Analytics industry has for quite long ruled the popularity chart and is definitely one of the most sought after fields. From professionals with few years of industry experience or fresher passing out of the colleges, there are many who are in a constant look out for jobs in the analytics industry. And professionals from other fields who want to make a plunge in this data driven industry have have a tool called “experience” to fall back on, the fresher lot is often left in the lurch, wondering how to explore the most promising field.
As we keep getting a lot of requests from fresher who want to understand the skills and qualifications that analytics companies look for, Analytics India Magazine got in touch with companies like Fractal Analytics and Cartesian Consulting to get an insight on what they look for in graduates fresh out of the college who want to make a career in analytics. Let’s find out:
To begin with, companies like Mu Sigma, Fractal and others aren’t looking for much in your resume, though they expect you to be exceptionally dynamic. Well, even these big companies understand that most of the colleges or institutes do not have the training for industry specific skills in the curriculum, and they would have a training on these skills, once you are hired! So, you can be confident in approaching the companies even if you don’t have resume highlighting a practical experience in most of the skills that they are looking for.
But, your aptitude, ability to understand and analyze problems, readiness to learn new things, math, computer science programming, is a definite must that these companies expect from a fresher. If you have the ability to use principles and arrive at a solution, you may be the one who’s hired next.
Jobs at entry level: Qualification & skills required
That is the question most newbies have. Various companies have different designations that they allot to fresher- analyst, associate, big data engineer, even data scientist being a few titles.
Fractal Analytics offers three types of roles at entry level. Take a look below-
1. Consultant:
Academic qualification- BE/ B.Tech in any discipline or MS in Statistics/Economics.
Other skills-
- Strong problem solving skills
- Excellent verbal and written communication skills
- Good knowledge of statistics / economics
- Good interpersonal skills and team player
- Strong attention to detail
- Proficiency with R / Python / any other analytics tool preferred
2. Data Scientist:
Academic qualification- Graduation / Post Graduation in Statistics / Economics / Mathematics
Other skills-
- Intermediate level proficiency in R and/or Python
- Strong problem solving skills
- Intermediate to expert level proficiency in some of statistical/ML predictive techniques such as regression, Bayesian methods, tree-based learners, SVM, RF, XGBOOST etc.
- Statistical clarity in traditional algorithms like time series modelling, dimensionality reduction, SEM, GLM, GLMM, clustering and related areas
- Structured thinking and articulating the algorithms used to internal project teams/ clients in a simplified manner
- Good verbal and written communication skills
3. Big data engineer:
Academic qualification- BE/ B.Tech in Computer Science
Other skills-
- Expert level proficiency in one of the following – Java, Python or C++
- Experience working in a Linux environment and shell scripting
- Strong understanding and experience in distributed computing frameworks, particularly Apache Hadoop 2.0
- Operating knowledge of Cloud computing platforms (AWS)
- Strong problem solving skills
- Good verbal and written communication skills
Similarly, Cartesian Consulting offers Analyst position to fresher for which the academic qualification that they look for is Post-Graduation in Economics / Statistics or BE / B.Tech (Computer Science, IT, Electronics). In addition to this, they have Associate openings for 2+ year experience, for which they look for MBA + BTech/ BE (Computer Science, IT, Electronics).
The other companies, that AIM spoke to, also look for engineers with computer science background- which remains the core of all the qualifications mentioned. An excellent understanding on programming and languages such as R. Python, SQL is a must have in the fresher resume.
At slightly higher levels, the companies look for an in-depth specialization in computer science with a master’s so that they have an understanding on designing apps and carrying out other domain specific tasks.
How can you stand out?
While most candidates would have the basic requirements by these companies full-filled at the college level, if you want to stand out from others, it’s always better to have that extra feather in your cap. Analytics training is what we are talking about! While the analytics companies would give a fair chance to all the fresher applying for a job, if you have the skills that they are specifically looking for, it would be hard for them to ignore your resume.
Starting with tools like SQL, SAS, Qlikview could be a good idea. Getting a deeper understanding on basic statistical tools and models could be the next step and then other tools based on your interest. There are many short, long, online, class room training institutes that offer industry specific training for upskilling your resume.
Tapan Khopkar, VP, Cartesian Consulting says “The recruitment process is an exercise in predictive analytics. Within a limited time, you have to assess the candidate’s aptitude and attitude, and predict their performance in the current role as well as the potential for growth. Skill Assessment is the most crucial part of the interview process. In a dynamic domain like ours, knowledge is not sufficient, one has to have the ability to learn on the fly, be it techniques, frameworks or tools. Our processes assess the candidate’s ability and inclination towards this.”
He further adds “Apart from their skills, are, integrity, curiosity and fit with our culture. The recruitment process is hence designed to ensure that once we have assessed their skills and capabilities for the role, two more interviewers meet them to assess how they fare on the above. Hiring managers have a set of questions that are predefined to judge this. An interview assessment sheet has also been created for different levels which is filled in by the interviewer”.
All we can say is if you love numbers, have a positive attitude, have a quantitative aptitude, are averse with programming and have a zest to prove yourself, there can be no hurdle in your resume that would stop these analytics companies from hiring you.
