8 Key Job Search Strategies for Early Career Analytics Pros
This blog is contributed by Burtch Works' early career analytics recruiting teams, and this blog was originally published on the American Statistical Association's STATtr@k.If you’re getting started in the in-demand fields of analytics or data science, odds are that you’re well aware of all the attention the quantitative fields have been getting lately. While there are a lot of opportunities for early career analytics professionals, being well prepared for your job search will save you time and yield the best opportunities.One of the trickiest parts of being early in your career or a new professional to the field is that many employers are often looking for someone with prior work experience, so anything that you can do to give yourself real-world data experience or to make the hiring process smooth will be to your advantage. I put together a previous list of tips for analytics professionals, but here are some more job search strategies that are an absolute must:1. Write a Concise and Relevant Resume – Resumes should never be longer than 1-2 pages. Keep irrelevant experience brief (or just eliminate it altogether), and focus on any experience you have that is relevant to the role that you’re applying to. Describe the impact you’ve had or projects with real-world data that you’ve worked on rather than just listing tasks you were responsible for. Read our tips for crafting compelling analytics resumes here.2. Have a Professional Social Media Presence – Companies will check your social media profiles before hiring you. Either make sure your presence on those networks is professional, or set all of your profiles to private. LinkedIn is a great network to keep track of your professional network and make a good first impression to employers, so make sure that your profile is complete and up-to-date.3. Research Potential Employers Before the Interview – I’ve included this on my lists before, but it bears repeating because it’s so incredibly important! Employers want to know that you are interested in their company, that you know at least a little bit about what’s going on with the company, and hopefully that you’ve even researched your interviewers on LinkedIn. Being knowledgeable about the company and your interviewers is a great way to stand out and show your interviewer that you’re really interested in their job, not just any job.4. Avoid Being Overly Casual or Presumptuous in Interviews – Save any discussion of benefits, salary, or vacation time for after the first interview. Bringing it up too soon can leave a really bad impression because it makes it seem like you’re not even interested in the job or company. Your first goal should be to prove that you’re the right professional for the role. Interviews are also not the place to experiment and see whether the company culture is open to swearing, offensive jokes, or sweat pants.5. Follow up After Interviews – This is crucial. It is customary to send each of your interviewers a personalized thank you note after an interview. Emails are fine, but make sure that the notes are pleasant and unique to each recipient.6. Keep Your List of Target Companies/Areas Open – The more you can keep your list of target companies or geographic areas open, the more opportunities you’re going to have. Limiting yourself to only name-brand companies or only one city might mean that you miss out on a higher salary or more opportunity for advancement.7. Have Realistic Salary Expectations – Salaries vary widely based on industry, experience, location, and many other factors. To get a better idea of what to expect, I’d recommend checking out Burtch Works’ salary studies for Predictive Analytics, Data Science, and Marketing Research professionals, which are all available for free.8. Evaluate Growth Opportunities, Not Just Salary – Although salary may be an important factor in your decision, it should not be the only factor. Make sure to take other things into account such as whether there are growth and learning opportunities, cultural fit, and so on. Choosing a job that doesn’t have any growth opportunities for a higher salary in the short-term might mean that in the long-term you will actually earn less, so carefully evaluate all aspects of the potential company.For more information about job searching and the analytics hiring market, be sure to check out the Burtch Works blog. Best of luck with your search!
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