I’m excited to see so much interest in the Garner Health data science roles I recently shared on LinkedIn, especially from early-career professionals. Many of you have asked about how to stand out when applying to startups – whether it’s your first job, you’re moving from a large company, or you’re switching industries.
I wish I had time to respond to every message. Instead, I’m sharing resume and outreach advice for early-career data roles, drawing on 7+ years of experience as a hiring manager and interviewer. These views are my own and don’t represent those of past or present employers.
Real humans are reading your resume
At startups, someone on the hiring team will actually read your resume. There’s no need to cram it with keywords intended to bypass automated filters, which are more common at larger companies. Instead, ask yourself or a trusted friend, “If someone read my resume for 10-20 seconds, would they see why I’m a good fit for this role?”
Only list relevant skills
It’s tempting but unnecessary to include every tool you’ve touched. Tech stacks vary widely but you’ll be able to onboard as long as you’re familiar with the core languages and best practices. If you know SQL, you’ll adapt to the minor syntax differences between Snowflake and Postgres.
When you list a skill, show how you’ve applied it in internships, school projects, or at work. This helps hiring teams gauge your proficiency. If you’re exploring multiple career paths like data engineering and data science, create a separate resume for each track to highlight the most relevant skills and experience.
Clearly explain your personal impact (with context!)
Make your contributions clear and avoid relying on jargon or obscure metrics. This is especially important if you’re applying to multiple industries. Hiring teams might be unfamiliar with the specifics of your current field, even if your skills transfer well.
Metrics are useful to the extent that they clarify your impact. If you built a machine learning model with 90% precision, show your role in the design and implementation. Clarify if 90% was good enough for the problem at hand or if the remaining 10% posed serious consequences. Did your work increase revenue or retain a key client?
Remember that a model might perform well in training but deliver limited value to the business. Startups want people who can quickly solve real problems, not just build impressive technical solutions with no impact.
Highlight interesting side projects
Side projects or publications can help you stand out, especially if you’ve received awards, press coverage, or community recognition.
Hiring teams will typically ignore generic bootcamp or school projects (e.g. basic chatbots or historical weather analyses) unless you show what’s new or challenging about your work. Still, these projects are useful for building technical skills and preparing for interviews.
Thoughtful outreach makes a difference
Startup job descriptions can be intentionally vague. Multiple teams might be hiring for similar roles. Business needs, and hence job responsibilities, evolve quickly. Reaching out to employees is a good way to learn about the culture, projects, and broader company plans. It might also lead to a referral.
People generally want to help! They want great new colleagues. When reaching out, avoid questions you can answer by reading the job description (e.g. remote work policy or visa sponsorship). Instead, mention why you’re interested, what you’re looking for in your next role, and 1-2 specific questions that might affect whether you apply (e.g. opportunities to publish research).
It’s best not to ask for a referral right away. First, see if the other person believes you’d be a good fit. If you don’t hear back, a polite follow-up is fine.
LinkedIn often beats cold emails
This may be controversial, but cold emails often end up in spam. With so many bots out there, I’m hesitant to open messages from people I don’t know. If you reach out via LinkedIn, it’s easier for me to see if you’re a real person, and I’ll be more likely to reply.
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Job searching can be confusing and challenging, so I hope these suggestions make your journey a bit easier. If you have questions, suggestions, or even disagreements, I’d love to hear from you in the comments. Good luck!