Hiring Manager Explains: Data Portfolio Do’s and Don’ts

[@christinejiangdata]

NYC MEETUP on October 22nd, 7-9pm! Join me and another ambitious aspiring analysts for a fun night of job hunt discussion, industry insights, and good-energy networking! lu.ma/x8an77rf

[@camilleflores4193]

Are you also holding an event in Paris?

[@christinejiangdata]

@@camilleflores4193 We had a meetup in Paris last week - tomorrow's meetup will be in London!

[@rohangaming4087]

@@christinejiangdata England are playing in the Euros tomorrow :(

[@christinejiangdata]

@@rohangaming4087 oof i know, i realized too late :( i already rented the place and am leaving london in a few days so i can't reschedule, but we'll be there for an hour before the match!

[@davedigital9314]

This is a really nice video. Very helpful to me considering I'm currently building my portfolio. From your experience, which would you recommend between PowerBI and Tableau

[@eugenefritz6669]

In this single video you could add more value than people who are in KZbin for more than 5 years speaking about data. You’re valuable. Thanks for the video, it was interesting. Take care

[@christinejiangdata]

Hahah oof that means a lot, I'm trying! Thank you

[@amber8778]

WOW, it's so refreshing how concise and pragmatic your recommendations are! Your real-world experience truly shines through. Thank you for making this video!

[@christinejiangdata]

thank you! hope it helps you :)

[@CathyReisenwitz]

This is a great example of advice that’s very obvious, but only once it’s explained. Thank you!

[@Devodry]

Another perfect example of why I am grateful I found her channel! Excellent content and advice!

[@lord_voldemort44]

this was amazing and so useful. I realize I am making so many mistakes with my portfolio, and its things I never would have realized without your video and your honesty here. Alot of youtubers will not say things like this!! tyvm

[@christinejiangdata]

that's exactly my goal. thanks for being here :)

[@snehashekar1839]

I have never seen anyone who post such great content for Data analyst , Your content are just on point and clears most of my questions on my head . Thank you for creating such good content , this is really so useful .

[@christinejiangdata]

i'm super happy to hear this :)

[@leekhon108]

Thank you very much for your informative video. It gave me a new perspective and a fresh way of thinking about data analysis. Your video helped me see another side of the field-I had been too focused on doing projects and showcasing my technical skills. Now I understand that it's more about finding the right balance.

[@StMarkAdebayo]

Not me taking notes as I watch and listen. 😅 This is really helpful and I'll be sticking around for more. Thank you, Christine.

[@christinejiangdata]

not me being happy you're taking notes as you listen :)

[@Ahyame718]

You have no idea how much this helps

[@christinejiangdata]

super happy to hear that

[@lutfhijuansah6262]

Thanks for sharing this video, it help me a lot. God bless you

[@christopheraryo3040]

very complete explanation, you show us that you're an experienced data professional. Awesome! Thank you Christine.

[@fliegenritter]

Such a gem among the generic data analytics tutorials on KZbin. Right to the point! I would like to hear more from you about strategies during case study interviews, e.g root cause analysis.

[@christinejiangdata]

gotcha. for data analysts, root cause analysis generally doesn't get extremely technical (i.e. using machine learning libraries in python); instead it can be founded on "common sense" techniques like slicing a key metric by key dimensions to first understand what the main drivers of certain metric fluctuations are.

[@krisdelafuente887]

Coming from CC Fraud Prevention backround, KPIs were our bread and butter. However, I am in the midst of a career pivot into Data Analyst and this was great info! Thank you for this. I am now following this channel 👍

[@footballpidgin]

Thank you so much Christine i'm still waiting for the link to the dataset

[@v-7815]

Jesus freaking christ. Needing to have all this technical knowledge BEFORE you're even considered for and *ENTRY* level position is insane to me. The job market is so cooked.

[@christinejiangdata]

keep in mind this is a framework to create a standout portfolio, not an average one. if you have this kind of portfolio for an entry level position, you'd be in the top ~10% of applicants. so don't be overly intimidated - many people do get data jobs without this level of knowledge, but my goal here is to help you guys build next-level work so you can stand out and make it to the other side as efficiently as possible. the market is slightly cooked but the meal is worth it :)

[@russianerica8153]

​@@christinejiangdataThank you very much for the video! Could you please be so kind as to share share more details (maybe in your next video) how to create fictional data? Or useful sources of publicly available information that can help to create business relevant projects?

[@Jmart786]

You are competing against a lot of people who are applying to entry level jobs and have a lot of technical knowledge and experience. Why wouldn't a company hire them instead of someone who has nothing. You have to make yourself valuable to the market if you want to get hired, don't just expect to get hired just because it's an "entry level" role.

[@Ruth-AnneKlassen]

This video was so practical and relevant for helping people build portfolio projects! Thanks for sharing.

[@veronicasmemories]

This was awesome! I'm about to start data science as a degree but I just wanted to see what the final result should look like by the time I graduate, thanks for your help!

[@mayerscharlat9085]

This video was super impactful and well organized. I am currently working on my portfolio projects to break into the industry as a Business/Data Analyst. Really happy to hear that I am on the right path choosing real world projects that highlight the process of extracting business insights, but also you made some really helpful points that I am going to use to make the most of my portfolio. Thanks for sharing!

[@christinejiangdata]

that's awesome to hear!

[@zidaneramadhan830]

Gained a new keyword for my learning bucket list : Business Relevant Metrics. Thank you for the insights, great video 🙏

[@christinejiangdata]

there you go! :)

[@AnassJbilou-m3w]

I subscribed for your deep knowledge in the field keep it up you are brilliant ❤

[@suista]

I’m still considering data analytics as my second career, thank you for these very helpful insights, I really appreciate the content you have created.

[@christinejiangdata]

happy it helps!

[@jogeshkumarsharma2969]

Great video. Very helpful. Thank you for sharing, Christine.

[@gauravrai8963]

Such a great video for someone looking to begin their data journey. So different and helpful than 90% of big channel content surrounding data!!

[@christinejiangdata]

thank you! if there are any specific topics you're looking to dive into, lmk!

[@kazishahria1442]

Awesome video that was clear and straight to the point!

[@christinejiangdata]

thank you! happy to hear it

[@jaspersomaek]

Thanks Christine. I feel so lucky stumbling onto your video on KZbin, just when I am building my portfolio. I finished creating my website and now I need to fill it up with projects. Listening to your suggestions gave me more direction on where to focus. I'm still overwhelmed by the number of projects out there, and I have a difficulty choosing which projects to do. I want to look for full stack projects, but at the same time, I don't feel equipped with the necessary skills yet.

[@christinejiangdata]

i hear you, one of the hardest things with projects is knowing where to start. i'll try to do a deep-dive video on how to take the next step with projects

[@jaspersomaek]

@@christinejiangdata A deep-dive video on taking the next step would be incredibly helpful. You already mentioned some great criteria for a good project in your video, such as answering a business-relevant question, focusing on key business metrics, and integrating essential skills into the system. What is an example of a good project and the kind of tech stack that could be used? I'm curious and would love to hear your thoughts in a future video. Thanks and take care for now.

[@christinejiangdata]

@@jaspersomaek taking note. thanks jasper!

[@Mahshadn]

Great content, keep the good work up! I'd like to see similar video for data folks with 2 to 4 YOE. Like how the portfolio should look like for that stage in career, or even does it really matter as it does for entry level jobs. Thanks!

[@christinejiangdata]

thank you! generally for people with a few years of data analytics experience, your work experience should be doing the talking, not a portfolio - unless you're trying to transition into a slightly different field, like going from data analytics to data science. if you have a few years under your belt, make sure to touch on these three things in your resume: 1) the technical tools and techniques, 2) the business metrics and business impact, and 3) the stakeholders. examples in my resume video!

[@UzairSukor]

This is great. Thanks for the share. Neat, clean and simple to understand. I'm always showing my learning project before this and I need to change that. 🙏

[@christinejiangdata]

you got it!

[@TiagoSantos-re1fs]

Such a great video!! Thanks for sharing your experience!!

[@dekim_37]

Thank you Christine so much for this video! I'm trying to start a career as Data Analyst and I really feel like this video is helping me guiding through. Keep up the good work 🙏 You earned a sub

[@christinejiangdata]

Happy to see you here! Will be more videos soon about technical interviews and the full end-to-end roadmap, especially for those starting out in data analytics. :)

[@dekim_37]

@christinejiangdata The channel notifications are on, so I hope to see a video of yours pop up soon! Best of luck!

[@joyotiegbe1549]

This is really helpful as I'm at the point of building my project portfolio. I've already made some adjustments with the information you shared. Thanks so much.

[@christinejiangdata]

awesome :)

[@AM-uj6rl]

Hello Christine! As an aspiring data scientist who is self-taught, I have found essential insights in your content that were new to me. Your content enables people like me to forge our own paths. Wishing you health and success in your endeavors. Regards.

[@christinejiangdata]

self-teaching data science is no easy feat, so kudos to you. thank you for the wishes!

[@mila_5096]

Hi Christine, thanks for the video. There is no link to your github page as stated in your video. Would appreciate if you could kindly add it.

[@yoursfithfully047]

wow ! , this was really different from the USUal crap that data analyst KZbinrs sell . Thank you for the insightful things real world actually uses . thank you Christine

[@christinejiangdata]

haha! very happy to hear that - thank you, happy to help

[@thaychansy4568]

I'm just starting out in this field. Thanks for posting!

[@xOranfall]

Great Video. Every person trying to get into the industry should see this video.

[@christinejiangdata]

thank you! i would love that ;)

[@tanthole0306]

Super helpful video Christine! I will recommend your video to the students I know!

[@christinejiangdata]

oh thank you! i'd love that

[@davidohayon496]

Never seen such a clear video- mentor me!

[@trev1463]

An excellent and information PACKED video! I started to take notes to improve my portfolio, then switched to screenshots because my notes became lengthy and I couldn't write fast enough. Christine, thank you very much for sharing this information! I'd love it if you went slightly slower.

[@christinejiangdata]

hahah i do tend to talk fast! but don't forget you can also slow the video speed :)

[@yuvashreep2187]

This is SO helpful - you deserve a lot more views!

[@christinejiangdata]

thank you! i just started, so i'll be patient :)

[@yuvashreep2187]

@@christinejiangdata all the best to you!

[@qi_kayon]

Amazing information - thank you! Very well presented :)

[@ivanvinicios8509]

Incredible tips! Thanks for the recommendations, it did help me a lot!

[@christinejiangdata]

I'm super happy to hear! Next vid will be on interview tips :)

[@trevorcasey9008]

Amazing video thank you so much! I am in grad school for data right now pivoting careers so this is super helpful. I would love to see more videos on making interactive tableau dashboards in the future. Like tips and tricks to make showing projects more interactive and applicable to businesses and hiring managers. You rock!

[@christinejiangdata]

mmmm yes hear you. putting it on the list

[@rohini_mohan]

Thank you! This is so helpful. So much value in the examples as well. :)

[@christinejiangdata]

Thank you🙂

[@mohammedabdisalamabdillahi2929]

Wow, very helpful and concise. Thanks

[@shafialanower3820]

This was a wonderful video. Very rarely do people recommend business driven projects for data analytics. I’m on the path to learning data analyst. Hopefully AI doesn’t take over but the time I’m done lol

[@tyrique8619]

This is an excellent video! Please keep making them. Subbed

[@christinejiangdata]

thank you! more coming :)

[@Asianyoungman22]

I have been looking for months. You are telling the key information. As I worked as business consultant and business development manager, I care more on the report, result, how rather than how to use excel or sql..

[@christinejiangdata]

exactly! you get it

[@markomarjanovic8348]

A very very usefull video, thank you for sharing your knowledge and experience! Waiting for more content from you :)

[@christinejiangdata]

it's comin!

[@angeldavidlucerotonder898]

Very interesting what you share Chris. I can't find the repository with the Zoom example, can you share it?

[@AmaanKhan-gq3qv]

hey me also :( , did you manage to find it ?

[@quana1206]

I currently get stuck on my portfolio then I see your sharing. It's incredibly helpful, simple and worth every second. I will digest all of your video and look forward to your future sharing. Thanks a lot 💙

[@christinejiangdata]

that means a lot to me :)

[@Nabil-pg7ll]

thanks christine !

[@CanadianCFO]

Really great content, applies to accountants and financial analysts too. Keep up the great videos! Btw I also like your websites conversion funnel.

[@christinejiangdata]

thank you!

[@AllAboutVintageAndMore]

Great video. Excited to learn more!

[@christinejiangdata]

excited you're here :)

[@raefeismail2794]

this is soo great and soo helpful thnks soo much , but i cant get your data for analysis (zoom subcription )

[@thegutsociall]

Wow this was amazing said and in detail.

[@christinejiangdata]

i appreciate it angelica :)

[@thegutsociall]

@@christinejiangdata Please do more impact project statements and resume sentences examples with the before and after, as you did in the end of your last video. I’m having issues writing general sentences like Conduct research and then created reports( I’m in marketing), and I’m job hunting at the moment. Thank you in advance if it is possible 💡❤️

[@christinejiangdata]

@@thegutsociall Got it! So more concrete examples of how to translate non-data experience to data hiring managers. 1) Check out my resume video and 2) I'll definitely include more concrete examples in the future then - sounds like you're talking about portfolio projects and past work projects in particular.

[@Anonomyous-cg1ye]

Hi Christine awesome video! I saw you mentioned this was a "self-created" zoom dataset. How exactly did you create it? I am trying to do something similar because I find that one of the hardest parts of creating a business relevant portfolio project is finding an appropriate dataset other than the generic sales datasets I find online. Thanks!

[@christinejiangdata]

it mixing datasets from Kaggle, chatGPT, and then manual manipulation to create realistic seasonal trends based on what i see to be common in SaaS industries. it took me maybe over 20 hours to make, so not for the faint of heart!

[@Anonomyous-cg1ye]

@@christinejiangdata Haha OK nice! I have been experimenting with GPT as well for datasets but get mixed results. Glad you were able to make it work and I will incorporate some of your methods to see if I can improve my datasets. Thanks for your help.

[@TamPhuong-k2c]

thank you Christine! this vid is extemely helpful!!! :)

[@christinejiangdata]

yay i'm happy to hear!

[@tailethanh8074]

many thanks for your really useful video, TOP

[@manthanmistry1205]

This is very helpful. Thanks

[@christinejiangdata]

Glad it was helpful!

[@lordfireriser8125]

Awesome video, thank you!

[@CaribouDataScience]

Which comes first, the resume or the portfolio?

[@brayanrai2880]

Wonderful

[@yunakim265]

YES we definitely need how to answer those questions at the end! And did anyone find the zoom project on her github? i cant find it :(

[@CurriculaAnalysis]

same

[@ezehconfidenceadaeze6189]

Thank you so much ❤

[@christinejiangdata]

You're welcome 😊

[@esmailsayid2976]

Thank you

[@TNTsGOboom]

I subscribed from watching this video! Super helpful! I just quit my IT Manager job since I'm moving to NYC and took it upon myself to finally take the step into my dream industry (data). Do you have any resume templates? Will also be attending your free workshops this month!

[@christinejiangdata]

awesome, see you there :) check out my resume video for some practical tips there. i be working on releasing a resume template soon!

[@Eng_Aldo-tp2hy]

Great job, thanks!

[@txreal2]

Where have you been Christine? Alot of YT vids on "How to get a Data Analyst (DA) job..." are just a waste of time. Editing past projects based on some of your suggestions. 3 yr DA in transition... Thanks. liked & subscribed

[@christinejiangdata]

glad you're here. have fun with the project refresh!

[@ivan_chowdhury]

Hi, I'm not able find the Spotify project on your Github

[@Mr.motivator260]

Great thanks

[@fatihahasus1069]

how about if my focus analyst is on civil engineering and manufacturing company..i have to focus on what are the products/projects that gives profit to the company? then from there I should create a business questions and try to answer these questions through my portfolio?

[@HariboTagada]

Main thing is to network with the right people. You can be smart and hard working and have the best portfolio, you'll never get a job vs someone who plays pickle ball with the hiring manager over the week end. Also and more importantly: data analyst is the first job to go with AI. I am sorry to prick the bubble of positiveness here, but someone has to do it for you future self before you end up in a dead end tech career like I did. Source: someone who does not make YT videos from a closet, and has actually worked in tech industry for 20 years and survived many reorgs and has been made redundant 3 times. Good luck out there, and consider changing career, like plumbing.

[@christinejiangdata]

a lot of early career data analysts are concerned about the implications of AI on the future of their career, not realizing the best analysts are those with strong communication / people skills and ability to connect tools to insights to people to actions. the industry needs more data analysts who can act as product managers, bringing negotation skills, storytelling, and a human perspective to numbers - over time, we should happily leave the SQL querying to AI. it's an exciting time if you can adapt your skills to use AI as a powerful companion, rather than competition. you're right though, networking is key (more on this later) and it does look like i'm in a closet! haha

[@itsjustme684]

@@christinejiangdata Love the reply

[@Kw0987]

New sub here, this is excellent content. Im transitioning to private sector, and have zero experienece putting together data portfolios since my last field only cared about written publications. Im hoping thatthis will help me to stand out! Do you have a sense of how long each project should take? Right now im at about 3 days on each one.

[@jfzr_]

Hi Christine, I really appreciate the knowledge and insights you share to us in this video I truly learn a lot, even take a whole notes and action plan based on your video, you are truly an insightful mentor. I have a clear vision on what to do with my project to apply a job from your explanation, but i can't find the project you mentioned in the video in your github, i want to know whether it's available for public or not. Once again, thank you, looking forward another lessons from you. Regards.

[@christinejiangdata]

thank you for the kind words! the project isn't available publicly at the moment - i need to do some cleanup so it's in its best shape before people start using it as an example. this is on my to-do list after things get a bit less chaotic for me in the next week or so - thanks for the patience!

[@fatihahasus1069]

do you have any recommendation book to dive as DA and where to up to date your upcoming workshop ?

[@gjatt7410]

damn what a greatt video, bravo and thanks.

[@kimbapslayer1995]

How would one adopt company goals and business metrics in projects id they’re seeking their first job?

[@riteshchoudhary444]

It was such an informative video as compared to what other youtubers. Can you share some guidance for Data Science new grad folks too, if you can???

[@christinejiangdata]

almost all my advice will apply to data science grads as well - it's the same skills, but you'll have to emphasize more experience with python :)

[@yunierolivera5091]

Thanks!

[@ixLeGeNDaRyz]

Hi Christine, fantastic video. In my portfolio for most projects I utilized chatgpt and other tools to do the actual coding, I justified this by thinking there's business value in figuring out how to assemble a good project even with technical skill based limitations. Is this a poor practice and would this not be taken well by hiring managers? I would appreciate any answers you could provide. Your photography is great BTW, very unique brand you're building here.

[@christinejiangdata]

thank you and thank you! this is an interesting question. i'd say it's okay to say you used chatgpt to build the dataset, but this isn't directly applicable to the job since we don't actually "officially" use chatgpt on the job a lot (data privacy issues). it'll be more important to highlight the business relevance of the insights (who would the project have been for? what are the insights you discovered)? and leave the chatGPT stuff as a secondary detail.

[@smilingmahi1835]

can u share best protfolio best websites , piz share them

[@ImKDofficial]

can you mention in which repository the zoom dataset is present so I can download it. Very helpful video

[@alfredlopez1183]

thanks so much for the video. what software should i study for me to be a data analyst?

[@NajmiSyazani]

do you think you can share the word template for what an ideal data analyst CV should look like? thank you!

[@X4XP11]

Thank you for the video. I noticed that the Readme file in your portfolio project was very short and did not show the data-cleaning process and the steps you took to reach to your conclusions. Does that mean it's really not important to show the detailed stages that took place to clean the data and perform exploratory data analysis? Is it enough to just show the SQL code in a separate file with comments? What if the cleaning process took in Excel & SQL at the same time? Do we just explain the process in the interview or do we have to mention it somewhere in GitHub files?

[@ohhell1234]

I do think data analysts today might need to know some stastics and i dont see enough simulation projects ( best tools to model business certainty)

[@surabhisharmaa]

Hi Christine, this was a very informative video. I am a computer science graduate, a fresher with a career gap.. I want to start out in Data Analysis now for my career.. what should be a timeline to study and prepare to get a job in 6 months?

[@christinejiangdata]

watch my roadmap video :)

[@payalsamanta4742]

can u share the project link? zoom subscription analysis??

[@bradleypost8971]

I’ve been at my pricing analyst job since January 2023, should I still do this or focus more on my work experience?

[@rumeeburu3648]

That google drive stuff was helpful

[@varlord1]

Informative 👍. Consider me your 500th subscriber

[@christinejiangdata]

whoo! thank you 500th sub

[@Hotdads1]

Great video! I’m curious, as a hiring manager, do you value experience accompanied by a good portfolio over a formal college degree?

[@christinejiangdata]

i wish i could give a super straightforward answer here, but it really depends on the overall package of the candidate - there's not one clear one over the other. i'll say a really impressive portfolio can overcome not having a formal college degree, while having a formal college degree in a technical field can overcome not having a portfolio IF you're someone who graduated in the last few years. hiring managers are ultimately trying to assess whether you can do the job, and will be looking for demonstrated proof of your overall experience - whether that comes through in portfolio work or school work there isn't a very clear line. all your experience should be expressed in 3D bullets (from my resume video)! hope that helps :)

[@Hotdads1]

@@christinejiangdata I appreciate the perspective and that definitely makes sense. I look forward to watching more content from you!

[@christinejiangdata]

@@Hotdads1 thank you!

[@fatihahasus1069]

It is applicable for both DA and DA right?

[@Abraham-qv6ux]

Thanks for helpful information, switching career from engineering to data analytics. Is google data analytics worth to get ?

[@christinejiangdata]

it's fine as an introduction to analytics, but it's far from teaching you what you need for the actual job and recruiters don't look for the certificate (i actually recommend not including this on your resume). applied experience and projects with real business insights are much more important.

[@yudhaprawira8890]

I only have 1 project in data analysis with various stakeholders. I dont have the file to show the dashboard because I'm no longer working in that company. Instead I only have such PDF of the result of the project. My I attach that pdf into my CV mam?

[@thuanpham5978]

Hi, can you give the link to your github project? I could not find it. Thank you!

[@jaxeetee3845]

Should I create a new github profile just for DS portfolio? I already have a github account but its mainly for Web Dev & Game dev stuff

[@christinejiangdata]

i'd recommend keeping it separate - you want to show a targeted intention and focus in moving into data

[@jaxeetee3845]

ohh okay gotcha! Thanks for your input!

[@siddheshdhargalkar8986]

Hello Can I get the same editable template please?

[@walkwithkyle4598]

Where is the GitHub link?