Companies often get hundreds of applications for their job postings and it’s not possible for HR to manually screen all of them. Even if you’re a good fit for the role you may never hear back. Having been on both sides of the hiring process as a job applicant and an interviewer, I want to discuss mistakes you’re making that are hurting your chances of success and what you can do about it.
1. Your resume didn’t get past ATS
99% of Fortune 500 companies use an applicant tracking system (ATS) to filter qualified applicants to recruiters for further review. For a job opening with 250 applicants, only 4 to 6 will be called for an interview. If you’ve never gotten a response, it’s likely your resume never got past an ATS to get in front of a human.
How to increase your chance of success:
- Modify your resume to highlight hard skills mentioned multiple times or near the top of the job requirements. For example, if a job posting required knowledge of specific Python packages or machine learning algorithms, be sure to list that in your resume.
- Leverage online tools to help you find the right keywords to use on your resume to pass the ATS screen.
- Beware of using abbreviations because ATS can be looking for terms that are fully spelled out, i.e. machine learning vs. ML. When in doubt use the same terminology in the job description as that’s most likely what ATS is configured to screen for.
- Use Microsoft Word or PDF files for your resume to ensure ATS can scan it properly. If you don’t have Microsoft Word, Google Docs is free to use to and you can download your resume as a .docx ( Word ) or .pdf ( PDF ) file.
2. Your resume didn’t show why you’re the right fit for the role
Employers spend an average of 7 seconds on an initial resume screen. Imagine you’re creating an ad and you only have 7 seconds to convince the viewer why they should buy your product. This is the same mindset you need to use with your resume. What can you show on your resume that will convince the employer within 7 seconds you should move to the interview round?
How to increase your chance of success:
- Format your resume to make it easy to read and highlight skills relevant to the role. Employers have no time to associate what you’ve done in the past with why you’ll be a good fit for their role if they don’t see an obvious connection.
- Modify your resume to align with the top job requirements instead of using a standard version to apply to all jobs. This can make the difference between your resume passing an employer screen or going into the rejection pile.
- If you’re making a career change and have no direct relevant experience, highlight how your domain experience helps you apply Data Science to business problems you’ve encountered firsthand.
3. You didn’t prove your data science knowledge
When an employer first sees your resume you’re like every other applicant with similar qualifications. You can have the relevant skills for the role but the hiring manager can’t be sure you actually know how to apply them. To stand out from the crowd, you’ll need to show your ability to apply data science to business problems.
How to increase your chance of success:
- Create projects to show you know how to apply data science in the real world. Avoid datasets on Kaggle or create your own to make your data unique to help your projects stand out.
- Consider blogging about data science. You can build up a portfolio of articles to showcase your knowledge to employers.
- Reach out to a local non-profit or small business and offer to work for free. This will give you opportunities to apply data science to real-world problems and discuss them in job interviews.
4. You didn’t network even if you weren’t looking for a job
As much as 80% of jobs are filled through personal and professional connections and 70% of jobs aren’t published on job sites. It’s important to build a network of connections that can potentially refer you to a job instead of finding one on your own.
How to increase your chance of success:
- Start building connections even if you’re not looking for a job now. Keep in touch with friends and colleagues that have moved on to other companies. You never know where a job referral can come from.
- Reach out to people on LinkedIn working in companies or positions you’re interested in and request an informational interview. This will help you build rapport if you ever need to ask for a job referral.
- Find a data meetup near you to attend and make connections with like-minded people and potential employers. The speakers or attendees may know of job openings you’re right for in the future.
5. You didn’t interview well
Employers want to hire candidates that are excited about the role and can communicate with different audience levels. Even if you pass the technical tests if your responses are ambiguous or you show no interest in the job you’re less likely to be hired.
How to increase your chance of success:
- Research common questions the interviewer may ask and practice your responses.
- Prepare questions you can ask the interviewer to show your interest in the role and company.
- Ask friends and family to conduct mock interviews for practice. Film yourself to review afterward and ask for feedback from your mock interviewers on what you could’ve done better.
- Finally practice, practice, practice. There’s no shortcut to developing great communication skills.
Data science jobs are competitive and even if you have the right qualifications it’s not a guarantee you’ll get the job. Now that you know how to increase your chance of success, I hope your next data science job comes sooner rather than later.
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