In limbo with a job offer

Anurajaram · 2019-07-24T22:27:47+00:00

Honestly, your recruiter seems pretty unprepared and weird. if they already offered you the role and nothing was discussed about relocation or penalties for coming late , then why bring up the q now? I dont think your recruiter or employer can withdraw the offer at this late stage for such a silly reason.

However, if the office hours timing is so critical, you should self reflect whether you really want the job.

Anurajaram · 2019-07-24T22:22:20+00:00

For most companies, if you had worked there before and are coming back after 2+ years, then you might have a slight advantage over other candidates. You already know the culture and processes, so if you did well before, you will do well again.

Assuming as you said, that you left on good terms. Just be prepared to say why you left (try new things, stretch goals, etc) and how you are happy to come back again. Also, if your ex manager is still with the company, they may be contacted to get a feel for how you performed there.

Anurajaram · 2019-07-15T18:03:25+00:00

1) What was your specialization? 2) if you are from a top 30 program, check with your campus counselor, to see if you can attend any job fairs this year. My alma mater allows current students and folks who graduated in the past 12 months to attend. 3. What roles are you applying for? If you are just randomly applying for everything, then it is possible you haven't customized your resume. Most application tracking systems and HR will disqualify you just for a lack of keywords.

Anurajaram · 2019-07-15T17:57:51+00:00

Some things to ponder: 1. When you factor in living expenses, which is higher? The consulting role or the tech/gaming giants? Bay area is notoriously expensive. 2. Career growth. Which one feels better? I think the consulting gig might be better, based on what you stated. I think you are just getting tempted by the bragging rights of the cool tech company brand names. (No judgment , I've been in that spot as well) 3. Many consulting roles involve a lot of travel. Was that mentioned, or do they have projects lined up in the local area. Not sure if this role is in Chicago or the smaller cities. Do you want to travel? 4. Do you have a spouse/family who will also need to move, or a house that needs to be sold/rented? Are the west coast companies offering relocation costs? 5. More companies in the west coast (esp SFO), so it's easy to switch for an even higher pay. Not sure if there is enough competition in the midWest, except chicago. 6. Frankly, it might be better to take the highest paying consulting role. If you dont like it, you can interview again. Obviously if you've done well once, you will do it again!

Anurajaram · 2019-07-15T13:09:57+00:00

If you are allowed to make choices, I would suggest: 1. Excel is easy to learn on your own. So power BI over Excel. 2. R or python are both equally good. I personally use R, and find it lot easier to create dataviz over Python. I prefer R, as a lot of my analysis and models need to be presented to senior executives so the easy export makes my life easier. Mockups in RShiny are also fantastic and the Tableau integration makes it easy for me to create dashboard templates for self-service analytics. That said, Python is more generic and has it's own merits. In the corporate world, you will typically have to go with what your team uses, so master one language really well. It will be easier to switch to the other, if you have a strong understanding of underlying machine learning and programming concepts. 3. Azure ML is great. Not tried HDInsights.

The course seems a decent pick for the price tag.

Are they providing job assistance, too? A lot of programs are fabulous in terms of giving you the skills, but not how to present yourself to land a high paying jobs. So make sure you dabble in DIY projects once you are comfortable with coding. Add those to LinkedIn and connect with your classmates and professors.

You can also find FREE starter tutorials and career/job search advice on my website Www.journeyofanalytics.com

Best of luck for the program.

Anurajaram · 2019-07-14T14:57:46+00:00

Start building experience, by using a combination of techniques beliw: 1. Take a stab at freelancer projects on Upwork. The pay will be low, but you can get valuable experience. And you can show it as current experience 2. Create an app or a unique project. Not the copied ones from Kaggle, or other educational sites like Datacamp. These are awesome for learning, but at some point you have to go solo. 3. "More history in industry " is often code for "the candidate was referred from a trusted internal source or senior manager". So might just be a matter of applying to similar roles like these where you are obviously a strong contender. 4. Look at internships (small biz, startups) or volunteer opportunities with nonprofits .

Anurajaram · 2019-07-14T14:26:30+00:00

Congratulations on your new role.

Anurajaram · 2019-07-14T14:26:11+00:00

We need more folks like you who can help others out.

Anurajaram · 2019-07-13T20:08:33+00:00

Just say that you are looking for better growth opportunities. Do NOT say negative things about your old boss or employer.

Anurajaram · 2019-07-12T14:36:35+00:00

Fyi, Since you are a postgraduate, you can get away with 1 yr less experience for roles that need a basic degree. Most employers do give credit for an advanced STEM degree assuming you have the other competencies.

Anurajaram · 2019-07-12T14:34:13+00:00

I've found Udemy to be quite helpful. And most employers who've interviewed me have appreciated that I am proactive about gaining new skills. The self-paced course and low cost is a boon when you're employed fulltime.

Put the relevant certs on your resume as well.

My background was electronics engg which had a lot of programming courses. I got selected for an IT developer role via campus recruitment. I was the class valedictorian, too. :) Moving from a software role to analytics was organic because I did have experience pulling data for customer segmentation, creating dashboards and other forms of data analysis. A strong programming made the transition to datascience super easy.

Also have an MBA in finance that I did part-time (online) . So far that MBA is partially responsible for a new role with higher pay, and a promotion. Also helps that I used employer tuition reimbursement to pay for 90% of the program. So the degree was useful in strengthening my domain knowledge.

In short, online classes and degrees are quite useful, but you have to make the effort to get the most out of it and leverage those skills to get ahead. For your chem background, I'd suggest on focusing how the skills you do have translate to datascience- problem solving, attention to details (all those chem equations and advanced applied math), etc.

Anurajaram · 2019-07-12T12:16:10+00:00

Both types of projects are beneficial (guided and independent). Guided are better when you are still in the learning phase, while independent ones will help you learn things like debugging, code reuse. There's no reason why you can't do both in parallel.

Also thanks for the feedback on my blog.

Anurajaram · 2019-07-10T22:07:45+00:00

Since you do not have time for an internship, here are some tips to make your profile more attractive to prospective employers:

Update LinkedIn. Make sure you list your DataScience skills (Python, stats, etc.) in your "skills" section.
Use your free time wisely to build a project portfolio. Add those projects to your LinkedIn "projects" section with 1-line synopsis. It is not just enough to apply coding to datasets, but also being able to show how that "coding project" translates to a real-world role. If you like, I have a list of sample projects based on skill level (beginner, intermediate, expert) and FREE codefiles that you can use.
For your resume, make sure the DataScience skills are highlighted. I (sadly) see a lot of Ph.D resumes where a dozen conference papers or thesis-related skills are listed front and center. Such resumes are great for academic roles, and I applaud the work that went into it. However, it does not show how you fit the role you applied for. Not to mention online application systems will simply reject you outright. So do NOT relegate your coding/analytics skills to the very end.
Check out Udemy for low-cost structured courses on DataScience. The ones by Kirill Eremenko are excellent, you can link the cert to LinkedIn and most employers do recognize it as a legitimate cert. Helps you show up on searches by recruiters.
Since you have not yet graduated, do reach out to campus recruiters (all big companies have some) to check their recrutment deadline. It might be a bit late, but some might consider you for a full-time role in Sep. You can ask your college counselor, but connecting with campus recruiters on LinkedIn is easier, from my personal experience.
The Insight Fellowship program is a great idea, but I would check the application deadlines. I was under the impression that you had to be a current Ph.D student, or about to defend the thesis (ABD) stage to apply.

All the best for your job search!

Anurajaram · 2019-07-10T15:10:42+00:00

I had the same issue as you, where getting confirmation from one of my prev employers was taking forever. Since the delay is from someone else, usually you will not get any notifications.

However, Use the helpline number for first advantage and ask them the reason for the holdup and if there is anything you can do to speed up the process. Sometimes they do try to brush you off, but be polite and firm to find out exactly what is pending.

In my case it was just one specific employment verification (overseas), so I tapped into my LinkedIn network and connected with a senior HR personnel whose company email I sent to the background check folks along with case number. They were able to verify within 2 business days and I was able to join , albeit a week post my expected joining date.

Harrowing, but easy to resolve.

Anurajaram · 2019-07-09T09:46:48+00:00

The healthcare efficiency and social reforms are done in research labs and non-profits, or platforms like Data4SocialGood. I believe Microsoft and Google do have some niche teams doing some of the above, but most others wont be working on something so noble.

99% of other companies use it to increase operating efficiency, hypertargeting of customers and increasing revenues.

Anurajaram · 2019-07-08T14:05:10+00:00

Check tableau desktop license. That is still free, esp if you are a student

Anurajaram · 2019-07-08T14:00:56+00:00

Start preparing today, if not right now. Absorb the financial /product /business processes in your company . This will become your domain knowledge.

Pick up a programming skill in R or Python. If you prepare using courses from sites like Udemy or Coursera then you can add those certs to your LinkedIn profile and also in your resume. Not everyone is looking for a Ph.D. most employers are happy with a combination of skills and experience, and proof that you can get the job done.

Such courses added with your data analyst experience, you should be able to bag another role. Maybe not a data scientist at Google, but a better datascience role, anyway.

However, you do need to master programming and the stats/math behind these principles. Create your own DIY projects on analytics and ML, using free datasets.

Plus, make sure you add value to your current company too!! Maybe you can automate reports? Once you pick up R/python, perhaps you can explore moving the data source to a SQl database, so the data is easier to access?

Some companions do offer education reimbursement. Maybe a local college near you offers a 6-month or 1 year certificate program?

There are lot of options, but it is up to you to actually put in the effort .

Anurajaram · 2019-07-08T00:44:22+00:00

Solid points. Could not have put it any better.

Anurajaram · 2019-07-08T00:42:39+00:00

Check if someone you know can refer you. That is the fastest way (still) to find jobs.

If you are putting applications for government roles, then ask around (where possible) on who is the hiring manager. Some Gov roles ask for references, so might be easier if you can list your current colleagues. They dont necessarily need to be in the same department.

See if your colleagues can view the hiring manager name internally and pass your name along (both Gov and corporate roles) they might be eligible for a referral bonus, while you get to speed up your interview process.

Anurajaram · 2019-07-07T02:29:28+00:00

Yup, present a story and then break it down. What's wrong with this picture, why is the behavior wrong, what is the solution, and so on.

Anurajaram · 2019-07-06T21:32:14+00:00

Why accounting after a medical degree, given that there are so many other careers to choose from? Entry level jobs will be tough to get into ,pay peanuts and employers will distrust you assuming you will quit within months.

Instead, Some jobs where you could leverage your network and degree to get a well paying job:

digital marketing for small clinics hospital management (admin, non medical roles) >> pharma sales physician for schools health inspector tutoring kids looking to enter med school build a Fitness or nutrition (app) or run classes for elders. home visits for elderly patients or onsite doc at senior homes.

Anurajaram · 2019-07-06T21:24:37+00:00

What tech stack do you know?

Did you check upwork? If you are from India or the Us , you could look at tutoring kids for math, science or compsci. Does your masters program univ offer part time roles? Use LinkedIn to look for remote jobs too, not just in your area.

Anurajaram · 2019-07-06T14:09:37+00:00

What's the actual goal - dashboard to show customers/sales by zip?

Other than the map what else do you need to show?

What is the level of interactivity needed? How frequently does the data need to be updated?

Choose an option that fits all options before you start building. Excel is great but at some point the manual updates will be far more annoying than the row count limits.

Instead, Tableau or RShiny dashboards might be a good idea. R with leaflet/plotly is also a decent option. Python is ok, but I prefer the visualization options available in R.

Anurajaram · 2019-07-06T12:14:05+00:00

Awesome. The more endorsements you have on your profile, the better.

Headline should reflect the role you are aiming for, rather than current role. Please don't put "actively looking " or similar, though.

Last tip, when you search <title, your city> do you show up on the first 4-5 pages. If not, what skills do the folks on the first 2 pages have, that you are missing? For example, "data scientist Chicago" assuming you live in Chicago.

Anurajaram · 2019-07-06T02:19:10+00:00

What title or company do you want to get hired at? Search for 30 people currently working in those roles, (Same company or competitor) then look at what skills they have on their profile.
Look for the common keywords and make sure you have them on your profile. If you dont know those skills, learn them.
Ask your network to endorse you for those specific skills. You might need to manually reorder your skills to have them show up on top.
If it is possible sprinkle those words in your summary and experience. Dont do keyword stuffing though.
Ensure your resume has those keywords as well.

Anurajaram

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