u/shoaib_X17

I want to hear from people who have already gone through this.

How did you get your first Data Scientist job?

Was it through referrals, internships, networking, projects, applying online, or something completely different?

I’m asking because I’ve been trying really hard to get my first opportunity, and honestly, it has been exhausting.

I’ve spent months learning Python, SQL, Machine Learning and Data Analytics, building projects, improving my resume, applying for jobs, messaging recruiters and hiring managers, and trying to connect with people in the industry.

One project I’m especially proud of is my Customer Retention Intelligence System. I built it around a real business problem like identifying customers who are likely to churn, understanding their value, estimating revenue at risk, and helping businesses decide which customers they should focus on retaining.

I’ve tried to make my projects practical rather than just building something for a portfolio.

But even after all this effort, getting that first interview has been really difficult. I’m not giving up, but I also don't want to keep repeating the same approach if it isn't working.

for those of you who got your first DS role. What actually helped you get through the door?

What would you do differently if you were starting again today?

And if you are a hiring manager or someone who hires entry-level candidates, what would make you take a chance on someone without professional experience?

I would genuinely appreciate any honest advice.

And if anyone knows of an entry-level DS/ DA / ML opportunity where my background could be a fit, I’d be grateful for a referral or even a direction.

I’m just looking for that first chance to prove myself.

Need honest review

I’ve been thinking about this question a lot while looking for my first opportunity in Data Science / Data Analytics.

Is the ideal candidate someone with a perfect degree?

Someone with 3+ years of experience?

Someone who knows every tool listed in a job description?

Or is it someone who can identify a real business problem, build a solution, and explain how that solution can create business value?

I’m genuinely curious to hear what recruiters and hiring managers think.

Because this is what I’ve been trying to do.

Instead of building another basic ML project, I built a Customer Retention Intelligence System focused on a real business problem: customer churn and lost revenue.

The system can:

• Predict customers who are at risk of churning

• Segment customers based on their risk/value

• Estimate potential revenue at risk

• Identify customers worth prioritizing

• Generate personalized retention strategies/offers

My goal wasn't simply to say:

I built a machine-learning model

I wanted to answer:

A customer is likely to leave. Now what should the business actually do about it?

That mindset has pushed me to work beyond just Python, SQL and machine learning — into business thinking, customer analytics, experimentation, visualization, and decision-making.

I’ve also been consistently practicing Python and SQL, learning how to communicate analytical insights, and building projects around problems that companies actually face.

But despite putting in this work, I’m still looking for my opportunity to prove myself professionally.

So I want to ask the recruiters, hiring managers, founders, and experienced professionals here:

What makes someone an ideal entry-level candidate in your company?

• Is it technical skills?

• Problem-solving ability?

• Business understanding?

• Communication?

• Projects?

•Curiosity and willingness to learn?

•Or something else?

And if you were evaluating my profile, what would you want me to improve or demonstrate before considering me for a Data Scientist / Data Analyst opportunity?

I’m not looking for sympathy.

I’m looking for honest feedback, opportunities, and a chance to prove what I can do.

If you’re a recruiter or hiring manager who works with Data Science / Data Analytics / ML roles, I’d genuinely appreciate your perspective.

And if my profile sounds relevant to something you're hiring for, I’d love to connect.

I’ve been thinking about this question a lot while looking for my first opportunity in Data Science / Data Analytics.

Is the ideal candidate someone with a perfect degree?

Someone with 3+ years of experience?

Someone who knows every tool listed in a job description?

Or is it someone who can identify a real business problem, build a solution, and explain how that solution can create business value?

I’m genuinely curious to hear what recruiters and hiring managers think.

Because this is what I’ve been trying to do.

Instead of building another basic ML project, I built a Customer Retention Intelligence System focused on a real business problem: customer churn and lost revenue.

The system can:

• Predict customers who are at risk of churning

• Segment customers based on their risk/value

• Estimate potential revenue at risk

• Identify customers worth prioritizing

• Generate personalized retention strategies/offers

My goal wasn't simply to say:

I built a machine-learning model

I wanted to answer:

A customer is likely to leave. Now what should the business actually do about it?

That mindset has pushed me to work beyond just Python, SQL and machine learning — into business thinking, customer analytics, experimentation, visualization, and decision-making.

I’ve also been consistently practicing Python and SQL, learning how to communicate analytical insights, and building projects around problems that companies actually face.

But despite putting in this work, I’m still looking for my opportunity to prove myself professionally.

So I want to ask the recruiters, hiring managers, founders, and experienced professionals here:

What makes someone an ideal entry-level candidate in your company?

• Is it technical skills?

• Problem-solving ability?

• Business understanding?

• Communication?

• Projects?

•Curiosity and willingness to learn?

•Or something else?

And if you were evaluating my profile, what would you want me to improve or demonstrate before considering me for a Data Scientist / Data Analyst opportunity?

I’m not looking for sympathy.

I’m looking for honest feedback, opportunities, and a chance to prove what I can do.

If you’re a recruiter or hiring manager who works with Data Science / Data Analytics / ML roles, I’d genuinely appreciate your perspective.

And if my profile sounds relevant to something you're hiring for, I’d love to connect.

I’ve been thinking about this question a lot while looking for my first opportunity in Data Science / Data Analytics.

Is the ideal candidate someone with a perfect degree?

Someone with 3+ years of experience?

Someone who knows every tool listed in a job description?

Or is it someone who can identify a real business problem, build a solution, and explain how that solution can create business value?

I’m genuinely curious to hear what recruiters and hiring managers think.

Because this is what I’ve been trying to do.

Instead of building another basic ML project, I built a Customer Retention Intelligence System focused on a real business problem: customer churn and lost revenue.

The system can:

• Predict customers who are at risk of churning

• Segment customers based on their risk/value

• Estimate potential revenue at risk

• Identify customers worth prioritizing

• Generate personalized retention strategies/offers

My goal wasn't simply to say:

I built a machine-learning model

I wanted to answer:

A customer is likely to leave. Now what should the business actually do about it?

That mindset has pushed me to work beyond just Python, SQL and machine learning — into business thinking, customer analytics, experimentation, visualization, and decision-making.

I’ve also been consistently practicing Python and SQL, learning how to communicate analytical insights, and building projects around problems that companies actually face.

But despite putting in this work, I’m still looking for my opportunity to prove myself professionally.

So I want to ask the recruiters, hiring managers, founders, and experienced professionals here:

What makes someone an ideal entry-level candidate in your company?

• Is it technical skills?

• Problem-solving ability?

• Business understanding?

• Communication?

• Projects?

•Curiosity and willingness to learn?

•Or something else?

And if you were evaluating my profile, what would you want me to improve or demonstrate before considering me for a Data Scientist / Data Analyst opportunity?

I’m not looking for sympathy.

I’m looking for honest feedback, opportunities, and a chance to prove what I can do.

If you’re a recruiter or hiring manager who works with Data Science / Data Analytics / ML roles, I’d genuinely appreciate your perspective.

And if my profile sounds relevant to something you're hiring for, I’d love to connect.

I built a real-world data science project. So why am I still not getting a job or an internship?

I honestly didn't expect my job search to be this difficult.

Over the past few months, I've been trying to break into data science / analytics. Instead of just building another Titanic prediction model or basic EDA project, I decided to build something that actually resembles a business problem.

I built a Customer Retention Intelligence System for online retailers.

The idea is simple:

- Identify customers who are likely to churn

- Understand why they are at risk

-Estimate the revenue that could be lost

- Prioritize customers based on their risk/value

-Generate personalized retention actions/offers

-Give the business a way to actually act on the predictions

I spent a lot of time researching the problem, engineering features, building the ML pipeline, and turning the predictions into something that could potentially be used by a business team.

I'm genuinely proud of the project.

But here's the frustrating part:

I'm still struggling to get interviews.

I've applied to entry-level Data Scientist, Data Analyst and related roles.

And sometimes I wonder:

- Is my project actually not good enough?

- Is my resume not communicating the value properly?

- Am I targeting the wrong roles?

- Do companies simply want prior professional experience?

- Am I focusing too much on projects and not enough on networking?

- Is there something obvious that recruiters see that I don't?

I'm not posting this to complain or ask for sympathy.

I'm posting because I'd genuinely like honest feedback from people who have hired data scientists, worked in the industry, or gone through this themselves.

If you were reviewing my profile for an entry-level data role, what would make you reject me despite seeing a project like this?

And what would you recommend I change to actually get that first opportunity?

I'm willing to hear the uncomfortable answer.

If you've been in a similar situation, what finally helped you get your first break?