iTWire - Career Coach

What is Data Science?

2023-05-12T17:11:29+10:00

GUEST OPINION: The information superhighway was once described as the tool that would allow you to watch the Louvre on one TV channel and mud wrestling on another - according to Chip Douglas, portrayed by Jim Carrey in the 1996 film The Cable Guy. A quote, drawn from a movie, that presents a fascinating reflection on how we use the internet today.

Data has truly become the name of the game in the 21st century, as companies seek to make the most out of their data. Let’s explore how an online data science course can provide a pathway to successful careers in this rapidly growing landscape - and how businesses all over the world are using transform business operations worldwide.

Data Science - Changing the Business Landscape

Data is rapidly emerging as the new frontier in business operations. While there have been many businesses that have been the victim of data breaches in recent years, such as Optus and Latitude, there has also been a recognition from data stakeholders within businesses that data is more valuable than simply a target for hackers and fraudsters alike.

As a result, businesses are looking to rapidly uplift their data literacy and capability. By encouraging employees to upskill in data fields, as well as hiring proficient, data-literate graduates, companies can start to drill down and learn more about the data that they’re collecting from customers on a daily basis.

What sort of work does a Data Scientist do?

A data scientist may be engaged in a variety of different activities - fundamentally, they use data in all of its forms, to discover insights, find patterns, and make recommendations that may be able to benefit a business’s operations. The work that a data scientist may do can vary, depending on the organisation - for example, in an organisation with a strong data culture, a data scientist may act as a user of data - working with structured and clean data sources to find insights. There are many examples of the work that data scientists undertake in industries.

Some examples of this data science work include:

In entertainment, utilising media data such as consumption patterns and preferred behaviours, to develop algorithms improve customised recommendations. Netflix is a great purveyor of this, using data scientists to understand what customers are thinking.
In transport, utilising a mix of structured and unstructured logistics and weather data to identify the most efficient travel routes for products that may need to be preserved in sensitive environments. One such example of this is FedEx and their DataWorks teams - using data from a range of sources, data scientists are able to provide models that help their vehicles deliver on schedule, even with the disruptions of today’s world.

In telecommunications, using a mix of internal sensors and crowdsourced data to identify issues as they arise on the network. For example, the National Broadband Network uses a range of technologies to identify the scale of faults and communicate with impacted stakeholders.

Why Become a Data Scientist?

Becoming a data science specialist can be a rewarding career, particularly if you have an interest in understanding systems and problem-solving. A role as a data scientist is one that is in high demand - businesses have challenges that can only be addressed by experienced data professionals.

As a result, roles in data can be not only professionally rewarding but attract significantly higher salaries than entry-level work. According to the national jobseeker website Seek, the average salary of a data scientist is approximately $115,000 - $135,000 annually, up to twice as much as the national median wage. Depending on your skills and expertise, experienced data scientists may be able to demand a much higher salary - or additional benefits.

Career Opportunities for Data Professionals

There is a wide range of opportunities available for the avid data professional. A casual glance at many job listing sites reveals a broad spectrum of opportunities. Here are just some examples of the data roles that are currently hiring:

Opportunities in the medical research sector, using your knowledge of research and data to work towards curing illnesses that affect the lives of millions of children worldwide.
Data scientist roles in the logistics sector, where you could work on strategies to reduce the carbon footprint of parcel delivery and maximise the efficiency of parcel trucks.

Depending on your interests, there’s no doubt that there’ll be a role out there in data for you if you’re interested. Even if you don’t want to pursue a role as a data scientist, there are a range of other qualifications that are enabled with a qualification in data science - whether that be a business analyst or program optimisation specialist.

Data can be an incredibly rewarding field - so, if you’re interested in teaching, there is simply no better time than now to dive in and give data science a go. Chat with a career advisor today and discover the possibilities - you never know what you might find.

Career coaching tips: make employment gaps look awesome

2020-11-30T23:19:39+11:00

Learn how to make career gaps a feature of your professional profile with expert advice from an IT Career Coach.

Most of us have employment gaps on our resumes - travelling, sabbaticals, re-training, relocating or just needing a reboot are common reasons for stepping out of the workforce. Having children, looking after your health, or a loved one, can also take you out of the 9-5 grind. Maybe you have a seven-year itch to scratch, or a travel bug is hitting you hard. A flexible work-life balance is what most people want - it's the number one thing sought for by my career coaching clients.

Employment gaps aren’t viewed in the same negative light they once were, yet finesse in explaining them goes a long way. Being prepared to address gaps in your resume and in an interview is essential and it's a valuable lesson in our IT interview training. The right approach can turn a career break from a hindrance to an asset in your job search.

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Formatting Matters
The month and year are all that you need in a resume to mark the start and end of a role - this will help reduce or eliminate the focus on smaller career gaps.

If the gap is more significant than three months, then you'll need to address it in the resume - long unexplained gaps are the elephant in the room and will be ringing alarm bells in the recruiter's mind. Be proactive and address these gaps head-on in your CV, not just in your cover letter.

Mention the gap in your CV - tackle the issue head-on.

Preparedness is Key
You will be asked in an interview to explain any gaps. Never go into an interview hoping you won't be asked. Fumbling over a response, long pauses and scrambling to explain a gap is a sure-fire way to turn a few months off into a disastrous interview. Prepare a concise, honest and appropriate response and practice it. Get comfortable with the words and expect this to come up.

Confidence is key when explaining a career gap. Make your time out of the workforce look like a conscious positive choice which you stand by - they'll respect you for it. Just don't sound so excited about your six month holiday in Europe that they think you're just gathering some cash to take off again!

Prepare for the questions you'll be asked.

Honest New Skills
People see through lies and nothing gets interviewers more offside than being lied to. Work out a truthful and straightforward answer before your interview.

If you genuinely picked up new skills (maybe a new language) or grew your knowledge and experience, let them know - but don't lie or exaggerate. Most recruiters will pick up pretty quickly that your two months partying and lying on a beach in South East Asia was not a journey of self-discovery and inner growth.

If you were raising children - good for you. Great employers will respect and value this - there's no need to talk about multitasking, time management, and organisation skills on your resume. Keep it simple. If an employer has an issue with you taking time out to be a parent to a child, they're not worth working for.

Remember, explaining and embracing a gap won’t hurt your employment credibility, lying about it will.

Ever Optimistic
Making employment gaps appear deliberate shows confidence, bravery and self-direction – three highly sought after traits. Showing an employer that you are proactive enough to prioritise your time to refocusing / retraining /up-skilling etc. demonstrates a strength of character and leadership.

Think through your phrasing and make it as optimistic and powerful as possible. Make the time out sound like your idea, or at least like something you used to your advantage. There’s a huge difference between the person who grows and develops more skills away from the workforce and the person who languishes in self-defeat. If the career break was obviously not your decision, showing that you made it into a positive life-enhancing event demonstrates admirable character traits that will appeal to an employer.

The key here to sounding authentic is to not just talk about the process, but the outcome. If you talk about refocusing, what did you refocus to, if you discuss up-skilling, what was the result?

Be honest and confident when talking about career gaps.

Proactivity Pays
Gaps can be easily filled with study or skills development. Free or affordable online courses (Cousera, edX, Udemy) are excellent ways to use downtime for personal development. Writing a blog or a photo journal are other examples of proactive endeavours. Engaging in on-going study or training shows a commitment to self-improvement and allows you to add to the education section of your resume.

Whatever your time out of the workforce entailed, it’s up to you to sell it to employers. A positive, enthusiastic attitude, a readiness to explain the situation and a bounty of new skills and experiences can make a career gap, career-enhancing. This is an opportunity to showcase your personality to an employer, so use these tips and make the most of it.

Focus on building skills during any break in your career.

The ultimate how-to guide for writing cover letters

2020-11-30T22:56:13+11:00

Get the low-down on everything you need to know about cover letters from an expert in IT recruitment.

Want to know how to write the best cover letter, when you need to put in the effort, and what the content should be? Then read on…

Starting with the basics - here are the 5 components of best-practice cover letter template:

1. Introductory Paragraph
Introduce yourself and match your job title with the advertised one (if possible). Use your key Personal Value Proposition to show why you are a strong candidate. Read my blog on How to Create Your Personal Value Proposition for a simple framework on how to create these powerful statements.

2. Address Selection Criteria
Show your experience and achievements related to their top 4-5 selection criteria. Ideally, keep your answers to 2-3 sentences per criteria. This part needs to be customised for each cover letter.

3. Weaknesses
Shortlisting CVs is about risk management. The first step is to eliminate anyone that cannot meet the selection criteria or has an unusual work history. For example, gaps in your employment or lack of industry experience. Talk about the elephant in the room and address any obvious concerns in your cover letter, otherwise, your CV may quickly get relegated to the rejection pile.

4. Motivation
Tell them why they're awesome and why you want to work for them. Frame it in a way that shows the value you bring to the table.

5. Availability & Close
Inform them when you can start and your relocation plan (if applicable). Reinforce your motivation and thank them for the opportunity. Leave your contact details.

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How long should a cover letter be?
Cover Letters should be one page and Selection Criteria can be 2-3 pages. Make the margins smaller and font 10 size if you need to. Never go over any specified word/page limit.

When (and when not) to send a cover letter:

Agencies – NO
Unless a recruitment agency requests it, you don’t need to send a cover letter. Recruiters are only interested in your CV because that is what will win an interview. After your CV is shortlisted, you may be asked to prepare selection criteria which they will submit with your CV to the client.

Employers - YES
If the employer is advertising a vacancy, then you’re expected to send a personalised cover letter that addresses the selection criteria (in the ad) and tells them why you will accept this role. You need to spend time personalising each cover letter. Usually one page long.

Public sector - MAYBE
Public sector organisations often request Selection Criteria instead of a cover letter. These are an important component of your application and need to be taken seriously. Usually 2-3 pages long.

How much do I need to brag?
A contentious issue. For my opinion on treading the fine line between positive self-promotion and arrogance, check out my blog "Selling Yourself & The Art Of Bragging".

How to get your CV past ATS robots

2020-11-18T10:40:18+11:00

Applicant tracking systems (ATS) decide whether your CV goes through to the recruiter or straight to the rejection pile when you apply for roles on online job boards.

You apply for a great job on a job board. You didn’t get even a phone call.

Maybe you got an automated email. Lucky you.

Perhaps you got no response at all.

{loadposition alex08}Job seekers experience these rejections all the time. It’s tough and it hurts your self-esteem..

Often the reason you didn’t get any acknowledgement on your job application is because a software system determined that you weren’t a great match for the position compared to the other 50 or 100 or 800 people that applied for the role.

What is an ATS?

Applicant Tracking Systems (ATS) are used by recruitment agencies and employers to manage and analyse candidates applying for jobs. ATS is software that takes your CV or Resume, and other data collected in the online application, to help a human identify the candidates to focus on first in order to create a shortlist.

ATS use keywords and CV parsing technology to process your CV and create an impression of you as a candidate which is then assessed against the requirements of the opportunity. This data is recorded and kept on record in a CRM – if your profile is good, you will come up for future opportunities.

Why are they important?

If you don’t optimise your CV or Resume for ATS, your chances of getting interviews and landing on shortlists will be reduced. It also means that you may not be found for future opportunities with that recruiter or employer. Or to put it another way – the robots will reject your CV.

I get it. So, what do I need to know to get your CV shortlisted:

Use industry-standard job titles.
Make sure your key skills are clearly articulated and easy to identify.
Make sure the right keywords are in your CV. Include specific terms that identify your skills and experience that make you a good fit for the role.
Have a concise CV that is clearly written and simple in format.
Avoid images and tables.
List your jobs in reverse chronological order.

I could go on. And on. And on. There is an art to writing CVs that win interviews and get you shortlisted. Engaging a professional CV writer who understands how ATS work is a smart move if you want to stand out from the crowd, or if you find you are not getting any interviews for suitable roles. On our site, you can access our free ATS-compliant CV template and there are lots of free resources online – do be careful that the advice you take on board is orientated towards your local job market.

For a deeper understanding, check out my interview with Michael Osmond from JobAdder for an in-depth exploration of ATS systems (and how to beat them). JobAdder process 500k applications per week so these guys know what they’re talking about: Link to interview on LinkedIn Live