Let Me Show You How to Get a Data Science Job Without Any Work Experience

Advice #1 and #2 worked for me, while #3 and #4 helped others.

I can’t explain how much I struggled to get my first job.

Most positions require even undergraduates to have some months or years of experience in the field. This makes it extremely complicated for anyone to break into data science.

The solution is, naturally, to use other skills you have to compensate for that lack of experience.

Here are 4 pieces of advice that can help you get a data science job without any work experience. The first two are my favorites because they worked for me, while the last two aren’t my cup of tea but worked for people I know.

1. Learn SQL/Python, Solve a Project, and Practice Your Communication Skills

To get your first data science job, you need both your programming and communications skills at their best.

First, use your SQL/Python programming skills to solve a project from scratch. The best way to show potential employers that you clearly have the knowledge is by showcasing your data science skills with a project.

Make sure you pick a topic you love for your project

It doesn’t matter which topic you choose for the project as long as it’s a topic you’re passionate about. Why? You’ll have more motivation to finish the project. Besides, when explaining your findings in an interview things will get a lot easier because is a topic you love to talk about!

Two years ago, I started working on a foreign language project that involve some Python, NLP, and basic Machine Learning knowledge. Back then, I wasn’t an expert in any of those fields, but that didn’t stop me until I created a ranking of The Best Movies to Learn a Foreign Language According to Data Science.

That project involved things like doing research, collecting data, cleaning, transforming data, and other things data scientists do on a daily basis. All of this took me weeks, but it was worth the time since I love the topic.

In case you need some inspiration to start a project or want to improve your programming skills solving exercises, check the resources I listed here.

Charisma and communication skills will boost your chances to get a job

Your résumé helps you get the interview, but remember that it’s you who gets the job.

Although some candidates might have more chances of getting the job than others, this gap can be reduced with great communication skills.

This will help you effectively answer questions such as what you’ve achieved, what you know about the company, and why you’d like to work there.

Also, those in charge of the interview like when you ask questions about the company and the position you’d fill. That shows how much you care about this opportunity, so don’t be afraid to show your curiosity.

Last but not least, show your passion and charisma when talking about the project you solved. This is supposed to be a project you’re passionate about, so don’t be afraid to show your enthusiasm and commitment to it. That definitely generates a good impression on the interviewer.

Remember is not always about your technical skills, but your communication skills that get you the job (speaking from experience). Besides, communication skills will make you a better data scientist in the long run.

2. Write Data Science Articles Online

Advice #1 is enough for some people, but not everybody gets the job interview. Why? Simple, they don’t have enough online presence to stand out from the pack.

If you’re reading this, you know your weakest point is your lack of experience. Don’t make your online presence another weak point!

Nowadays, if you have no online presence, you have no proof, which means nobody will believe what your résumé says.

An easy way to work on this is by posting data science articles on websites like this one.

Where to start? Write an article where you describe all the things you had to do to complete one of the projects you solved. Include things like where the data comes from, the methodology you use, the takeaways, and the conclusion. You can get some inspiration from my first post, which happens to be one of the projects I solved.

Once you publish your piece, don’t expect to get tens of job interview invitations (that happens rarely). The idea here is to build online proof by communicating your findings in a post that you can share on your résumé and LinkedIn profile.

3. Networking

This piece of advice would work only if you’ve built good relationships (or plan to) in university or a master’s program.

One of the best things traditional education has? Networking!

Every teacher and classmate you meet in every lecture is a door to your first data science job. I can’t count how many people I know got a job not because of how good they’re at Python/SQL, but because they knew the right guy.

If you have a classmate who already works as a data scientist, he/she can introduce you to other key people, help you develop in the field of data science, and more.

We all know how expensive a university or master’s program can be, so make networking one of your priorities, in case you join such programs.

4. Intern / Volunteer

If none of the options above are enough for you to get your first data science job, it might be time to consider working for free.

This option will give you the real-world experience you need to grow in your career (and that companies are looking for).

Believe me, there’s a big difference between working with real-world datasets and working with datasets downloaded from Kaggle. If you want to start working as a real data scientist, doing an internship is worth it.

At the end of your internship, you might get a reference letter and can sum up all the work you’ve done in your résumé. Hopefully, that will help you get the data science job that you were looking for.

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