๐๐ผ๐ ๐ฑ๐ผ ๐ ๐ฏ๐ฟ๐ฒ๐ฎ๐ธ ๐ถ๐ป๐๐ผ ๐ต๐ฒ๐ฎ๐น๐๐ต๐ฐ๐ฎ๐ฟ๐ฒ ๐ฑ๐ฎ๐๐ฎ ๐ฟ๐ผ๐น๐ฒ๐ ๐๐ถ๐๐ต ๐ฎ ๐ด๐ฒ๐ป๐ฒ๐ฟ๐ฎ๐น๐ถ๐๐ ๐ฏ๐ฎ๐ฐ๐ธ๐ด๐ฟ๐ผ๐๐ป๐ฑ? Iโve recently received this question from many soon-to-be graduates and early-career professionals. Some thoughts:
๐๐ฒ๐ฐ๐ถ๐ฑ๐ฒ ๐๐ต๐ฎ๐ ๐ฎ๐๐ฝ๐ฒ๐ฐ๐๐ ๐ผ๐ณ ๐ต๐ฒ๐ฎ๐น๐๐ต๐ฐ๐ฎ๐ฟ๐ฒ ๐๐ผ๐ ๐ฐ๐ฎ๐ฟ๐ฒ ๐ฎ๐ฏ๐ผ๐๐. If youโre drawn to the mission (say, helping patients find high-quality doctors) but donโt care to work hands-on with clinical data, there are analytics, product, and engineering roles that donโt require a healthcare or clinical background. Iโve seen people move into these roles at every level, including senior leadership, as long as they have strong technical and transferable skills.
๐๐ฒ๐ฟ๐๐ฎ๐ถ๐ป ๐ฟ๐ผ๐น๐ฒ๐ ๐ฟ๐ฒ๐พ๐๐ถ๐ฟ๐ฒ ๐๐ฝ๐ฒ๐ฐ๐ถ๐ฎ๐น๐ถ๐๐ฒ๐ฑ ๐ธ๐ป๐ผ๐๐น๐ฒ๐ฑ๐ด๐ฒ. Some data science, machine learning, and clinical research roles require a PhD or deep professional experience. If youโre unsure from job descriptions, you can reach out to employees in similar roles. If you have a career path in mind, find someone who started from where you are now and ask about their journey. A short email with 1โ3 clear, targeted questions will get a quicker reply than a vague request for a call.
It’s OK to Drop Low-Impact Research Projects
Itโs OK to cull seemingly good ideas with low impact. I’m not talking about politics, just research projects at work. I’m lucky to work somewhere that actively encourages this.
Yes, itโs disappointing to discover that an algorithm or product isnโt worth building. Iโve seen this especially demoralize early-career teammates who feel their career advancement depends on publishing or completing a discovery project that leads to a build.
But itโs a success to drop the doomed project early! You completed your goal (research) and reached a clear conclusion. You saved time, money, and effort. Your team is now free to focus on something that matters (or chase down the next shiny new thing!).
I’ve never seen this kind of “failed” discovery work celebrated or highlighted as a “win” on a resume.
Have you? If not, maybe itโs time to start.
Resume and Outreach Advice for Early-Career Data Roles at Startups
Iโm 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 โ whether itโs 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, Iโm 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. Thereโs 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, โIf someone read my resume for 10-20 seconds, would they see why Iโm a good fit for this role?โ
Only list relevant skills
Itโs tempting but unnecessary to include every tool you’ve touched. Tech stacks vary widely but youโll be able to onboard as long as youโre familiar with the core languages and best practices. If you know SQL, youโll adapt to the minor syntax differences between Snowflake and Postgres.
Building a Better Society through Writing and Community Management โ With Glen Weyl
When thinking about creating a new community, reflect on the unique intersection of existing communities you represent and who else might be in that same intersection.
– Glen Weyl
This post originally appeared on the Interintellect community blog.
Why do some communities and movements improve society in the long run while others flatline? What can a new, global, and multidisciplinary community like Interintellect learn from movements past and present as we work to improve the quality and impact of the worldโs conversations? As a โcommunity of individualists,โ we also recognize the importance of diverse, individual contributions and are especially interested in learning how to thrive and cooperate in the resulting world.
To explore these and related topics, we invited Glen Weyl, a name well-known to those working to rethink and rebuild social, political, and technological institutions. One of the worldโs leading economists and sociotechnologists, Weyl co-invented groundbreaking systems such as quadratic voting to improve collective decision-making and help societies solve inequality, stagnation, and political instability. Such concerns and possible solutions are explored in his book Radical Markets: Uprooting Capitalism and Democracy for a Just Society, published in 2018.
Continue reading “Building a Better Society through Writing and Community Management โ With Glen Weyl”