How Data Professionals Can Add More Variation to Their Resumes

Data professionals remain in high demand as data plays an increasingly crucial role in business. Despite the data science labor shortage, though, this field can be a competitive one. If workers want to boost their chances of securing a desirable position, they can add some variation to their resumes.

Variety on a resume demonstrates flexibility, which is an essential skill for data professionals today. It can be an excellent resume-booster, but jumping from position to position to improve a resume isn’t practical. Thankfully, applicants can add variety without needing to take on many new jobs.

Here are seven ways data professionals can add variation to their resumes.

1. List Any Publications Under Your Name

 
Job titles aren’t the only things on a resume that showcase variety. If applicants have any publications like books, journal articles or whitepapers under their name, they should list them. These stand out to potential employers as an example that a worker is serious about their field.

Remember that everything should be relevant to the specific job at hand. Only data-related publications should appear on a resume for a data-related position. If workers don’t have any relevant published works to their name, they can look for opportunities to be part of one.

2. Mention Noteworthy Projects

 
Throughout their career, data professionals will work on various projects, either for work or as hobbies. Whether they’re an impressive personal pursuit or an event that saved their company money, these projects are examples of relevant skills. Mentioning specific projects instead of general work descriptions also adds variation to an otherwise repetitive resume.

Anything that showcases different approaches or skills, or is particularly impressive, is worth mentioning. Descriptions of these projects don’t need to be long and should focus on what makes them unique. It’s best to express these accomplishments in numbers and metrics, which stand out more than words.

3. Look for Unique Opportunities in Current Positions

 
An applicant’s current company may have projects available that would add variation to a resume. As data professionals work, they should look out for any opportunities to learn or employ new skills. Volunteering to be part of these tasks will help build a more impressive resume.

Data professionals can ask their managers about any such opportunities or keep an eye out for them. Whether it’s working on a special company project or pioneering a new process for the department, these appear more often than some may think.

4. Perform Freelance Work

 
Data professionals don’t have to confine themselves to the work available in their current position. Data scientists and analysts are in-demand workers, so they can perform freelance work to boost their resumes. Freelance projects enable professionals to take on tasks they wouldn’t otherwise perform, adding variation without another full-time job.

Since this type of work enables professionals to choose their own hours, it can fit around their current schedule. Workers don’t need to take on too much extra work. Just a few projects can add some needed variety.

5. Work for an International Company

 
If professionals want to find another full-time position that will add variety, they may consider working internationally. International companies are more likely to have different projects than those available in the U.S. Even if they don’t, working with different cultures showcases flexibility.

There are several ways to work internationally, so workers can find something no matter their current situation. Data professionals may even be able to find contract work for international companies, so they can do it on top of their other work.

6. Consider Their Soft Skills

 
Even through various positions, data professionals may find that their day-to-day work looks similar. These workers can still find chances to add variation to their resume by mentioning the soft skills they’ve accumulated. Even if the data-centric work looks the same from position to position, different work environments may develop various soft skills.

Crunching numbers isn’t the only skill that’s important to the work of a data professional. They also need to communicate results to various audiences, work in teams and be adaptable. Highlighting these soft skills instead of tasks that would look more similar adds variety to a resume.

7. Get Specific

 
Hiring managers typically only have around 30 seconds to look over an applicant’s resume. Data professionals need to showcase variety without taking up too much space as a result. Being specific about all descriptors also forces applicants to focus on what makes each entry unique.

A general, zoomed-out look at different data positions may make them all look the same. Getting specific about each one highlights what makes them different.

Become the Most Appealing Candidate Possible

 
There’s a lot of variety in data-related work, even if it may not be immediately apparent. Data professionals looking to improve their resumes can follow these steps to showcase this variation. They can then become an even more appealing candidate in an already in-demand field.

 
Bio: Devin Partida is a big data and technology writer, as well as the Editor-in-Chief of ReHack.com.

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