Here's What I Learned After Interviewing 100 Data Scientists…

If you prefer watching instead of reading, feel free to check out my video on this topic here: https://youtu.be/VHZ7bgZE5hI

I'm thrilled to share my findings from working with over a hundred data scientists. Over the course of offering my free consultations, mock interview sessions, professional coaching program, and data science courses, I've had the privilege of learning a lot about the job search process. Now, I want to share the key difference I’ve noticed between those who landed their dream jobs, and those who settled for less.

Lack of Confidence

I've discovered that the main obstacle for many of my students and clients is not a lack of experience or technical knowledge, but rather a lack of confidence. This lack of confidence ultimately causes them to give up, and settle for less than they deserve. Alternatively, those who take the time to gain confidence build up the energy, stamina, and mindset to move forward and see results within a few months.

The Root Cause

I've observed several reasons why people tend to lack confidence throughout their job search. They may have experienced a layoff, like I did a few years ago, and experienced their self-esteem take a hit in the process. Or, they may have been searching for opportunities for several months without any results, failing multiple interviews, and feeling like they've put in a ton of time and effort with no return.

These reasons are tied to one common misconception about the job search process, which is that “interviews are a numbers game.” Taking on this belief that interviews are a numbers game directly impacts your confidence if you're struggling to get interviews. If you believe that you'll only land a job after going through an arbitrary number of interviews, you're bound to worry and lose confidence if you're hitting that number. If you're overly focused on the number of interviews you're getting instead of preparing to ace each interview, you're setting yourself up for a frustrating ride.

I learned this the hard way during my own job search. I was focused more on securing interviews instead of on acing each interview I got. Once I shifted my goal and focused on doing well in each interview, I started seeing results. I hope that this perspective shift will help you lean into your confidence, and land your dream job too!

The Solution

If you feel you might be stuck in the “interviews are a numbers game” mindset, I encourage you to begin by postponing any interviews you aren’t yet ready for, focusing on improving your skills, and becoming fully prepared to tackle each of them.

Of course, that’s easier said than done. During your job search, you will still face some setbacks and failures. Your confidence is likely going to take a hit even if you know that interviews are not a numbers game. This brings us to our second question: how does one build confidence?

How to Build Confidence

The key is to put less emphasis on the outcome and continue trying despite feeling unconfident.

It might seem counterintuitive, as many people believe confidence stems from good outcomes. But think about it. If this was the case, then you would never be confident during your job search until you landed an offer! And we know it’s important to come across as confident and capable in interviews.

Instead of focusing on outcomes for building confidence, it’s important to realize that confidence is built over time by doing the work consistently. This means that you focus on the work you are doing, rather than what’s not currently working for you. Confidence is built over time by proving to yourself that you have put in the work repeatedly, and consistently. Confidence is a step-by-step process.

A Personal Example

When I started my YouTube channel, I had absolutely zero confidence. I had never created videos before. I wasn’t a great communicator, and I certainly wasn’t confident in front of the camera. In fact, to this day, I’m embarrassed to look back at some of my first videos!

However, what I learned by starting this channel, and making those early videos, is that confidence requires a process. At this point, I’ve made over a hundred videos for this channel and my courses, and I’m so much more confident now. Don’t get me wrong, I know there is still plenty of room for improvement, but I’m much more confident in my abilities now, and I’ve even had the chance to witness how my videos have been impactful for so many of you. If I had waited until I was super confident to give myself permission to begin making videos, I never would have started this channel in the first place.

There wasn’t one single action I took that gave me confidence; my confidence grew from seeing the progress I had made and reflecting upon the work I put in. The job search is the same. Focus on the work you are putting in instead of the outcomes. Even though there will certainly be aspects of your learning or interviews that you feel are not perfect, it’s important to start anyway, and lean into your opportunities to practice.

Mock interviews, or even recording yourself answering questions, can help you analyze your performance before your real interviews. Over time, you’ll build the confidence you need to express yourself eloquently. There’s no shortcut; only steps to take.

Summary

The main takeaway I want to share with you is that interviews are not “a numbers game.” Don’t worry about the number of interviews you are getting. Instead, focus on doing your best in each interview. Treat each one with care, and take your preparation seriously.

Confidence is something that almost everyone struggles with in their job search, at one time or another. Remember that you are not alone in this! Like I said at the beginning of this blog, lack of confidence is the number one obstacle I see in people.

Lasting confidence isn’t built in a day, but if you can build your confidence piece by piece, by putting in the effort despite feeling unconfident, then you are making progress. Practice makes perfect, and practice also makes confidence.