5 Skills Companies Look For in Data Science Candidates + 5 Project Ideas

Pretty unsurprising for today’s data-driven era, the role of a data scientist has evolved into one of the most coveted positions in the job market.

What qualities and data science skills do companies seek in candidates? This is quickly answered by the image below.

Skill #1: Strong Analytical Skills

This one’s pretty obvious! In this case, I don’t mean being good at programming or coding. What I mean is being analytical. It means dissecting problems, approaching them methodically and logically, and being able to extract meaningful insights from the data that can answer questions the business has. So this one’s more about the mindset or mental approach, whatever you call it, not the tools you use.

This is a market basket analysis project where you have to analyze customer data for a retail company to segment customers based on their purchasing behavior.

Skill #2: Proficiency in Coding

When saying coding, I mean programming languages such as Python, R, and definitely SQL. These three languages are fundamental skills for any data scientist, as they’re the backbone of data manipulation, analysis, and model development. To paraphrase the popular saying, data scientists are as good as their tools.

Skill #3: Machine Learning Expertise

Machine learning is a core component of data science. Some say it sets you apart from a data analyst. Companies look for candidates who can apply various machine learning algorithms to solve real-world problems.

Skill #4: Data Visualization and Communication Skills

This leads us into less technical areas of a data science job. Probably because of that, data visualization and communication are some of the most underappreciated skills. This skill requires expertise in data visualization. A large part of it is honed simply through practice and getting feedback on your presentations.

It’s a great COVID-19 dashboard where you can work on this skill. More specifically, you’ll create an interactive data visualization dashboard to display the latest COVID-19 stats, including cases, deaths, and vaccinations.