How To Get Data Science Jobs : A Guide For Beginners

Technology Trends
7 min readMay 15, 2020

8 Things to keep in mind to get a data science job

Data Science

Introduction :

Storming the world is a wave of development on the technological front. A few decades back, scientists began developing newer technologies and it has been a mad scramble since then. The world has seen some very consequential inventions in these last few years and we cannot thank the scientists enough for that.

Our life revolves around the usage of technology. To say the least, we are blind without most of our gadgets. Although, there is one more powerful thing that brings all of these components together- the Internet. The Internet is one of the biggest networks existing in the world and it showcases what humans can do if they take to it. It took the researchers and scientists not more than a few years to fully develop the internet.

With the advent of mind blowing technology, there has been an introduction of new subjects into the world of Computer Science. Data Science is one of them. The main motive of the Internet is to deal with data. While it provides us with the required information, which is essentially data, we also feed it with our data when we use several websites and platforms. All of this information and data are stored in databases. Each website or platform has its own databases that it uses to keep these data intact.

All these things, from the very basic tasks to the most advanced of them all, have to be taken care of by a computer. Now, this computer has to be ‘taught’ how to handle data by humans like you and me. And that is essentially the work of a Data Scientist, although it is much more than just one sentence of description.

Things to keep in mind if you want Data Science jobs :

Data Science jobs are present in uncountable numbers. And this is increasing every day with the development of more and more databases around the world. However, the intake is a strict process that is tough to crack. To become a Data Scientist, you must be in possession of a list of skills and characteristics. These are essentially what a company looks for in their employees. But before we venture into that list, you should know what your work will typically encompass.

As a Data Scientist, you will be required to process a large number of raw data. You will be finding patterns in them that can benefit your company in the long run. Two integral parts of Data Science are Data Mining and Big Data. Both the fields are associated with the processing of data and you can choose one according to your preferences.

All these topics are parts of the Data Science Course You can opt for such courses to enhance your skills. Great Learning provides the best data science course in India and you can enroll with them to learn more.

Now, we come to your skills. There are certain particular things that you mandatory need to get a Data Science job. If you can tick off all the ten things mentioned in our curated legalistic, you can be sure to land a great, high paying Data Science job.

  1. Strong CGPA:

The very first thing you need for a great job, is a good CGPA. Your college performance should be consistent or towards the rising end. Companies give special preference to this part of your resume as it says a lot about you and your dedication towards the subject. Data Science is a field where patience is key. Your consistency will be shown by your CGPA, which, by extension, will show your consistency as a student. One more thing that your CGPA does is, it tells the company about your knowledge. Knowledge plays a pivotal role when it comes to Data Science. Your marks show the level of your knowledge and that is what the company is essentially looking for.

2. Good overall academic performance:

A good overall academic performance is an extension of the previous point. However, only scoring well in your college will not do the entire trick. You need to have a good academic performance over your career. When we say, ‘overall’, we are including a number of things. Your co-curricular activities, especially the ones which are close to your field of studying, are included in this. Anything, starting from paper presentations to dissertations to research work, is counted as a part of your academic performance. In fact, the way you handled your laboratory and performed under pressure are also taken into account. Some companies will ask for two or three letters of recommendation. Here, your professors will have to write about your academic life in college. Apart from your college life, your academic performance at school will also be judged for some roles.

3. Promising skill set:

When you prepare to face the world outside, you prepare to face some of the most talented people in a field. In your case, you will be competing against tough nuts who have experience and skill. While you can only gain experience with time, you can accumulate skills quite easily. There are Data Science training institutions that teach you everything that you need to know about Data Science and its corollaries. They give you a valid Data Science certificate that has a lot of weightage in case of jobs. In order to compete with the sharks of the Data Science world, you too must hone your skills. Another important part of acquiring skills is updating them. Computer Science is a volatile field. Every day something new gets discovered. Data Science is subjected to similar changes too. And all of these changes take place regularly. Hence, to stay put in the market, it is important that you update your skills periodically. This will enhance your CV and show your will and love for the subject to your bosses.

4. Enriching internship experiences:

Internships form an important part of your resume and there is substantial reason for that. When you study a course, you do so with the aim of working with something associated with the same subjects. However, your academic curriculum cannot give you the environment of a real world working system. But this is essential for a wholesale learning experience. Hence, internships. When you intern with a company, you get a taste of the actual working scenario. You get to apply your knowledge to get some work done in real time. And this is an essential part of your leadership abilities. Having interned at some place shows that you have struggled and overcome the situations. And that is something your employers are looking for.

5. Innovative Thinking :

Thinking out of the box is an ability not all are blessed with. If you have that in you, you are blessed. If you don’t, work hard to inculcate this quality as employers love nothing more than an innovative solution to their problems. Wondering why? Let me tell you. As a Data Scientist, you will be working for a corporate company. Now, this company has thousands of competitors in the market. All of them make the same products or provide the same facilities as your company does. Hence, the problems they face are more or less the same. The solutions to these problems will also be the same if you do not come up with something innovative every now and then. If all the ideas are the same, then what is the point of a separate company? Thus, innovative and out of the box thinking are important to keep a company afloat.

6. Data Science courses from good institutes:

Data Science certificates hold a lot of weightage on your CV. Your certificates are the proof of your knowledge and your dedication towards it. Hence, getting a certificate will always work in your favour. Also, get as many additional certificates as you can. Of course, they should be relevant to Data Science, and not simply acquired for the sake of it. Once you acquire all the certificates that you need, you will have gone a notch higher on the employment table.

7. Good recommendations:

Recommendations hold a lot of meaning when you look for a job. When we say ‘recommendation’, we mean something like a feedback form- an attestation of your talents and goodwill. These recommendations will be given to you by your professors, your previous employers, or your course teachers. They should ideally speak about your hold on the subject, your analytical ability, your capability to practically apply your knowledge, and your other engagements. Putting in a few words about your leadership qualities will also be the cherry on the cake.

8. A strong sense of motivation to pursue the field:

Data Science, as great as it is, is a field full of ups and downs and complexities. It takes a good deal of time, patience, and energy to actually pursue it. If you wish to land great jobs in Data Science, you will have to stick to the subject like an adhesive. It will get tough as you climb the ladder but it will be worth it once you reach the top. Hence, stay motivated to do whatever it takes to reach your goal.

Conclusion

Data Science is a field that attracts the best. Hence, to stand out, you will have to put in extra effort because it contains the cream of the community. Your first step should be taking a course. There is Great Learning that provides you with the scope to learn things better. If you are passionate about the subject, you should definitely look it up and pursue it. Who knows, you might enter the list of the elitist of the elite!

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