How to Get an Entry-Level Job in Data Analytics? (with Resources)

After eight months of learning and preparing for job interviews, I was able to make a career transition to data analytics! In this post, I will line out some of the steps I took as well as resources for you.

1. Ask the Question: "Why Data Analytics?"

I know from the beginning that I would enjoy doing data analytics. When I did my bachelor's degree in psychology and my master's degree in information studies, I conducted many statistical tests for lab experiments and surveys. At that time, I analyzed small sets of data (N=2000) and used a user-friendly software called SPSS to run statistical tests. 

The field "data analytics" builds upon my education. Instead of small sets of data, I now have to deal with a million records. However, the mindset and approach would be the same.

Ask yourself the question: "Why Data Analytics?" Do you enjoy working with numbers? Do you enjoy finding insights? If your only reason is "because it's a hot field," then I'd recommend you find another intrinsic motivation. If you don't enjoy the industry's nature, you will not last for a long time.

2. Test the water

Thanks to the Internet, you could try dipping your toes into the water to see if you like the field (or if you are good at it). I recommend the following two resources: 

• Dataquest, an online learning platform for data science: You would read the instruction and then code along the direction in real-time. The website designs their learning materials based on real datasets and possible work scenarios, so you will pick up coding skills and understand what the job would entail. Dataquest allows you to take their first foundation course for free, so you would immediately understand whether or not data analytics would be a career calling.
• Mastering Data Analysis in Excel (Coursera): This course focuses on Excel, which is still widely used in enterprises. The videos are informative and engaging, offering details on many business use cases. If you are not comfortable with coding, I'd recommend getting familiar with data analysis and sharpening your Excel skills with this course.

As Dataquest requires mental work, whereas the Coursera videos would not need that focus, I spent my morning and weekend with Dataquest when my mind is clear, and I watched Coursera during my commute or after I returned home from work.

3. Build a portfolio (with friends)

Learning is an essential step but learning alone is not enough. You need to translate what you know into a project and showcase it to your potential employers. Think of an interesting dataset, and analyze it! Put your project on a public site (like Github or Azure Notebook). Do a simple slide to explain your project, print it out, and bring it to the interview.

While learning in Dataquest, I looked for data analytics events and discovered `WiDS Tokyo` (Women in Data Science). The event also hosted a data idea competition, so I entered with two friends and won the second-prize. I did not have direct experience working with data for my day job (I was in sales), so this project helped demonstrate that I could learn and implement new materials.

When I prepared for the competition, I focused on building an impressive desk to tell my stories with data (rather than building a complicated model)

• Proposal: Consulting firms such as McKinsey and BCG are known for the slides, so I read their slides and mimic their styles. I enrolled in "Present Like a Management Consulting" to learn how to build presentation slides.
• Data Visualization: Being to tell a good story with numbers is a crucial skill. This book layouts instructions on storytelling with Excel charts: Storytelling With Data: A Data Visualization Guide for Business Professionals

4. Applying

Apply to all opportunities. Put yourself in the market, and don't limit yourself.

In my perception, foreign companies usually require "experience," whereas Japanese companies require "characters". Judging that I lacked the experience, I only applied to Japanese companies and ended up being rejected by all of them. Later, I sent my resumes to foreign companies (because I was already used to rejection, huh, what's the harm of just another rejection). To my surprise, they all invited me in for interviews. Huh?

I advanced to the final rounds of three foreign companies, which are well known in their respective fields worldwide. I accepted the offer from my current company, and here I am, working happily in my new position as a support data analyst.

Resources I used for interviews:

• What color is your parachute? An incredible book that helped you navigate your career aspiration and recognize your strengths and weaknesses.
• Interview preparation: Big Interview Youtube channel: All job interviews follow the same formula, so try to prepare for all possible scenarios. This channel breaks down the anatomy of typical questions, which is highly helpful in preparing for interviews.
• Coding test: All companies required me to learn their software, so don't neglect their requirements. For general coding test, use Hacker rank to practice

Transforming your career is a long and exhausting process. Remember that the more difficult a journey is, the more rewards you will get at the end. Just take one step at a time and never give up!

Image by William Iven

Event: Inside Sales Conference 未来のセールスのかたち“インサイドセールス Japan 2018

What is "inside sale" and how it has been adopted in Japan? Check out the latest stage of inside sales in Japan as leading companies shared their tips and practices at the "Inside Sales Conference | The Future of Inside Sales" at Toranomon Hills, Tokyo on December 5, 2018 below.

Inside Sale vs. Field Sale

"Inside Sales" refers to the process of "selling" while being "inside" a company. Traditionally, sales people have to travel to meet customers (coined as "field sales"). Yet with the increasing adoption of technology such as web marketing, online conference, it is possible to conduct a complete sale process without going anywhere.

Inside sale is much cheaper than field sales (i.e.: no fee for travel expenses) and more convenient to manage (i.e.: easier to manage workers when they stay inside a company). Yet, as humans tend to make decisions on emotions more than logic, field sales are still necessary as they are able to establish trust, rapport, and customer-facing support.

An ideal sale cycle would look like this:

1. Marketing: Identify important clients through different channels (web marketing, events, etc.) and pass information to inside sales
2. Inside Sale: Conduct the first conversation through phone or email, and hear information such as prospects' problems, challenges, etc. If a prospect wouldn't need a customized solution then inside sale could close a deal immediately, or else pass to field sales
3. Field Sale: Meet up with customers and engage in more detailed conversations, follow up with proposals, etc. 

Essentially, inside sale and field sale are the two processes that must come hand-in-hand.

Now let's dig in the latest trends in inside sales in Japan. Here are the notes that I took from the Inside Sales Conference. For details on each session and its panelists, please click on the Japanese title. (All sessions were conducted in Japanese)

Job Hunting in Japan (1): Using recruitment agencies and job portals

In this series, I will share my job-hunting experience in Japan, focusing on fresh-graduate hiring 新卒採用. Your comments and questions are welcome ;) 

Part 1: Sign Up with Recruitment Agencies 

To put it simply, when companies do not have enough resources to find suitable candidates (not enough HR staffs, no network to databases of foreign candidates, etc.), they will pay someone to take care of the process, and that "someone" is a recruitment agency. These agencies take commission directly from hiring companies, so remember that you do not have to pay a dime to use these services. 

Apply for a China tourist visa in Tokyo

As of October 2016, the Chinese embassy in Tokyo does not longer take direct applications. Instead, the whole process is commissioned to the China Visa Center located in Kamiyacho station on the Hibiya line (direction below). 

Required Documents    

• An application form download link
• Return flight tickets with your name on it 
• Hotel reservation with your name on it (hostels and dormitory-styled accommodation are also acceptable) 
• A passport-sized color picture: 3.5x 4 (background must be gray; other colors such as blue won't be accepted)
• Passport and a printed copy (the copy must include the page of your personal information and the following page)
• Resident Card and one printed copy (two sides of your card)

There are one photocopy machine and one photo booth inside the visa center but it takes time, so I advise that you prepare all documents above beforehand. 

China Visa Center 

• Application time: 9 AM to 3 PM; Pick up time: 9 AM to 4 PM
• Address: 8F, Kamiyacho Prime Place, 4-1-17 Toranomon, Minato-ku 
• Direction: Kamiyacho Station (Nearest exit: 4B)

Procedure

Go to the Visa Center, and line up in front of the reception table. A staff at the reception table will check your documents and inform if you miss anything. If you have enough documents, you will be given a waiting-number. Take a seat and wait till your turn.

When a staff calls your number, submit your documents. If everything goes smoothly, you will be given a confirmation number for pick-up date. A regular process takes 3 business days and costs 9400yen (U.S. citizens pay a higher fee). If you urgently need your visa, expect to pay 20,000 yen. On pick-up date, bring a confirmation ticket and your residence card to pick up the visa. 

I am not sure if the center has English-speaking staffs but the whole process is straightforward, so I hope that you will get your visa on time. 

Hitchhiking in Japan: A quest for self-discovery

Wanting to see the ‘real’ Japan after spending years learning about foreign cultures, a poor college student in Kyoto found a cheap way to talk to local people all over Japan. He did hitch-hiking, a mean to travel by asking for a ride from strangers on the road. Within October to December, he went from Hokkaido to Kyushu, not only learning to open his mind but also unveiling the diversity within Japan.

Why did you decide to hitchhike?

I was taking a gap year in college. I went to Singapore, and then Shanghai. When I came back to Japan, I realized that I knew nothing about Japan. I learned about other countries, like Singapore, China, and New Zealand, where I stayed for an exchange year, yet I knew nothing about my homeland. So I decided that the best way to learn about Japan is not to visit sightseeing places like an ordinary tourist, but to be able to hold a conversation with local people. At that time, I did not have much money, so the best way is to do hitch hiking. From October to December 2013, I traveled from Hokkaido to Kyushu just by asking for a ride from strangers.

I don't add my mentor in facebook, and this is why

I just had a two-hour restless coffee chat with one of my former supervisors. Even though we have always considered each other as friends, I haven't, up to this point, added her Facebook, and I am glad I haven't done so. We keep in touch through short emails, and so to make up for the whole year apart, we get to talking, sharing, and re-connecting our life stories this afternoon.

The rise of social networks seems to facilitate human connection. By just scrolling the screen, we could easily see what happens in a person's life without even bother asking. We, however, most of the time, forget the fact that Facebook is just a mean of public broadcasting, and what goes here doesn't necessarily reflect the whole story. You see people smiling in pictures. What you don't see in the pain they go through. You hear people announcing their great news. What you don't know is the price they have to pay. "Likes" and "comments" are considered indicators of sympathy, but that sympathy only stays in its narrowest surface.

[Research Career] Interview tips for a research position

People take great surprise when I say my first professional job is a research assistant position for a project on solar energy. 'What does a degree in psychology have to do with solar energy?' seems to be a puzzle. It was indeed a nerve-breaking puzzle, but I managed through it, so here are are some tips for people who may be interested in pursuing the same path.

See my post in facebook for more information provided in the comment section

INTERVIEW TIPS FOR AN ACADEMIC POSITION People take great surprise when I say my first professional job is a research...
Posted by Lan Tran on Saturday, October 24, 2015

The survival guide for the returnee: How to find a job

You returned to Vietnam, so what now? I returned to Vietnam on January 2015 after finishing a bachelor degree in psychology from Green Mountain College, a liberal arts college in Vermont, USA. A job offer, however, was not a part of my luggage. I came home empty-handed. This is a story of how I juggled through my nine months at home.

THE SURVIVAL GUIDE FOR RETURNEEPART 2: HOW TO FIND A JOB You returned to Vietnam, so what now?I returned to Vietnam...
Posted by Lan Tran on Wednesday, September 2, 2015

Why I didn't try to stay in the U.S. after college graduation

When I started looking for research internships in the U.S., I was discouraged to figure out that 99% of research programs require an applicant to be a citizen or a permanent resident. I was not in a field that attracts funding, so working under OPT/CPT and getting separate allowance from the lab wasn't an option either. There might be an option for me: marriage, but I was too scared to pursue this path. Eventually I was accepted to a research program at New York University. Here is the twist: I didn't get paid. The program was great and it opened many doors in my research career later on, but none of this could ever happen had it not been for the financial support from my family.''

(See my post in facebook for discussion)

THE DECISION TO LEAVE Many people ask why I didn't try to stay in the U.S. after college graduation. When I started...
Posted by Lan Tran on Monday, April 20, 2015

The conversations I had, the words I heard

(Hình lấy trên net) 

All with my colleagues, summer 2014

“Điều duy nhất khiến tôi có thể đi tiếp là niềm đam mê dành cho khoa học. Trong khi tất cả bạn bè đều có việc làm ổn định, tài chính vững vàng, dần dần vươn đến thế giới của quyền lực và danh vọng, tôi phải đối mặt với những gì? Hợp đồng ngắn hạn từng năm, cuộc sống chắp vá tạm bợ ở nhiều nơi, còn gia đình và con nhỏ phụ thuộc vào bản thân. Nhưng tôi chấp nhận, vì đó là cái giá phải trả khi một người quyết định đi theo con đường riêng, được làm những gì mình đam mê, được khám phá ngưỡng cửa giới hạn trong sự hiểu biết của con người. Nhưng sự ra đi của Sasai-san làm tôi nhận ra ngay cả niềm tin, ngay cả đam mê, cũng không thể cứu vãn mọi thứ. Hoang mang và nghi ngờ bắt đầu bao trùm tâm trý tôi. Đó là cảm giác tuyệt vọng khi bất chợt nhận ra có thể mình cũng tiến quá gần đến giới hạn của bản thân.”

BBC Documentary: Sex in Japan (transcript)

WARNING: The content that you are about to view may contain material only suitable for adults. Please consider carefully before continuing reading.

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To the Western world, Japanese people are perceived to be shy, and conservative. However, as we know Japan is a place of extreme contractions, the truth lurking behind such narrow surface deserves rigorous scrutiny. This article firstly explains the Japanese traditional view of sexuality, then goes onto stating trend of high school girl's compensated dating and its extension to other classes in the society, and finally ends by introducing a Japanese natural sexual fetish. All told, this essay demonstrates the fascinating notion of sex in Japan.

Encountering Deaths

I encountered with the fear of death at the age of seven.

My mother is the most successful woman in her family. From a poor farming family, she managed to finish high school, get a job at Saigon, then get sent abroad in a nursery training program. Eight years later, she came back to Vietnam and got a bright career in a famous hospital. My relatives often asked for her help with medical treatment.

When I was probably seven, there were a boy and his father staying at my house in several days. My mother told me they came from my hometown and they were waiting for their turn of medical checking in her hospital.

At that time, a portable game player was popular around - it seemed that most of my friends had at least one device. I asked my mom for one and she agreed quickly. She took me and the boy to a nearby market then she bought an average model for me and a more premium one for the boy. I became quickly jealous. I was her child while he was just any random relative, whom I had never met in my life. How could she pick a trendy player for him and a cheap one for me? I stared at him - yet said nothing.

Mom simply said: "He's sick, you should give him a nicer thing".

The envy quickly vanished, leaving sympathy grown strongly within me. Suddenly, I decided that the boy deserved what he got because he was sick.

Several days later, he and his father came back to hometown.

I visited my hometown next summer. My mother took me to visit several relatives - one of whom was the sick boy's. It had not for the player left in the table in the kitchen, I would have realized I was visiting his house.

"Where is him?" - I asked.

Immediately, silence covered around the house.

"He passed away several months ago" - sadly replied his father.

I was utterly shocked. The pocket game player still placed in the table, but he was not there anymore. He left, then who would be the one using it now?

It was probably one of the saddest stories in my childhood.