How to Improve Your Data Science CV

How to Improve Your Data Science CV

The question of what defines a Data Scientist in organisations still troubles many today – here is a list of CV tips that set you up for Data Science success in 2017.

Your Summary

Your Skills• Highlight your excellent written

communication skills here.• Alter CV to fit the job spec or

role.• What can you contribute to this

new team & why?• What makes you different?• Show your specialism or niche in

a particular field.

Parallel Insight:Be sure to use your communication skills to summarise everything that is in your

CV in a clear, concise paragraph. Don’t be afraid to have a CV longer than 2 pages – but make sure you are clearly articulating

your contribution to new teams & how you stand out in the crowd.

Where Should This Be on Your CV?

BEGINNINGNo more than 5-7 lines clearly

summarising your entire career.

‘Don’t be a “Jack-of-all-trades” in your summary. It dilutes your specialism & niche’. – C o n s u l t a n t , D a t a S c i e n c e

Your Education

Your Degree

• MA or MSc or PhD or MBA• Mathematics• Statistics• Computer Science• Data Analytics• Data Science

Parallel Insight:Anyone can claim to be a Data Scientist.

We want to see someone who understands the technical details hiding

behind the algorithms & knows the benefit of using one algorithm opposed to

another. It’s useful to mention any personal projects you have completed.


FRONT PAGEIn the summary or in the first half of your CV. It should really stand out on

the page.

“Having a mathematical background is imperative when applying to a Data Science position”.

– S e n i o r C o n s u l t a n t , D a t a S c i e n c e

Your Research

Your Research• Show you are capable of

embarking on your own research projects.• Think PhD or MSc that

included a project with problem solving.

• Include independent research projects (Kaggle or Internships).

• Showcase that you are able to work independently, but also as part of a team.

Parallel Insight:The biggest mistake made by Data

Science applicants is the lack of information given on their research

projects. We want to see you summarise context, approach, outcomes & innovation

in the projects you handle. We want to see how good a communicator you are.


PERSONAL STATEMENT

You want to mention specific projects in your work experience work if possible

as well. “It’s always nice to see the kind of research you have done for school or in your spare time. It shows us you have an inspiration to work independently”. –

C o n s u l t a n t , D a t a S c i e n c e

Your Inner Programmer

Your Skills

• List your technical skills in order of experience: • EX: Python (6 years); R (3

years); SQL (3 years) • Secondary skills:

• Java, C++, C#, etc.• Scalable Big Data: Scala,

Spark.

Parallel Insight:In your CV, make a note of your technical

depth in each language. Don’t just list every language. Bonus: include open-

source bases you contributed to or links to public work showcasing your coding

ability – this provides us with confidence in your skills!


SKILLS SECTIONYou want to mention these also in each

of your commercial positions.

“You want to list every programming language you have ever encountered. We want to see what your specialism is & what makes you stand out”. – C o n s u l t a n t ,

D a t a S c i e n c e

Your Inner Problem Solver

Your Skills

• Problem solving skills; forecasting, predicting, optimising, modelling, etc.

• Which processes did you use & why?

• External accreditations: Chartered status (Mathematician, Scientist, Statistician), CPA, CFE, AML, etc.

• How do your skills fit the organisation?

Parallel Insight:How do you enable smart data interaction

at every level of the organisation? How does your specialism contribute to this

job? How do you choose the right tools for the task? What is your technical breadth in certain fields related to Data Science?


EACH JOB SUMMARY

Show that you are an excellent problem solver in each of your positions!

“You don’t want to list every algorithm you have ever used. You want to show how your technical niche optimised business direction in the company”. –

C o n s u l t a n t , D a t a S c i e n c e

Your Big Impact

Your Skills• What models resulted in

actionable insights – what models were thrown out?

• Summarise the context, approach & impact of your contribution.

• How did you curate services around data?

• How did you drive cultural change within your organisation?

Parallel Insight:For entry-level & Senior Data Scientists,

CVs often lack in self-promotion. We want to see how you have impacted a team &

what difference you made to breed success on a project or department. How did you optimise your insights? Identify

clearly how you hit KPIs.Where Should This Be on Your CV?

EACH JOB SUMMARY

You want to mention the impact you had in each role you have worked.

“As a Data Scientist, your ultimate goal is to increase profit & reduce costs. How you did this needs to be discussed thoroughly in a CV”. – M a n a g e r, D a t a S c i e n c e

Your Curiosity

Your Skills• Show that you are continuously

updating your skillset.• Highlight your personal &

professional development.• MOOCs, training courses,

conferences, workshops with dates & certificates mentioned when applicable.

• Competitions online or Github projects

Parallel Insight:Data Science is always on the cutting-

edge. We at Parallel want to see that you have a commitment towards evolving your

Data Science skillset & your passion for the market. Hiring Managers love seeing

that you keep an open-mind towards innovation through education.


CERTIFICATES/OTHER

Make a separate section/list underneath your education or skills

section to highlight.“You want to show that you are open-minded – that you are interested in seeing a 4th dimension to your work & applying that at your company”. – C o n s u l t a n t , D a t a

S c i e n c e

Your Softer Side

Your Skills

• Stakeholder Management.• Influence with Senior

Management.• Presentation & Communication to

business & non-technical audiences.

• Project delivery.• How to handle difficult

stakeholders, management or clients.

Parallel Insight:Especially for more senior roles in Data

Science, we want to see how you successfully communicated your ideas & insights to Senior Management. If you

have dealt with a difficult Stakeholder, be sure to mention how you effectively dealt

with this experience(s).Where Should This Be on Your CV?

EACH JOB SUMMARY

Mention project delivery/stakeholder management in each of your roles.

“You need to highlight your ability to translate your business insights to non-technical end users”.

– M a n a g e r, D a t a S c i e n c e

Your Skills• Show how you mentored,

coached & contributed to line management.

• Cross-functional & cross-hierarchical interaction: teamwork.

• Transparency with work ethic.• Showcase how you are trusted in

your current position.• How are you business driven?

Parallel Insight:You want to highlight your emotional

intelligence. Delve into how you personally affected their development in

the team. It’s crucial to be business driven - showcase how you are able to

work independently, as well as on a team. How do you work with a non-tech

audience?Where Should This Be on Your CV?

EACH JOB SUMMARY

Any time you have had experience leading or mentoring a team, be sure to

highlight it.

Your Personality

“Emotional intelligence & social demeanour is a huge part of why you hire a Data Scientist”.

– C o n s u l t a n t , D a t a S c i e n c e

If you want to speak to one of our team specialists about Data Science positions, please email us or call us:

[email protected]

+44 (0) 203 326 4100

You can find more information about Data Science jobs on our website: www.parallelconsulting.com

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How to Improve Your Data Science CV