Don't Build More Projects

Morning Data Scientists,

The urge to do more portfolio projects can be overwhelming.

It’s the best way to show off your skills - right?

That’s what my client Lucy thought.

The job she was applying for mentioned Tableau experience, but she’d never used it.

She asked if she should whip up something quickly in Tableau to show she had experience, suggesting the titanic dashboard was suitable.

But data from the titanic is irrelevant to the job she was applying for (in education).

In past interviews employers have loved it when I showed I understood what the company does.

But a project from the titanic does the opposite - it shows you’ve put no thought into understanding the problems the company faces.

And anyway, you don’t need to meet every job on the requirement.

Just meet most of them.

What we decided to do instead was mention on her cover letter that she was doing a tableau course.

This showed she was keen to upskill and didn’t tarnish her reputation with a poor project.

So don’t build more portfolio projects.

Make sure you’re presenting yourself well.

By the way, if you’re looking for more feedback on your job applications.

I’m opening up 3 more spots on my mentorship program, The Confident Data Scientist, on Thursday 5th September.

Previous graduates have found data science or analyst jobs within 3 months.

If you want to sign-up early and get a discount, reply ‘early’ to this email.

God Bless,

Albert.