How to Grad & Beyond with Betul

Let’s say you read my last post, explored job families and determined a role that you want to pursue. But you don’t really have enough experience in that area and would like to improve. How do you go about this process?

The first step is to go through a sufficient number of job descriptions with that job title (maybe 10-15) and extract the key words and skills listed consistently in ALL OF THEM. Let’s say you decided you want to be a Data Analyst. Search for Data Analyst positions on LinkedIn and find out what skills keep coming up in all. You will likely see the following in most, if not all: data-driven decision making, data analysis, creating visualizations and dashboards (skills), SQL, Python, Power BI, Tableau (tools). Slightly less frequently, you might also see ETL and R skills mentioned. There are also tools that are not mentioned too often in job postings but still are useful for Data Analysts, including Julia, Spark, DataLab, Google BigQuery, Looker and Google Data Studio.

Now, match your existing skills and experience to the ones that are in all of them (not the ones that sometimes come up, yet). Start with any tools you are not familiar with. For example, for a Data Analyst, that would mean you need to know at least the basics for SQL (for data querying), Python (for data manipulation), Power BI or Tableau (for data visualization & reporting) (Power BI might be preferred for a beginner since it is widely used and cheaper). At this stage, do not try to learn too many tools at the same time. Stick to the required ones.

Once you complete this step, if you don’t have any prior data analysis experience, you can make your own project in which you can use all the tools you just learnt. You can choose to post your project (maybe on GitHub or similar platforms) or you can keep it for yourself but be ready to answer any related questions in interviews. For example, I once did a project like this on my own stories, where I analyzed various patterns in the adjectives I used throughout my stories. This did come up in interviews I did a couple of years ago. Doing this will give you at least some experience and you will feel more confident when applying for jobs.

When you feel confident in your understanding of the basics, you can and should continue learning. You can opt to either get more proficient in these tools or learn some extra tools like R, Tableau or ETL. Choose the path according to the requirements of the jobs you have your eyes on, if there is a specific one. Some jobs might prefer R over Python or Tableau over Power BI. You can also start learning the less frequently mentioned skills/tools I listed above.

Following these steps will help you stay focused on the path you chose and will aid you greatly in your job application process. Don’t postpone it anymore. Today is a good day to start learning a tool!

PS: For Data Analysts, knowing Excel is assumed, even if it is not mentioned on job listings. Make sure to know Excel to at least intermediate level.