What Hiring Managers are Looking for From Data Science Candidates in 2021: Tips from the Experts at Pathrise
Data science remains an in-demand job for 2021 and in the coming years. Companies continue to work with an ever-increasing amount of data and need qualified data scientists who can make sense of this information. Helping data scientists find their ideal job is a company called Pathrise. This organization offers an online program for tech professionals with one-on-one mentorship, training, and advice.
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According to Pathrise, hiring managers want data science candidates to quantify their accomplishments on their resume and in their interview responses. Data scientist positions require people to manipulate data, produce insights. and help make decisions that lead to measurable results. Therefore, it’s important for hiring teams to see candidates have a proven relationship between their work and their past employer’s ability to make impactful decisions. Pathrise encourages data science candidates to prepare for interviews and to bolster their resumes with data focused on the scale of their past projects and the accompanying results. Companies want people that produce results. So, data scientists should focus less on the “grunt work” they needed to do every day and instead highlight accomplishments through their work that moved the needle and made an impact for their organizations.
Hiring managers also want data scientist candidates that can manage teams from their first day or can develop into leaders within the organization. This means candidates should offer specifics about prior management experience. How many people did the candidate manage, and can they describe those roles as they relate to results and the company’s growth? Hiring managers want correlation between the data scientist’s leadership and their team’s results. They desire strategic candidates who can delegate actions to a team in a way that’s efficient and effective.
Companies are looking for candidates who can save time and money as well as eliminate friction and frustration points. The team at Pathrise suggests data scientists keep track of their accomplishments throughout their careers, such as how they improved a process and the monetary value of those improvements. These highlights stand out when the data scientist’s work uncovered a previously hidden flaw within the company or discovered a new opportunity that enabled it to grow revenue or cut costs. Again, it’s helpful for candidates to share relevant data. If for example they say they improved their prior firm’s logistical processes, can they quantify improvement compared to the old processes? Pathrise encourages data scientists looking for a new job to gain a deeper understanding of hiring managers expectations. This context allows them to perform well during interviews and land a promising new gig.
Author: James Daniel
