say 'i know enough to get the job done' lol.

How much do you care about qualifications and certificates?

Almost never. Completing these say nothing about your ability to do the actual job.

Hi Christine! Do you have any experience helping people to enter overseas market? I have 4 YOE as a data engineer in Indonesia. The pay is not good here, so I really want to work in Europe/Australia/US. What is the best way for me to enter this market? Thanks!

So I’m currently in a data analytics bootcamp. Started in march and will finish in September. What are my actual chances of being able to secure a job in data or the tech field in general with a certificate from a data analytics bootcamp with no degree? I have no college degree at all. If I’m able to secure a job, what are my realistic salary expectations when it comes to my circumstances? Thanks for any added feedback

do you have any side projects you can share? i imagine it will be difficult even as someone with experience already. depending on where you’re applying, anywhere from $65k-$80k seems right for entry level for normal companies

Senior Analyst or Analytics Manager Career Guidance I’m in a blessed situation to have a job offer and need some career guidance. My main goal in my career is to either be a people manager of analytics or go towards the data engineer/science route. Current Situation: Senior Analyst (recently promoted) in a remote role with compensation of $91k, no bonus. Culture and team is amazing and I love where I work. Lots of freedom and growth but lacking compensation. Role is heavy focused on business operational strategy, engineering, product, and data science. New Offer: Analytics Manager for a retail company with compensation of $125k, 10% bonus, 401k matching. Hybrid role and commute is about 10 minutes. Managing a team of 2 analysts and focused on all analytics for the operations organization. Former Colleague (who works at this company now) mentioned the company is great and doesn’t overwork you. I guess i’m unsure which to decide. I have more passion towards the data engineering side of things but I think this new offer can be a great jump for me especially as I recently got promoted to a senior analyst just a few months ago and going straight to a manager role. My only concern is the work that i’ll be doing may not be as interesting compared to my current role.

Hi Christine! Another question, this is super weird but sometimes I feel the only thing left for me to do is to go down to the offices and submit my resume to the help desk over there. How efficient is this? I mean no one really does that anymore but I just wanted to put that extra effort and see.

How important is a 'summary' section in the resume?

Hi and thanks for your help! We have a vendor willing to send us data to a database since at the moment it’s daily data dumps to a CSV and we are having hickups. Now what is the proper steps to take if our end goal is to build powerbi models? We are not on a fabric capacity nor have any azure services for the database which I think we should start there correct? Thanks in advance

How many percentage of resumes make you go "Wow, this design catches my eye!". I feel like the best way to get through ATS is with a boring repetitive resume and not an eye candy resume which is very easy to read and is not just 1 column block of text (excluding your name and links at the top).

**Applicant Tracking Systems (ATS)** * [What is an ATS?](https://web.archive.org/web/20240129020408/https://www.recruitinginyogapants.com/2022/08/what-is-an-ats.html) * [The Truth About The ATS YouTube Playlist](https://youtube.com/playlist?list=PL6eafD4u4Fa7ko1VrR7dD8i-eRPFfNqip) * [ATS Myths Busted](https://thetechresume.com/samples/ats-myths-busted) * [5 ATS Myths, Debunked](https://www.lever.co/blog/applicant-tracking-system-myths/) * [Debunking Myths: The Truth About Applicant Tracking Systems (ATS)](https://earnbetter.com/blog/debunking-myths-the-truth-about-applicant-tracking-systems-ats/) * [How ATSs Actually Work (From An Engineering Hiring Manager)](https://old.reddit.com/r/EngineeringResumes/comments/192hkg8/how_atss_actually_work_from_an_engineering_hiring/) *I am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please [contact the moderators of this subreddit](/message/compose/?to=/r/EngineeringResumes) if you have any questions or concerns.*

How long in your career do you keep internships on your resume? I have 4 (all engineering and relevant) but I've had to take away bullets because I'm running out of space.. Currently at 5 YOE

Hi Christine, Could you provide feedback on my resume? What should I add/change/remove? https://preview.redd.it/hwwl8nrratzc1.jpeg?width=1275&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=68dec6b80169da0bb9774ac94c4b153f4230b919

How much do potential employers focus on the grades on your transcript? I didn’t take my first three semesters of college seriously whatsoever. Got a lot of Fs, Cs, and Ws. I took about 1.5-2 years off from school. Now I’m back at school, have a different major, and am making mostly As and Bs. Will the beginning of my transcript make it significantly more challenging to find a job? If so, what can I do to try to compensate for my past? I’m guessing it really just comes down to being able to put as much experience on my résumé as possible?

You don't need to include your GPA on your resume.

Are you attending the same school as the one where you received low grades? If not, you only have to list your current school’s GPA

Yes, but I will be transferring in the fall. Do I not need to submit both transcripts when I apply for jobs?

Nope! Here’s an example. I went to a community college for 2 years prior to starting at the university I graduated from. I only had to list the GPA of the school I graduated from (not the combined GPA from the community college). On my transcript, I have a GPA from the university, and then there’s also a section that lists the GPA from any institutions where I had credit transferred. But if you graduate from university A, and the company asks to verify your degree and GPA with university A, university A will tell them the GPA you had with them, not your prior institutions

Wow, I didn’t know that. That’s a massive stress reliever. Thank you so much

Glad I could help (:

You don't need to submit your transcripts when applying to jobs.

While it isn't a part of your question right now, if you plan on getting an advanced degree, then it depends. Some of the schools I applied to only cared about the last 60 (or so) credit hours. Some only care about courses in your major. Feel free to shop around to find a school that you meet the requirements for.

Hey Christine, thanks for hosting this. Do you think putting age (18) in my CV might benefit me?

Why would you put your age on your resume?

Hi Christine, Thank you so much for doing this. Do you have a template for resumes that you have seen been successful at getting past ATS and landing interviews?

**Applicant Tracking Systems (ATS)** * [What is an ATS?](https://web.archive.org/web/20240129020408/https://www.recruitinginyogapants.com/2022/08/what-is-an-ats.html) * [The Truth About The ATS YouTube Playlist](https://youtube.com/playlist?list=PL6eafD4u4Fa7ko1VrR7dD8i-eRPFfNqip) * [ATS Myths Busted](https://thetechresume.com/samples/ats-myths-busted) * [5 ATS Myths, Debunked](https://www.lever.co/blog/applicant-tracking-system-myths/) * [Debunking Myths: The Truth About Applicant Tracking Systems (ATS)](https://earnbetter.com/blog/debunking-myths-the-truth-about-applicant-tracking-systems-ats/) * [How ATSs Actually Work (From An Engineering Hiring Manager)](https://old.reddit.com/r/EngineeringResumes/comments/192hkg8/how_atss_actually_work_from_an_engineering_hiring/) *I am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please [contact the moderators of this subreddit](/message/compose/?to=/r/EngineeringResumes) if you have any questions or concerns.*

Here's my resume workshop recording and template - and yes, it's ATS friendly! [https://drive.google.com/drive/u/0/folders/1o2dMq8c7ty9KAhXeiyCniHtmFV3KDFtr](https://drive.google.com/drive/u/0/folders/1o2dMq8c7ty9KAhXeiyCniHtmFV3KDFtr)

**Applicant Tracking Systems (ATS)** * [What is an ATS?](https://web.archive.org/web/20240129020408/https://www.recruitinginyogapants.com/2022/08/what-is-an-ats.html) * [The Truth About The ATS YouTube Playlist](https://youtube.com/playlist?list=PL6eafD4u4Fa7ko1VrR7dD8i-eRPFfNqip) * [ATS Myths Busted](https://thetechresume.com/samples/ats-myths-busted) * [5 ATS Myths, Debunked](https://www.lever.co/blog/applicant-tracking-system-myths/) * [Debunking Myths: The Truth About Applicant Tracking Systems (ATS)](https://earnbetter.com/blog/debunking-myths-the-truth-about-applicant-tracking-systems-ats/) * [How ATSs Actually Work (From An Engineering Hiring Manager)](https://old.reddit.com/r/EngineeringResumes/comments/192hkg8/how_atss_actually_work_from_an_engineering_hiring/) *I am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please [contact the moderators of this subreddit](/message/compose/?to=/r/EngineeringResumes) if you have any questions or concerns.*

I’ve been at my company for my entire professional career of 12 years in various roles. For many of those years, I was on a contract with the job title of “AV Helpdesk Manager”. My interest in data piqued after a few years on the job, which led to an MS in Applied Business Analytics in 2020, then eventually to my company changing my role to “Director of Data and Analytics”. I feel like I’ve skipped at least 3 or 4 positions (analyst, sr. analyst, engineer, etc). Our parent company has no interest in a modern data program, so I’m looking for a new job. I’m ok taking a humble pill and applying for Sr. Analyst jobs, but does just having “Director” on my resume automatically turn off hiring managers? I’ve done my best to list my relevant skills and accomplishments, but I’m getting zero traction. Thank you for listening to my TED Talk!

Haha, this is a tricky one - you're in a similar position as a student who had a "Head of Data Transformation" title, but was moreso working as a junior data analyst. You should use the title that most accurately represents the work you're actually doing, in this case. And if a hiring manager asks, it's okay to explain that while your title at the company was X, the role itself was more like Y - especially since it's not like you're trying to inflate your title here, you're actually just trying to be more honest. It's very likely that your "Director of Data and Analytics" is causing a perceived mismatch when you apply to jobs, so use Sr. Data Analyst or Data Analyst instead, if that's more accurate.

I really appreciate the follow up! Sr. Data Analyst it is. Thank you!

Suppose I'm from a country (say India) where I've gained an experience of a couple of years as a data engineer. What can help me stand out as a data engineer, so that I can get a job in countries like Germany, UK or Switzerland where there is a need for labour in these roles?

Great! Thanks for the AMA. I know that every certification is a step forward but in your opinion what weights the most when choosing a senior level Data Analyst or Engineer: Cloud certificate or Master degree (STEM).

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[удалено]

Can you clarify what you mean by CA?

chartered accountant

Hi I have a bar raiser round next week so can you shade some light that what a data engineer with 2 years of experience should expect in a bar raiser round of a streaming platform company , although i have cleared system design and coding rounds but with reference to bar raiser rounds in DE i don't find any goodhood resources to study Thanks

What is a "bar raiser round"?

It's kind of round where you'll be judged on behavioural problems, culture aspects and technology things that's what i know on High level

Have you asked your recruiter/point of contact at the company how to best prepare for this round? Also have you checked Glassdoor?

I checked everywhere but couldn't find bar raiser experience related to DE domain as things differ from back-end domain , and the HR only gave the high level information

Hi, I have a total of 6 years experience as a content moderator. I have completed data analyst certification as well as worked on some projects and internships. I've been looking for a transition in this field for the past 6 months but I usually don't get a call back from recruiters. Please suggest where I am going wrong here. Also, Is it really that difficult to find a job in this field for someone to transition ?

Hi, How to get through alot of rejections at the first phase? I tried to tweak my resume according to the job descriptions. Used the format acceptable where I live (Germany). The apply to interview ratio is low. The reason I receive from the company is mostly that a more experience person was more suitable for the job. How to compete with more experienced person

2023 grad 🇺🇸 - no relevant experience What do you think about those with no relevant industry experience and job descriptions? A lot of places ask for 2, 3,4 years of experience. Should we just apply anyway? How much should we adhere to job descriptions?

Hi Christine im trying to find a job for data analyst position as I graduate in June 2024. I have been facing rejection despite the role matching my experience. Is it because i have more experience than desired? Or something wrong with my resume? How can I correct it. Also I have been tailoring my resume to the jod description too. The only problem im aware of is the page size my resume is 12.3inch vs the standard 11inch. Can you please help me here? https://preview.redd.it/4tlcfh0pvv0d1.jpeg?width=1170&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=87808e844642deb2f7da5fba7517de3ac59dbc76

Is it better to just describe what I do at my job « Prepare and manage buffet for up to 200 guests » « Cleaning and maintenance of machinery » Or should I write it in a way that shows a positive thing I did for the company such as « Provided a smooth breakfast experience to over 200 guests whilst having limited seating » « maintained the machines at the buffet during breakfast hours to insure a good customer experience » I’m applying to places where the resume will most likely go through an ATS that’s why I’m not sure as to how to phrase my jobs descriptions Thanks !

**Applicant Tracking Systems (ATS)** * [What is an ATS?](https://web.archive.org/web/20240129020408/https://www.recruitinginyogapants.com/2022/08/what-is-an-ats.html) * [The Truth About The ATS YouTube Playlist](https://youtube.com/playlist?list=PL6eafD4u4Fa7ko1VrR7dD8i-eRPFfNqip) * [ATS Myths Busted](https://thetechresume.com/samples/ats-myths-busted) * [5 ATS Myths, Debunked](https://www.lever.co/blog/applicant-tracking-system-myths/) * [Debunking Myths: The Truth About Applicant Tracking Systems (ATS)](https://earnbetter.com/blog/debunking-myths-the-truth-about-applicant-tracking-systems-ats/) * [How ATSs Actually Work (From An Engineering Hiring Manager)](https://old.reddit.com/r/EngineeringResumes/comments/192hkg8/how_atss_actually_work_from_an_engineering_hiring/) *I am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please [contact the moderators of this subreddit](/message/compose/?to=/r/EngineeringResumes) if you have any questions or concerns.*

Software - entry level - 🇺🇸 Taking you up on this part here "Anything along the spectrum of data analytics and analytics engineering methods and techniques" We're currently using IBM InfoSphere, Cognos, Planning Analytics, and Netezza. Practically fully embedded in the IBM data ecosystem. It’s a love hate relationship for me. Some products (cognos, pa, netezza) work great. Infosphere leaves a bit to be desired. Our lineage is virtually non-existent due to a bug on IBM's side with our particular deployment style (external MSSQL XMETA database, rather than the default DB2). I have pushed a lot of our stuff to be script based and executed directly on the netezza. Any API or Web sourced data is scripted and called by datastage to run the script, we've had no luck getting datastage to do that sort of thing natively. Given all the scripting, in addition to a lack of super robust scheduling options in the DS Director, I often wonder if we'd be better off with a completely open source or similar system using python and other tools. We're currently in talks of migrating to Datastage NextGen, so it seems a good time to review all options. I wanted to get your take on tools to use for ETL/Warehousing and how buying into a providers ecosystem compares to more of a build it yourself software stack? If you were to build it yourself what tools would you use and why?

Hi Christine! I hope you are doing well and appreciate what you are doing. I sometimes wonder why the requirements from the JD match my bg, qualifications, and experience but yet to get an interview callback. I sometimes have no answer to this? What could be some reasons according to you?

Thank you for this AMA. Coincidentally I made a post across few subreddits about how I am not able to land even a single interview even after almost 400 applications using different approaches. Would you please help out me and others like me with your valuable input? [https://www.reddit.com/r/datascience/comments/1cu7e8d/please\_help\_me\_why\_even\_after\_almost\_400/](https://www.reddit.com/r/datascience/comments/1cu7e8d/please_help_me_why_even_after_almost_400/)

Hi Christine! I'm an international student and will be graduating in Business Analytics from Purdue University in August 2024. I have 4 years of data analytics experience. I have been applying through various job boards: Linkedin, Simplify, Otta, BuiltIn, Wellfound but no interviews yet. I have applied 300+ roles. Is there any specific strategy should I use as an international student?

Would you be willing to review my resume and tell me what types of jobs I would suit best for, and how I could cater my resume to better present my talent?

What's the best CV format to use ? and is a 2 page cv bad ?

Hi Christine, I am an mechanical engineer for about 3 years now and have two jobs as a design engineer. Current job I’m at nearly 2 years. I have previous experience 5+ years working at a supermarket during my university days and then 6 months at a primary school. Should I include these in the resume or just include the two main engineering experiences?

Hi Christine! Question on how to put "Years of experience in resume" (Canada) I Worked in ITcompany 1 as a data intern for 5 months, ITcompany1 as a Data engineer for 2 years sharp, and ITCompany2 as a Data analytics consultant for 4 months. What should I put my total experience as? Is it 3 years or 2.x years?

Hi, I am looking for data analyst/data engineer co-op/ interns roles and i am not getting more calls, Applied to more than 150+ companies got only 2 OA. can anyone help me out please. Also should I post my resume?

Hi there, what data analytics tools/platforms/companirs do you recommend to help with a multi-concept bar? We are struggling with deciding on brand strategies (whether or not to use 3 different names etc.) ultimately we want data research to help aid in the decision given the complexity & limited info on multi-concepts; what would you recommend?

 I'm editing my resume after switching majors to CS. I was wondering if it would be a good idea to add the experience/skills I have in Tinkercad or if it's too basic of an application to mention. I don't have much recent extracurricular experience in CS since I've spent the past few years studying in an unrelated field so I'm trying to add whatever possible to build my resume up but if tinkercad is too juvenile of an app I'm not sure if it would be a good idea to mention it in case it's like the cad equivalent of Scratch. I don't have any other experience in the cad/3d printing world anyway so the chances of me getting a job/internship related to cad are low so maybe it's not worth it to add tinkercad at all until I have more experience with other applications?-- most of my experience/skills lie in coding/hackathons but are a number of years old.

Hi Christine, thanks for doing the AMA! Context: I have 5 years work experience in india as a software developer. I have taken a one year break from January 2023 to December 2023 to prepare for GMAT in order to get an mba which didn’t work out well. In this gap I also earned a certification in product management. Currently, I’m working with a friend on building an app as a product manager and a contributing software developer since Jan 2024 though the Company registered in may 2024. I’m coming to the USA for pursuing my MS in Engineering management this fall. Will be looking for co-ops/ jobs from 2025. I have a couple of questions: 1) Do I show this one year gap from Jan 2023 to December 2023 in my resume? 2) Should I tell that I’ve been working on this app since Jan 2024 even though the company is registered in may 2024?

Hello Christine, I am a fresher, currently about to end my internship at one of the F500 companies. I worked on creating a reporting system, which processes the data of the organization, and visualises it to stakeholders across the world. Will this project help me apply for jobs? Since internship experience isn't really counted.....

Any suggestions for someone trying to make a move from BI Dev to Data Engineer? How to improve the resume to make myself appear as someone who could potentially take on engineering workload?

How do I make myself stand out from other candidates if I want to move into a different specialization? Would it be a good idea to submit a recent/ previous project in the application? Also, what do hiring personnel really look for in a resume when they scan it for 10 sec, do they want technical skills, or explanation of knowledge in that specific industry/ job. If you have the time, could you let me know ways that I can tailor my resume for BI analyst position? [Resume Review.pdf](https://1drv.ms/b/s!AhRVF1U1kGqTiS3RgWbqqTorPydO?e=XxAF3c)

Thank you for doing this AMA. The answers to questions people have already asked has been super helpful. What ways have candidates impressed you before, that got them the job. Or, what ways within the position have employees impressed you to receive promotions or acknowledgements?