How to Build an Impressive Data Science Portfolio as A Fresher?

As a fresher here's how you can build an impressive portfolio to show off your data science skills.

As a fresher, when you do not have a relevant degree or enough experience, credibility needs to be established via a stellar portfolio showcasing your potential. The portfolio then works as evidence of your competencies. There are numerous factors that can enhance your chances of getting noticed by an employer. With a smart strategy and consistent efforts, you'll be able to crack it. Here are some insightful tips on how to build an impressive data science portfolio when you are a fresher in the AI field.

Identify Your Skill

Hopping from one career portal to another and applying for any job that mentions "Data" isn't a smart move. It would add to your stress and workload only to learn that they have rejected you The Data Science spectrum in itself is huge. A data-driven organization today employs various positions from data analysts to data and ML engineers to even data scientists and AI engineers. Obviously, no one individual can pull off all the tasks. The first thing that you got to do is identify the skillsets that you have mastered (or want to master). Based on that skill set, you should shortlist the job description that you'll aim for.

Studying the Job Description

If you spend enough time going through a bunch of job descriptions of various data profiles, you'll notice that they ask for the experience even if it's for someone fresh out of college. The second thing that you should understand is that there are jobs that have more generalist requirements like data analysis. And then there are more focused and dedicated areas of research like a research scientist at a hedge fund, which is math-heavy.

Showing Expertise via Projects

Projects are your only substitute for experience. There are four major factors that your projects should validate, no matter which profile you apply for. They would lend a firm grip over required competencies, and the complexity of the problem you have solved or studied — it can either be a novel problem or a commonly asked enterprise-grade problem. The other factors are domain expertise — the amount of research you did in order to find the answers to the questions or building data infrastructure and lastly your will to go that extra mile and make the project stand out — deploying your project for public use or writing a blog or publishing a video to explain your findings.

Condensing a Portfolio into a Single Page Resume

The most important element of your job application is your resume as it decides whether you're going to be shortlisted for the job or not. Considering you have every other element in good shape, it's time to condense that information into an elegant and concise resume. As you must know, the recruiters don't spend more than a couple of minutes skimming through your resume, so you need to convey everything you've done within a single page.