Chapter 6 The Application: Resumes and Cover Letters

You’ve got a list of open jobs you’re interested in; now it’s time to let them know you exist! Pretty much every job will require you to submit a resume: a glorified list of your skills and past experiences. Most also ask for a cover letter too: a one-page letter describing why you should be considered for the job. It would be easy to quickly jot down your previous jobs and write a boilerplate letter saying you’re interested in the company, but this is a situation where putting in more effort can be the deciding factor for making it to an interview.

In deciding what jobs to apply to, you’ve researched the companies to see if they would be a good fit. Now it’s time to put that research to work by personalizing each application. In this chapter we’ll start with making sure your base resume and cover letter are as effective as possible, covering best practices and common mistakes to avoid. Then we’ll show how to take that “master” resume and cover letter and refine them for each job. Finally, you’ll see networking can help accelerate your carefully crafted application into the hands of a hiring manager instead of an overflowing pile of resumes.

6.1      Resume: the basics

6.1.1   Structure

6.1.2   Deeper into the experience section: generating content

6.2      Cover letters: the basics

6.2.1   Structure

6.3      Tailoring

6.4      Referrals

6.5      Interview with Kristen Kehrer, a data science instructor and course creator

6.5.1   How many times would you estimate you’ve edited your resume?

6.5.2   What are common mistakes you see people make?

6.5.3   Do you tailor your resume to the position you’re applying to?

6.5.4   What strategies do you recommend for describing jobs on a resume, especially for people who haven’t had data-related jobs before?

6.5.5   What’s your final piece of advice for aspiring data scientists?

6.6      Summary