Important Job Skills for Data Scientists

Important Job Skills for Data Scientists Important Job Skills for Data Scientists Data science is an emerging field, and those with the right data scientist skills are doing. According to the  Bureau of Labor Statistics, career opportunities in this field are anticipated to grow 19% by 2026, much faster than average. While not all successful data scientists have college degrees, a majority of them have at least a bachelor’s degree in the data science field. Many of them also have graduate degrees, including master’s, Ph.D., and/or graduate certifications. What Kind of Skills Do You Need to Be a Data Scientist? “Data scientist” is a broad term that can refer to a number of different careers. Generally, a data scientist analyzes data to learn about scientific processes, market trends, and risk management. Some  job titles  in data science include data analyst, data engineer, computer and information research scientist, operations research analyst, and computer systems analyst. Data scientists work in a variety of industries, ranging from tech to medicine to government agencies. The qualifications for a job in data science vary because the title is so broad. However, there are certain skills employers look for in almost every data scientist.  For example, data scientists need strong statistical, analytical, reporting skills, and more. Types of Data Scientist Skills Analytical Skills Perhaps the most important skill for a data scientist is to be able to analyze information. Data scientists have to look at, and make sense of, large amounts of data. They have to be able to see patterns and trends and have an idea of what those patterns mean. All of this takes strong  analytical  skills. Big DataConstructing Predictive ModelsCreating Controls to Assure Accuracy of DataCritical ThinkingData AnalysisData AnalyticsData ManipulationData WranglingData Science Tools / Data ToolsData MiningEvaluating New Analytical MethodologiesInterpreting DataMetricsModeling DataModeling ToolsProducing Data VisualizationsResearchRisk ModelingTesting Hypotheses Open-Mindedness Being a good data scientist also means being creative. First, you have to have an open mind in order to spot trends in data. Secondly, you  need to make connections between data that might seem unrelated to someone that is biased. This takes a lot of open-mindedness. Finally, you need to explain this data in ways that are clear to the executives at your company. This often requires creative analogies and explanations. AdaptabilityConveying Technical Information to Non-Technical PeopleDecision MakingDecision TreesCreativityExecuting in a Fast-Paced EnvironmentLogical ThinkingProblem SolvingWorking Independently Communication Data scientists not only have to analyze data, but they also have to explain that data to others. They must be able to  communicate  data to people of different skill sets, explain the importance of patterns in the data, and suggest solutions. This involves explaining complex technical issues in a way that is easy to understand. Often, communicating data requires visual, oral, and written communication skills. AssertivenessCollaborationConsultingDocumentingDrawing ConsensusFacilitating MeetingsLeadershipMentoringPresentationProviding Guidelines to IT ProfessionalsReportingSupervisory SkillsTrainingVerbal CommunicationsWritten Communication Mathematics While  soft skills  like analysis, creativity, and communication are important,  hard skills  are also critical to the job. A data scientist needs strong math skills, particularly in multivariable calculus and linear algebra. Identifying AlgorithmsCreating and Maintaining AlgorithmsInformation Retrieval Data SetsLinear AlgebraMachine Learning ModelsMachine Learning TechniquesMultivariable CalculusStatisticsStatistical Learning ModelsStatistical Modeling Programming and Technical Proficiencies Data scientists require basic computer skills, but programming skills are particularly important. Being able to code is critical to almost any data scientist position. Knowledge of programming languages such as Java, R, Python, or SQL is essential. CComputer SkillsJavaMatlabMicrosoft ExcelPerlPythonReporting Tool SoftwareSQLNoSQLTableau More Data Scientist Skills Mining Social Media DataTables and QueriesProject ManagementProject TimelinesCultivating Relationships with Internal and External StakeholdersCustomer ServiceAppEngineAmazon Web Services (AWS)CouchDBjsECLFlareGoogle Visualization APIHadoopHBaseRSASScripting LanguagesMobile DevicesMicrosoft Office SuiteSaaSArtificial Intelligence (AI)Apache SparkCuriosityBusiness IntelligenceInnovation How to Make Your Skills Stand Out Add Relevant Skills to Your Resume: Include your skills in your  resume  â€" in an initial summary of qualifications, in your work history section, or in a tech table describing your hardware and software skills.Highlight Skills in Your Cover Letter: You should also describe your command of the most important of these skills in your  cover letter.Use Skill Words in Your Job Interview: In your  interview, be sure to enhance your responses with examples of your skills.

Think Beyond Employee Engagement and Start Wooing

Think Beyond Employee Engagement and Start Wooing Think Beyond Employee Engagement and Start Wooing Think Beyond Employee Engagement and Start Wooing Matuson Its February that time of year when red roses sell out and boxes of chocolates abound. If nothing else, Valentines Day is a reminder that everyone needs to feel loved, including your employees. That makes this the perfect time of the year to think beyond employee engagement and start wooing workers who are the heart and soul of your business. Gallup recently reported stagnant employee engagement, with a majority of employees reporting they were not engaged. Surely we can do a better job of engaging employees. Heres how: Deliver on Sweet Dreams Sweet dreams can turn into nightmares for workers who feel the luster of their job quickly tarnishing. Ask each of your workers the following question. What were your hopes and dreams when you took this job? By doing so, youll gain insight as to how to best keep each employee engaged. The mere idea that someone is truly concerned about your welfare is often enough to spark a renewed feeling of mutual admiration. Then be prepared to take action. If your employee feels their hopes and dreams are no longer a reality, go the extra step and ask why. Then do what you can to have them fall in love with their job again. Celebrate your Workers on a Daily Basis It takes a lot of work to keep a relationship fresh and healthy. What it doesnt take is a lot of money. Make it a point every day to re-recruit your employees. Stop by your employees desk and thank him or her for a job well done. In doing so, be sure to be specific about what has pleased you. This way they will be able to repeat this great feat time and time again. Those of you with large departments should make it a point to buy a different employee each day a cup of coffee or a tea. If time permits, take a walk with them to your local coffee shop and spend ten minutes of alone time to hear how they are doing. Be consistent so no one feels left out. Its time well spent. Be Demonstrativewith your Appreciation Engaged workers are those who will go above and beyond the call of duty and expect nothing in return. Thats exactly why you should show some love the moment the feeling strikes. For example, suppose you have an employee who volunteered to work the weekend in order to meet a rapidly approaching deadline. You know this employee is a real movie buff. Instead of simply saying, Thanks for coming in this weekend, and walking away, provide this employee with movie passes to the local cinema. If the timing is right, give them the rest of the day off so they can attend a matinee. Whatever you do, make it personal. Giving an employee tickets for tonights football game may do little to impress them, especially if they arent a sports fan or they have a newborn at home that requires a babysitter. In this situation, you (and them) would be better served with a gift certificate to a local restaurant that happens to dish up great meals and delivers! Listen More than You Speak How good are your listening skills? If youve ever been in a relationship where the other person does most of the talking, you know what its like to never feel heard. This scenario seems to play out a lot in todays workplace. The boss oftenends up doing all the talking and the employee does all the listening. Todays employees wanta voice in how their work gets done. When an employee offers a suggestion, thank them for their idea and then take time to consider their recommendation. If you are unable to implement their idea, let them know why and encourage them to continue to suggest new ways of approaching work. In meetings, let someone else take the lead. Make it a point to be the last person in the room to speak, so that others feel comfortable sharing their ideas freely. Make People Feel Special In an effort to be fair, many companies treat people the same. While their intentions may be good, the results can quickly shift an engaged workforce to the dark side of employee engagement a world of disgruntled disengagement. Equal isnt always fair. Think about the superstars in your organization that are doing the lions share of the work. Is it fair when they receive the same raise as those who are barely contributing? Should your A players be required to work in the office every day, along with everyone else, because you dont trust your B players to perform unless they are closely monitored? Dont be afraid to treat your best employees a little differently. Those who perform should be assigned plum projects and be given access to development opportunities. This will help increase employee commitment among those employees you wish to keep. Wooing employees shouldnt be an idea that is reserved for special holidays or certain times of the year. By showing your love all year long, it wont be long before you have engaged the hearts and minds of your people as well as your customers.

Most Admired Professions

Most Admired Professions Most Admired Professions As the old saying goes, when you love what you do you’ll never work a day in your life. The sage advice is all well and good, but for those starting out along the career-choosing path, it can be difficult to pick a specific field that’s guaranteed to create a case of warm and fuzzies.   A great place to start when choosing a job or career that guarantees lifelong happiness are those professions that seem to garner a higher level of admiration and respect among your peers.  Everyone loves to be appreciated, after all, so it only makes sense that admired professions would be desirable and potentially more fulfilling for those practicing within them.  With that in mind, we’ve compiled a list of some of the most admired professions.  Peruse our selections and potentially kickstart your journey along the road to career happiness. Military Ranking highly in most annual surveys of fields that garner instant respect, a career in the military certainly will lead towards admiration in addition to certain bonus perks.  Military service can often lead to free or reduced cost higher education, lower mortgage rates when you eventually buy a home and an increased interest by civilian employers who appreciate your service and skills once you’ve left active duty.  Salaries of active duty military servicemembers will range depending on duties, rank and combat designation.  In addition to the regular pay, you’ll pick up valuable skills and experiences unavailable to the majority of civilians.   Teaching Few professions have as great an impact on the future of our society and culture than the teachers who help instruct and mold young minds.  While the importance of those who choose the path of instruction has never gone unappreciated, in recent years teachers have also inched upwards on the list of most admired professions.  Median salaries will range depending on public or private institutions, grade level, and specialty, but starting out you can expect to earn $45,000 $53,000 per year.  All teacher positions require at least an associate’s degree and come with pretty hefty background check requirements.  Jump through these simple hoops and you can expect to join the ranks of those instructing future generations. A Career in Medicine It will probably come as no surprise that those in the habit of helping people get and stay healthy also rank up there on lists of the most admired professions.  Doctors, nurses and other medical support staff make up the bulk of our general category of a career in medical fields.  If you’re looking to jump right into the thick of things, qualifying as a practicing doctor will take you 7 or more years of post-secondary education along with a host of certifications, exams, and residency requirements.  The payoff on all that investment is a starting salary just north of $160k.  Nursing school has less stringent requirements but will be equally as fulfilling for someone looking for a career in aiding others.  Salaries for nurses start at around $50k but can go much higher depending on experience and specialized positions. Scientists Sure, having a career wearing a white lab coat may not jump to the top of your list of rockstar jobs, but it turns out that working as a scientist is on the rise for lists of the most prestigious positions.  Scientists play a large part in developing new technologies, researching medical and engineering problems and generally delving into the mysteries of our everyday world.  Depending on your area of expertise, becoming a scientist requires at least an advanced degree in math, science or a related field, in addition to many hours spent interning and learning practical skills from your peers.  The payoff for all that hard work?  Starting salaries come in just north of $75k, with that number increasing rapidly for specialized fields.   Engineering While you may have heard of engineers as a job title, you may be confused as to the fields this diverse position can cover.  From software development and roll out to design and construction of buildings, bridges, infrastructure projects and more, engineers are the individuals that keep the heart of commerce and development progressing. With a wide array of responsibilities and individual specialties, starting and median salaries can vary wildly, with entry-level positions averaging around $50k and higher advanced roles topping out around $150 175k.  While this may seem a large range, the flexibility of the position allows for people with diverse backgrounds to work in the field.  No matter your calling, you will more than likely find an engineering position that suits your skills and abilities. If your desired profession didn’t make our list of most admired jobs, never fear.  There are countless career fields that people admire and only a limited amount of blog space.  Focus on being innovative and helpful and strive for excellence in your career path and prestige is sure to follow.

Unify Index Finds Large Number of Employees Would Choose Flex Work Over Pay Raise

Unify Index Finds Large Number of Employees Would Choose Flex Work Over Pay Raise Unify Index Finds Large Number of Employees Would Choose Flex Work Over Pay Raise Employees are serious about flex work, said Bill Hurley, Chief Marketing Officer at Unify. In addition to nearly half of all employees preferring flex work over a pay raise, nearly one third said they would change employers if offered flexible work elsewhere. It is time to get on board- business leaders who ignore the Flex Work Imperative could find themselves suffering the loss of their best employees. In the full report, Unify provides best practices for how businesses can successfully implement flex work. It emphasizes how many employees would be satisfied with a few days per week working from home; or the ability to work in the office for part of the day, and then finish at home. Additionally, businesses can establish and document a virtual team code of conduct that outlines the things employees must do in order to make flex work successful.

How to Write a Great Interior Design Resume

How to Write a Great Interior Design Resume How to Write a Great Interior Design Resume Are you struggling with your resume? Finding it hard to come up with creative ideas, even though that’s what you do for a living every day? Don’t worry â€" you’re far from alone in this. Most interior designers struggle to sell themselves effectively. But your lack of a killer resume is hurting your career and ensuring that you are being passed over for people who are often less qualified. I specialize in resume writing for creative professions, and in this post I want to show you my top 5 secrets for creating a killer interior design resume. Interior Design Resume Secret #1: Know Your Target Audience When working on a design for a commercial interior, you begin with a focus on the ultimate customer â€" the person who will work in the office, visit the store, or rent a flat in the property. You work to understand what will appeal to him and then you create your design with that in mind. If you’re designing a client’s home, you go through the same process â€" what is important to her? How does she use her home? What are her interests and values? The same principle applies when you’re writing a resume. If you know who will be reading it, you can shape the message accordingly. To do this, you need to think about the type of company you want to work for. Is it a large firm where you will be one of a team of designers? Or would you prefer a smaller company where you might be the sole creative? Is the culture entrepreneurial and energetic? Or is it traditional and structured? Once you have built a picture of the ideal company, you can carefully target your resume. You’ll know what skills or traits to highlight, what words to use, and which parts of your background will be most interesting to readers. Interior Design Resume Secret #2: What’s Your Unique Value? You have a unique blend of skills, characteristics and experiences that make you different from every other designer looking for a job. In order to write a truly effective resume, you need to define exactly what this unique blend is â€" we’ll call this your value proposition. Ask yourself what separates you from other designers? Is it your innate sense of colour? Perhaps it’s the results you’ve achieved in designing successful restaurants? Or maybe it’s that you have a natural talent for multi-tasking in fast-paced, somewhat crazy environments. You can see why knowing your ideal company is so important. Your value proposition may be completely different depending on the types of companies you’re targeting. Once you know your unique value, you can write a fabulous resume summary that immediately grabs attention. Interior Design Resume Secret #3: Develop a Strategy Now that you know your target companies, and have identified what makes you uniquely appealing to them, it’s time to plan exactly how you’re going to communicate that. Here are some of the things to think about: What is the best resume structure in order to showcase your unique value? What keywords must you include given your knowledge of your ideal company? How can you demonstrate your unique value through success stories? What is the best resume design to reinforce your message? You must make all these decisions before you start writing. That way, you can be sure that when they your ideal employer reads your resume, he or she will immediately understand why they should hire you. Interior Design Resume Secret #4: Include Client Testimonials Hopefully you have letters or emails from happy clients and these make a powerful addition to your resume. Marketers use testimonials frequently because they know how effective they are. After all, if company x raves about their product, you will probably discount what they say because they are self-interested. But if you hear a series of rave reviews for the same product, you will take them much more seriously. The same applies to using testimonial quotes on your resume. (Heres more on why quotes are so powerful) and here is an interior designer resume that makes excellent use of quotes. Interior Designer Resume Secret #5: Make sure your resume includes important keywords. Most employers now use applicant tracking systems to screen out candidates before the resume is even seen by a human being. The computer system scans each resume for relevant keywords (predetermined by the recruiter) and then either “passes” or “fails” the candidates. This means you must include all the right keywords in your resume. To do this, list every interior design skill you have â€" be as detailed as you possibly can â€" don’t worry if the list gets very long. Once you have a complete list, make a section on your resume called ‘technical skills’ or ‘interior design skills’ and include them all. Note: if you know the job you’re applying for, you can streamline the list by including only the relevant keywords. It’s all about making the right impression instantly As an interior designer, you’re in the business of creating instant impressions and this is exactly what you need to do with your resume. Follow these 5 tips and you’ll be much more likely to wow the recruiters and hiring managers at your target companies. [Click here to see an interior designer resume makeover, with before and after shots.] A strong resume makes all the difference to your job search. If you’re ready to crush your job search competition, join our free email resume writing course. You’ll get detailed strategies to transform your resume and you can learn at your own pace.

Kind and trusting people are more likely to end up bankrupt

Kind and trusting people are more likely to end up bankrupt Kind and trusting people are more likely to end up bankrupt Being nice and kind to others has many benefits, but money management may not be among them, a new study in the  Journal of Personality and Social Psychology finds. Looking at geographic data, bank account information and other data from more than three million participants, researchers Sandra C. Matz and Joe J. Gladstone found that kinder individuals are at greater risk of experiencing financial hardships.“Previous research suggested that agreeableness was associated with lower credit scores and income. We wanted to see if that association held true for other financial indicators and, if so, better understand why nice guys seem to finish last,” Matz said. “We found that agreeableness was associated with indicators of financial hardship, including lower savings, higher debt and higher default rates.”When you’re agreeable, you’re less likely to care about moneyAnalyzing publicly available personality data and financial information from two regions in the United Kingdom at similar income levels, the researchers found that the area with more agreeable people had a 50% higher bankruptcy rate. Why are nice people more likely to get into these risky financial situations? The research finds that this can be explained in part by agreeable people’s attitude towards money.  When you do not care about money, you do not care about your financial health.Looking at nationally representative survey responses, digital data collected from customer bank accounts, online panels, and government-recorded insolvency rates across the United States and United Kingdom, the researchers found that agreeable people were not worse negotiators than others - but they did assign a lower subjective value to money. When you care less about money in general, the threat of losing it does not motivate you as much.Not every agreeable, pleasant person you meet is at risk of bankruptcy, however. The researchers found that lower-income individuals with nice, trusting personalities were t he most likely to experience financial hardship, likely because they lacked the money cushion to make up for their agreeable disposition.“Being kind and trusting has financial costs, especially for those who do not have the financial means to compensate for their personality predispositions and the attitudes to money associated with it,” the study concluded.

Mastercards CHRO on Why Learning Is The True Currency in Todays Economy

Mastercard's CHRO on Why Learning Is The True Currency in Today's Economy Mastercard's CHRO on Why Learning Is The True Currency in Today's Economy Workplaces have evolved rapidly over the past decade, and the pace of change is only accelerating. Technology has suffused all industries. Four generations of employees are working alongside one another. And relying on what you learned back in college will no longer suffice. “The speed of change is so quick that if you don’t stay on top, you’ll be left behind,” says Michael Fraccaro, Mastercard ’s Chief Human Resources Officer. “Employees need to constantly refresh their skills to stay relevant.” “Learning is the true currency in today’s economy,” he adds. Continual learning has fueled Fraccaro since the beginning. He started his career as a high school teacher in his home country of Australia, where he saw firsthand the effect of governmental policies requiring companies to invest a portion of their payroll on employee training. Fraccaro went on to obtain several postgraduate degrees, and he later worked in financial services in Saudi Arabia as well as in several leadership roles at HSBC before joining Mastercard in 2012. Job seekers should no longer see a job as a “finish line,” Fraccaro says, “but an entry point to a lifetime of continuous learning - which their continued sustained employability will depend on.” Here’s how to refocus your career goals - and build your own personal “lifetime job charter” - around learning to stay relevant, engaged and highly employable. The “three Es” is a Mastercard term, but staffers at any company can work to get education, experience and exposure at the office. Education . “This is perhaps the most formal way to keep learning and stay relevant,” Fraccaro says: Take advantage of any company education programs, whether it’s tuition reimbursement for advanced degrees or internal career development offerings. At Mastercard, for example, all employees are eligible for the “Degree” program that includes a range of courses for personal and professional development, from presentation skills to reading a profit and loss statement. Experience . When mapping out your ideal career path, think about the kinds of experiences that will help you continue moving forward. Perhaps you need experience managing a team, or in developing and designing a product. “The specifics depend on your individual goals,” Fraccaro explains. “I wanted international experience, and I couldn’t get that at home in Australia, so that meant seeking overseas opportunities in different markets.” Exposure. Attend a conference , join an intracompany network or shadow a mentor or boss. “Whichever path you choose to take, this is about getting involved in things outside of your day-to-day responsibilities,” Fraccaro says. “Think about what your career passion is and identify two or three initiatives you can invest time in, without taking away from your responsibilities.” That last point will help you get support from your manager, who is likely to take notice of your ambition. Learning experiences relevant to your career need not be only within the four walls of the office or the classroom. Becoming the treasurer at your local church can give you financial and operations experience, for example. Community volunteerism may spark interest in corporate social responsibility . Even travel for pleasure can garner valuable cultural insights, Fraccaro says, but “it’s all about taking the time to assess what’s the value and the payback for your career. You need to actively use your left brain to make those connections.” Employers are focusing less on experience and more on potential, the latter of which is highly dependent on how quickly you can learn, Fraccaro says. Use your resume to highlight examples where you stretched yourself on a project or took the initiative to obtain a certificate - and once you land the interview, be sure to connect that experience back to what you’ve learned. When Fraccaro interviews applicants, he’s “looking to see how curious they are, how inquisitive when it comes their time to ask me questions. I like to see what they’re involved in outside the office, too, because it tells me how much they invest in themselves and their learning.” From startups to behemoths like Apple and Google , even the biggest success stories include notable failures. Recognize that your career will include some bumps: a difficult coworker, a tone-deaf boss, a project that just didn’t go the way you’d hoped. But failure can be a powerful way to learn, Fraccaro says. “Everything is so frantic, so caught up in the day-to-day, that sometimes great lessons can be found in merely stepping away for a while to reflect: ‘What could I be doing differently, or better?’” he adds. “That pause is an important part of the learning process, and people don’t spend enough time on it.” “Quite often we get so tied up in chasing career levels rather than thoughtfully charting our paths in terms of the learning, experience and exposure,” Fraccaro says. “We lose sight of what’s fundamental, which is: ‘What is it that I’m trying to achieve?’” Fraccaro recommends drawing up your own “lifetime job charter” that identifies what’s fundamental to you personally. “For me, I wanted jobs that were centered on people, cultures, international considerations and making connections ,” Fraccaro says. “When you think about jobs in terms of your own values and what you want to learn, you start to chart a path that’s so much more meaningful than a certain job title.”