The Data Portfolio Guidebook

You’ve made the decision to pursue a career in data, learned the skills needed for the job and began applying, but you’re still not
getting a job. Maybe you’re not even getting an interview! You’ve
spent hours learning Excel, BI tools, SQL, maybe even Python and
you know you’re qualified. If only you could show them how skilled
you are, you know they would hire you!

But there’s one thing you’re missing, a PORTFOLIO.
A portfolio is essential to landing a career in data, especially if
you’re brand new to the field. The majority of aspiring analysts are
applying to jobs without a way to showcase their ability to a
potential employer. I know, because that was me for a while too.
I thought that having a few certificates was enough to prove to a
recruiter that I knew what I was doing. Well, here’s news for you: the recruiter doesn’t care how many certifications you have!
Certifications are great and are likewise incredibly useful for
entering into the data job field, but without projects to demonstrate
ability, they’re close to meaningless.

If you had to choose whether to have only certifications or only
projects to show to a recruiter and employer, projects would be the
one to keep. You should have both, but do you understand my
point? The reason for a portfolio is to prove the skills you say you
have.