{"id":740,"date":"2020-08-26T18:28:20","date_gmt":"2020-08-26T18:28:20","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/data-science.gotoauthority.com\/2020\/08\/26\/how-to-optimize-your-cv-for-a-data-scientist-career\/"},"modified":"2020-08-26T18:28:20","modified_gmt":"2020-08-26T18:28:20","slug":"how-to-optimize-your-cv-for-a-data-scientist-career","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/wealthrevelation.com\/data-science\/2020\/08\/26\/how-to-optimize-your-cv-for-a-data-scientist-career\/","title":{"rendered":"How to Optimize Your CV for a Data Scientist Career"},"content":{"rendered":"<div id=\"post-\">\n<p><b>By <a href=\"https:\/\/www.essaysupply.com\/research-papers\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Dorian Martin<\/a>, Technology writer<\/b>.<\/p>\n<p><img class=\"aligncenter size-full wp-image-115316\" src=\"https:\/\/www.kdnuggets.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/Fig1-Martin-optimize-cv-data-scientist-career.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"90%\"><\/p>\n<p><em>(<a href=\"https:\/\/unsplash.com\/photos\/774sCXD0dDU\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Image source<\/a>.)<\/em><\/p>\n<p>Looking to make your data scientist resume more attractive to employers?<\/p>\n<p>You\u2019re in the right place.<\/p>\n<p>In this post, you\u2019ll find expert tips, examples, and takeaways to make a resume that\u2019s good enough for the job you really want.<\/p>\n<p>\u00a0<\/p>\n<h3>What are Data Science Employers Looking for in a Resume?<\/h3>\n<p>\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>Let\u2019s begin by becoming a data science recruiter for a moment.<\/p>\n<p>To stand out from the pile of other resumes and catch the attention of employers, we need to know what they\u2019re looking for in candidates.<\/p>\n<p>According to <a href=\"https:\/\/www.kdnuggets.com\/2018\/05\/simplilearn-9-must-have-skills-data-scientist.html\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\"><em>9 Must-Have Skills You Need to Become a Data Scientist<\/em><\/a><em>,<\/em> these are the most important skills that attract employers:<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>Education (at least a Bachelor\u2019s degree in Computer Science, Social Sciences, and Statistics)<\/li>\n<li>R programming<\/li>\n<li>Python Coding<\/li>\n<li>Hadoop platform<\/li>\n<li>SQL database\/coding<\/li>\n<li>Apache Spark<\/li>\n<li>Machine Learning and Artificial Intelligence<\/li>\n<li>Data Visualization<\/li>\n<li>Unstructured data.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>So, as someone interested in hiring a data scientist, you\u2019ll be more likely to look for these skills in the resume.<\/p>\n<p>This brings us right to the first tip&#8230;<\/p>\n<p>\u00a0<\/p>\n<h3>1. Put In-Demand Skills First<\/h3>\n<p>\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>To save the hiring manager the trouble of looking for your skills, put them at the very top of your resume. Be sure to list them in a separate section to catch attention.<\/p>\n<p>Don\u2019t use a one-column bullet list for skills. It might take up a lot of resume space, so go for something different. If you\u2019re not using any templates where the designer took care of space saving, you can simply list them in one sentence.<\/p>\n<p>Another, more creative way is to differentiate each skill visually, like Upwork, a freelance platform, does in its user profiles.<\/p>\n<p><img class=\"aligncenter size-full wp-image-115317\" src=\"https:\/\/www.kdnuggets.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/Fig2-Martin-optimize-cv-data-scientist-career.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"90%\"><\/p>\n<p>In which order should you list the skills? The best bet is to have those in-demand skills first and move on to \u201cleast impressive,\u201d if you will. Also, don\u2019t forget to provide your evaluation of the skill level, e.g., \u201cbeginner, \u201cintermediate,\u201d or \u201cexpert.\u201d<\/p>\n<p><strong>Takeaway<\/strong>: List your skills close to the top. They will help to draw the attention of the hiring manager and let them know if you\u2019re the right candidate for the job.<\/p>\n<p>\u00a0<\/p>\n<h3>2. Give a Detailed and Concise Overview of Your Achievements<\/h3>\n<p>\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>This is another critical section that deserves being in the top half of your resume. It is the <em>\u201cShow, don\u2019t tell\u201d<\/em> part that hiring managers want. Before asking you to <a href=\"https:\/\/www.fastcompany.com\/90213564\/your-interviewer-asks-you-to-disclose-your-flaws-what-now\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">disclose your flaws during the interview<\/a>, they need to be drawn in with strengths.<\/p>\n<p>Your main goal is to find and list your main professional achievements.<\/p>\n<p>Here\u2019s how to do it right:<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>\n<strong>Use only relevant achievements<\/strong>. An achievement like \u201cProviding expert dissertation help to students to improve their academic writing skills\u201d sounds impressive, but stick to data science-related accomplishments<\/li>\n<li>\n<strong>Include numbers<\/strong>. A quantifiable accomplishment demonstrates your impact much better, e.g., \u201c<em>Analyzed marketing processes with custom machine learning algorithms to generate $2,000 in savings<\/em>\u201d is more impressive with numbers<\/li>\n<li>\n<strong>Use only one sentence per each achievement.<\/strong> Your resume should fit in one page, so be careful and limit each achievement to one sentence.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><strong>Pro tip:<\/strong> <em>Use the \u201cSkill &#8211; Activity &#8211; Result\u201d formula for each achievement<\/em>.<\/p>\n<p>Here are these parts in \u201c<em>Analyzed marketing processes with custom machine learning algorithms to generate $2,000 in savings\u201d <\/em>example:<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>\n<strong>Skill<\/strong>: using custom machine learning algorithms<\/li>\n<li>\n<strong>Activity<\/strong>: marketing process analysis<\/li>\n<li>\n<strong>Result<\/strong>: $2,000 in savings.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>By structuring the achievements this way in your resume, you\u2019ll make them to-the-point and clear.<\/p>\n<p>\u00a0<\/p>\n<h3>3. Explain, Don\u2019t List, Your Non-Technical Skills<\/h3>\n<p>\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>Many data scientists make a mistake by presenting their soft skills in a bullet point list. While it\u2019s important to mention them, don\u2019t just leave it like that.<\/p>\n<p>I mean, what does something like \u201c<em>verbal communication\u201d<\/em> really say about you to the person reading your resume?<\/p>\n<p>That needs some details to demonstrate how good you are, right?<\/p>\n<p>Here are some examples:<\/p>\n<table width=\"624\">\n<tbody>\n<tr>\n<td width=\"312\"><strong>Non-Technical Skill<\/strong><\/td>\n<td width=\"312\"><strong>Great Description<\/strong><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td width=\"312\">Verbal communication<\/p>\n<p>\u00a0<\/p>\n<\/td>\n<td width=\"312\">Managed weekly meetings with clients to update them on projects and collect feedback<\/p>\n<p>\u00a0<\/p>\n<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td width=\"312\">Written communication &amp; teamwork<\/p>\n<p>\u00a0<\/p>\n<\/td>\n<td width=\"312\">Worked with a team of 10+ marketing team, applying data analysis models to identify patterns in customer data<\/p>\n<p>\u00a0<\/p>\n<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td width=\"312\">Storytelling<\/p>\n<p>\u00a0<\/p>\n<\/td>\n<td width=\"312\">Created data visualization presentations and presented them to customers to explain the results of data analysis<\/p>\n<p>\u00a0<\/p>\n<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td width=\"312\">Adaptability<\/p>\n<p>\u00a0<\/p>\n<\/td>\n<td width=\"312\">Worked simultaneously on machine learning and data visualization projects to help identify unexpected problems &amp; convert results into visuals<\/p>\n<p>\u00a0<\/p>\n<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n<p>Now, that sounds more interesting, right?<\/p>\n<p>The hiring manager reading your resume will also agree.<\/p>\n<p>Communication and teamwork are among the most important soft skills to present this way.<\/p>\n<p>Why? Because the majority of data science professionals &#8211; about 60 percent &#8211; work in teams of five or more people, says <a href=\"https:\/\/www.kaggle.com\/kaggle-survey-2019\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">the State of Data Science 2019 report.<\/a><\/p>\n<p><img class=\"aligncenter size-full wp-image-115318\" src=\"https:\/\/www.kdnuggets.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/Fig3-Martin-optimize-cv-data-scientist-career.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"90%\"><\/p>\n<p><em>Source: <a href=\"https:\/\/www.kaggle.com\/kaggle-survey-2019\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">State of Data Science 2019<\/a><\/em><\/p>\n<p>The only thing to remember when describing these non-technical skills is to write only one sentence for each one (just like with the achievements).<\/p>\n<p>\u00a0<\/p>\n<h3>4. Match Keywords in the Job Description<\/h3>\n<p>\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>It\u2019s not a secret that hiring managers use keywords in job descriptions. In the data science industry, they include <em>the names of skills, qualifications, certifications, and technologies<\/em>.<\/p>\n<p>Let\u2019s take a look at this data scientist job posting from LinkedIn. It\u2019s kinda long, but bear with me, it\u2019s what you\u2019re going to be doing soon, too.<\/p>\n<p>The posting has most of the keywords underlined for you to find quickly.<\/p>\n<p><img class=\"aligncenter size-full wp-image-115319\" src=\"https:\/\/www.kdnuggets.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/Fig4-Martin-optimize-cv-data-scientist-career.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"90%\"><\/p>\n<p>See how many of them are there?<\/p>\n<p>This job posting is literally packed with the keywords that the perfect candidate should have on their resume (that means you, too, if you\u2019re applying).<\/p>\n<p>If you\u2019d like to apply for a position like this, it\u2019s super important to have these in your resume: machine learning, written &amp; verbal communication skills, software engineering, fast prototyping.<\/p>\n<p>These are the primary ones if you will, but <a href=\"https:\/\/www.godaddy.com\/garage\/keyword-optimized-resumes\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">the more keywords<\/a> you can hit with your real expertise, the better.<\/p>\n<p><strong>Important! <\/strong><em>Don\u2019t stuff your resume with keywords<\/em>. It\u2019ll sound unnatural and suspicious for the recruiter. Do it naturally to avoid looking like you\u2019re trying too hard.<\/p>\n<p>Besides, keyword stuffing might also suggest that the candidate did it just to get to the interview, which in turn means they might not be qualified.<\/p>\n<p>\u00a0<\/p>\n<h3>Your Next Steps<\/h3>\n<p>\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>Follow the tips you\u2019ve just read, create that awesome resume, and send it out!<\/p>\n<p>Now, it should be much more engaging, detailed, and attractive to potential employers.<\/p>\n<p>If you\u2019re interested in knowing how companies hire data scientists, check out the guide below (it has a question bank with questions that employers use to assess the skills of data scientists!)<\/p>\n<p>\u00a0<\/p>\n<p><strong>Bio:<\/strong>\u00a0Dorian Martin has seven years of technical content writing experience and has helped numerous tech blogs create content marketing strategies. Currently, he\u2019s working as a chief editor at <a href=\"https:\/\/www.essaysupply.com\/research-papers\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Essaysupply.com<\/a>\u00a0where he helps with making quality content. Dorian\u2019s biggest passions, apart from writing, are playing volleyball and watching music documentaries.<\/p>\n<p><b>Related:<\/b><\/p>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>https:\/\/www.kdnuggets.com\/2020\/08\/optimize-cv-data-scientist-career.html<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":0,"featured_media":741,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":[],"categories":[2],"tags":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/wealthrevelation.com\/data-science\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/740"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/wealthrevelation.com\/data-science\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/wealthrevelation.com\/data-science\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/wealthrevelation.com\/data-science\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=740"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/wealthrevelation.com\/data-science\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/740\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/wealthrevelation.com\/data-science\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/741"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/wealthrevelation.com\/data-science\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=740"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/wealthrevelation.com\/data-science\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=740"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/wealthrevelation.com\/data-science\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=740"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}