There are more than 400,000 open positions in cybersecurity right now, according to Cyberseek. Even though employers are actively seeking people with cybersecurity skills, you’ll still need a resume that stands out to land a job — and we’ll show you how to create one.

Types of resumes

Most resumes are chronological, meaning you’d list your work history in reverse chronological order, starting with your most recent position and working your way backward. It’s a good option if you have a strong work history that relates to the cybersecurity position you’re applying for.

But what if you’re new to the field or a career changer? You could try a functional resume, which highlights your skills rather than your work history. In a functional resume, you’d list your skills and abilities, followed by specific examples.

For example, you might have the heading of “Leadership,” and then follow it with examples of how you’ve shown leadership in your academic and work history, even if it’s not directly related to cybersecurity. Here’s an example:

Leadership

Led the team at XYZ retail to the highest sales in the district for three consecutive quarters

Increased donations by 11% while serving on the board of directors for the ABC organization

Founded an organization to serve the homeless in Los Angeles

Another option is a combination resume. With this option, you’d include a section highlighting your skills, followed by a condensed version of your work history. Many recruiters prefer to see your work history, so a combination resume might be the best option for career changers and those new to cybersecurity.

What to include on your resume

All resume types start with your contact information, including your name, address, phone number, and email address. Here’s what you’ll include on the rest of your resume.

Summary or objective

This is a short statement that sums up who you are and what you’re looking for. You’ll want to tailor your summary statement (and the rest of your resume) to target the specific position you’re applying for. For example:

Motivated Cybersecurity Analyst with a track record of leadership seeks to improve the security stance of Acme Systems.

If you have experience in the field, note that in your summary.

Education and certifications

Include your education, including courses you’ve taken independently (like ours). Include any formal education you have beyond high school. If you have cybersecurity certifications, be sure to include those as well.

Experience and skills section

With all types of resumes, you should include a section that highlights your technical skills. If you’re using a chronological resume, you can just list them. With a functional or combination resume, you’ll want to include examples of what you accomplished with those skills.

Technical skills

Also known as hard skills, technical skills are quantifiable, specific, and teachable. Technical skills to include on a cybersecurity resume vary depending on your specific skill set and the position you’re applying for but generally include:

• Endpoint security
• Data security
• Network security
• Identity management
• Application security
• Cloud security
• Penetration testing
• Data analysis
• Threat knowledge
• Incident handling and response
• Compliance and auditing
• Cryptography
• Automation

You should also include the programming languages you know, such as:

These are also skills to consider learning or brushing up on if you don’t already have a background in them.

Soft skills

Soft skills are harder to teach, but they’re just as important as technical skills. They’re harder to quantify, and if you’re new to cybersecurity, they’re skills you want to emphasize because they’re transferable.

Consider including skills like:

• Problem-solving
• Persistence
• Attention to detail
• Adaptability
• Desire to learn
• Agility
• Written communication skills
• Collaboration
• Determination

If you’re using a chronological resume, you’ll want to emphasize these skills when you explain your work experience. For example, if you worked in retail management, you could discuss a problem that you solved and how you used attention to detail to solve it.

If you’re using a functional or combination resume, you’ll want to provide examples of how you used these skills in your “Skills” section.

Keywords

It’s essential to match your technical and soft skills to those listed in the job posting. In most cases, resumes are screened by automated systems before they reach hiring managers. These programs are looking for specific keywords. You’ll need to update and adjust your resume for each position, so it includes them.

Projects and awards

In the last section, discuss any relevant projects you’ve completed or awards you’ve won. This will help illustrate both your proficiency with your skills and knowledge of the field.

Getting your cybersecurity resume ready

Cybersecurity is a complex industry with many career paths you can take. We can help you start on the path, learn or brush up on specific skills, and prepare you to succeed in your interviews.

If you’re just starting out, consider our beginner-friendly Introduction to Cybersecurity course. It covers:

• The history of cybersecurity
• Cyberthreats
• Cryptography, authentication, and authorization
• Network security
• Device security

If you’re looking for something more advanced, consider intermediate courses like User Authentication & Authorization in Express. In this course, you’ll learn the differences between authentication, authorization, and encryption and when to use each option. You’ll also have the chance to complete a password authentication project (which you can include on your resume). The prerequisites for this course are Learn Node.js and Learn Express.

One of the more daunting aspects of finding a cybersecurity position is the technical interview. We can help you get ready with Skill Paths like Pass the Technical Interview with Python and Data Analyst Interview Preparation.

Cybersecurity is a rewarding career that’s constantly evolving, and we’re ready to help you find the perfect job.

Software development jobs are some of the most in-demand jobs in any industry. Companies need developers, but that doesn’t mean they won’t set the bar high in the interviewing process. A Software Developer interview can be tough and one of the most high-pressure situations of your career, but it doesn’t have to be that way.

Preparing ahead of time by reviewing the type of questions an interviewer is likely to ask can put your mind at ease and help you answer the questions with confidence. In this article, we’ll look at some common Software Developer interview questions and their answers.

Entry-level Software Developer behavioral questions

As an entry-level Software Developer, you can expect some behavioral questions that will help the interviewer understand who you are as a person.

What projects are you currently working on?

Since you’re applying for an entry-level job, the projects you list can be side projects. The interviewer wants to know that you’re actively coding, along with what type of technologies you use, and if you’re passionate about the work.

Why should we hire you for this position?

To answer this question, you’ll want to know about the company you’re applying to. You don’t want to be overconfident and respond with a generic answer like, “Because I’m smart, motivated, and want this job.” Instead, use your knowledge of the company to highlight how you can contribute to their goals.

Where do you see yourself in five years?

This question helps the interviewer determine if you’ll stick around for a while and if your goals match what the company can provide. Answer this question as honestly as possible.

First, you need to know what your long-term goals are. Then, find a connection between those goals and the job description. If the company has different levels of Software Developers, you might say that you want to work toward a mid or senior-level position.

Entry-level Software Developer technical questions

These types of questions will test your understanding of basic software development principles.

What is an abstract class, and why would you use it?

An abstract class is a class that contains abstract methods. These methods have declarations but no implementations. Instead, they’re implemented by sub-classes of the abstract class, which makes them more flexible and easier to customize.

Explain inheritance

Inheritance is when an object or class is based on another object or class and uses the same implementation. For example, you could have both a Car and a Motorcycle class that inherits from a Vehicle class.

What’s the difference between method overriding vs. overloading?

These are both examples of polymorphism. Method overloading is when you have the same method but change its signature, parameters, or return type. Method overriding is when you have a method that belongs to an extended class, and you change its behavior.

Senior-level Software Developer behavioral questions

Senior Software Developer candidates will likely face more complex questions during their interviews. These questions help the interviewer see if you’ve learned from your experiences and added value to companies you’ve worked for in the past.

What’s your biggest professional success so far?

Listing your professional accomplishments before your interview will help you prepare for this question. It helps if you choose those that involved working with a team or adding value to an enterprise.

Tell me about a time in your professional career that you failed

This question can be hard to answer if you aren’t prepared for it, so make a list of your failures before the interview and go through them. The interviewer wants to know that you can acknowledge your weaknesses and take responsibility for your failures.

Still, this question also gives you the chance to show that you know how to make the most of a bad situation. After explaining the problem, follow up with a description of how you resolved it to illustrate your problem-solving ability.

Have you ever identified a potential business problem and proactively implemented a solution?

This question is a test of your ability to handle and resolve unexpected work situations. Companies want a Senior Software Developer who can develop solutions without always relying on guidance.

Senior-level Software Developer technical questions

Senior Software Developer technical questions are usually more in-depth than those asked of junior developers and may include more algorithm and systems questions.

What are the differences between functional and object-oriented programming?

Your answer to this question shows your knowledge of the two main software development paradigms. Here are the differences between the two:

• Functional programming relies on immutable objects and avoids mutating states. Object-oriented programming depends on state mutation and the in-place modification of objects.
• The main concept in functional programming is the function. In object-oriented programming, it’s the class.

What sort would you use if you required tight max time bounds and wanted highly regular performance?

I would use a Balanced Tree Sort because it’s guaranteed to have an O(n log n) runtime.

How would you scale access to a system like Twitter?

There’s no exact answer to a question like this. The interviewer just wants to determine if you have systems design knowledge. Most of the time, questions like this are vague, and the interviewer expects you to ask for requirements to narrow down your answer.

Depending on those requirements, your answer could be something like this:

“I would maintain a cache for each users’ feed. Then use an asynchronous queue service to handle message consumption to update the feed cache and call push services. Because each push job is stateless, it’s linearly scalable by adding more workers to consume the queue.”

Questions to ask during a Software Developer interview

You should also ask your own questions during the interview to show the interviewer that you’re truly interested in the company. Here are some questions to consider asking during your Software Developer interview:

Why do you enjoy working here?

This question helps you determine if you’ll be a good fit for the company. It’ll also give you a sense of the organization’s structure and the personality of your future manager. If their answer doesn’t align with the type of work you enjoy, then maybe the job isn’t right for you.

What are the biggest challenges facing the team right now?

Asking this question demonstrates that you care about the direction the company is taking and your motivation to contribute to organizational goals.

Is there room for growth?

If you ask this question, it shows the interviewer that you’ll be a motivated employee who wants to move up the ladder and develop new skills. It also shows you plan to stay with the company long-term.

Preparing for a Software Developer interview

By reviewing Software Developer interview questions, you’ll be more relaxed in your next interview and confident that you can answer any questions that come up with ease. Using the questions above is a good way to get started.

For technical Software Developer interviews based on a specific programming language, you may want to check out the following courses:

To learn more about the interview process itself, check out our article on the differences between behavioral and technical interviews, as well as our complete guide on how to ace a technical interview. And for the ultimate interview prep, you can take a course from the interview prep section of our course catalog.

In today’s business environment, coding makes the world go round. Anytime a business needs to use software or databases to address a challenge, they depend on the work of programmers.

The range of jobs you can get with coding skills is vast. A trained programmer often has their pick of companies, industries, and areas of the world to choose from. Below, we’ll explore some of the most popular types of jobs you can get with coding skills, what each one entails, and what you’ll need to know to get started.

Software Application Developer

A Software Application Developer builds solutions that allow businesses to computerize, automate, and improve their processes. Software Developers may work alone or with a team to build, test, and maintain applications.

It’s also common for a Software App Developer to work with upper management to ensure the solutions they create align with high-level objectives. This requires not just coding but also presentation and communication skills as well.

If you’re interested in pursuing a career as a Software Developer, you can use our courses to gain a basic or in-depth knowledge of coding languages. These include:

Web Developer

A Web Developer designs effective, helpful, and revenue-generating websites for organizations. With web development coding skills, you can work for virtually any company in the world, as many different kinds of organizations need websites.

As a Web Developer, you can expect to work with coding languages like JavaScript, Python, HTML, and CSS, among others. You’ll use these languages to build new web applications, improve existing websites, or add features to them to help the business earn more or improve its processes.

Database Administrator

A Database Admin finds ways of storing, organizing, and securing data so companies can use it to guide their progress. This requires basic knowledge of database languages and those used to build apps databases interface with, such as Java, Python, and SQL.

The security aspect of a Database Administrator’s job may require you to have a working knowledge of security protocols and tools, including:

• Firewalls
• Web application firewalls
• Antimalware

Aspiring Database Administrators can benefit from our Learn SQL course and Analyze Data with SQL and Analyze Business Data with SQL Skill Paths.

Software Quality Assurance Engineer

While software is being developed, and after it has been released, a Quality Assurance (QA) Engineer has to make sure it meets the organization’s standards, achieves key objectives, and satisfies its users.

To do this, a QA Engineer will document issues the software has, test how well it works, and develop manuals to help make it more user-friendly.

A QA Engineer may also test a software’s design, looking for issues with functionality or usability, along with factors like:

• How well the software addresses the primary challenge it was designed for
• Bugs that may inhibit its performance
• Vulnerabilities that may open the way for hackers or malware

Network Administrator

A Network Administrator develops and maintains the networks that support an organization’s communication, collaboration, and core business functions. This involves designing networks from scratch, adding components to improve network performance, adjusting the settings of existing components, and more.

A Network Administrator may also work with technologies and environments such as:

• Local area networks (LANs)
• Wide area networks (WANs)
• Software-defined networks (SD-WAN)
• Routers
• Servers
• Switches
• Network defense tools such as firewalls and antivirus and anti malware software
• Cloud networks
• Container-based development ecosystems

To learn the skills you’ll need as a Network Admin, consider taking courses like:

Computer Systems Engineer

A Computer Systems Engineer is called on to create and adjust computer systems to meet the needs of an organization. This involves choosing the right operating systems, servers, workstations, and more.

A Computer Systems Engineer also identifies and addresses issues impacting the daily use of software and hardware-based systems as they arise. Also, if a system needs to be updated — either with software or hardware — it’s the Systems Engineer that would coordinate any necessary rollouts and installations.

Computer Systems Analyst

A Computer Systems Analyst ensures a business’ computer systems are ready and able to achieve organizational goals. In many cases, this involves studying an existing system and figuring out how it can be improved to help the company.

As a Computer Systems Analyst, you need to have a firm grasp on coding languages such as:

With these languages, you can adjust how a systems’ components interact with each other, process data, and more.

Business Intelligence Analyst

As a Business Intelligence Analyst, you’d carefully assess the current position of a business, compare it to where executives need it to go, and then figure out which software can help them get there. Much of the job involves research and a deep understanding of the capabilities of different applications.

A Business Intelligence Analyst needs coding skills to understand how different programs work. Coding skills also help a Business Intelligence Analyst adjust open source solutions to better address the business’ objectives.

To excel as a Business Intelligence Analyst, you should have a solid grasp of:

To get a comfortable grasp of R and how it can help you as a Business Analyst, you can check out our Learn R course.

To get the coding skills you need to land one of the jobs listed above, you can rely on us. Our comprehensive selection of programming courses, Skill Paths, and Career Paths will prepare you to succeed in the job you want. We’ll also help you create a portfolio of projects you can use to showcase your abilities during the interview process. To discover what we can do for you, you can get started for free today!

If you’re passionate about gaming, being a Game Developer could be an ideal career choice. It’d allow you to spend your workdays developing and testing innovative new games. Plus, the gaming market is expected to exceed $200 billion by 2023, according to Newzoo, so the job security in this field is strong.

But how much can you expect to earn as a Game Developer? Let’s take a look at a typical salary for Game Developers, what influences their salaries, and what skills you need to succeed in the field.

How much does a Game Developer make?

According to ZipRecruiter, the national average salary for a Game Developer is $101,644. The national hourly rate is $49. On average, a Game Developer’s pay typically ranges from $36.06 per hour to $62.02 per hour.

What influences a Game Developer’s salary?

Many factors influence how much you’re paid as a Game Developer, including the type of company you work for, where you’re located, and how much experience you have. Here’s a deeper look at these three key areas.

Type of company

One of the biggest factors that’ll influence your salary as a Game Developer is the type of company you work for.

Some Game Developers freelance, which means they can pick and choose which projects to work on throughout the year. Others create games on their own or work with independent companies on a contract basis.

While developing your own games or working with a small indie studio gives you a certain amount of freedom, it can also be stressful — and funding is often uncertain, so salaries can vary significantly, according to The Verge.

Others work for AAA game companies like Nintendo, Electronic Arts, Rockstar Games, or Ubisoft. While freelancing offers a degree of freedom, working for large companies like these offers both stability and a larger audience for your games. You’ll also have more opportunities to advance in your role.

What’s the downside to working for a larger company? You may feel like you have less creative freedom or that your individual contributions don’t have as much of an impact.

Ultimately, you have a lot of options when it comes to the type of company you can work for as a Game Developer, and those choices will influence your salary. But you certainly don’t have to stick with just one. You may want to start with a larger company to gain experience and sharpen your skills, and then branch out on your own and start developing your own games.

Location

Salaries vary significantly by location in any field, and game development is no exception. According to ZipRecruiter, the top cities for game development salaries are Santa Clara, San Francisco, and Fremont, all in California.

Of course, these are also cities with a high cost of living, so that’s a factor to keep in mind as well. While many gaming companies have shifted to remote work, according to State of the Game Industry 2020: Work from Home Edition, many also feel that has made them less productive. Some companies may shift back to in-person work, while others may remain remote.

In other words, there may be opportunities to live in lower-cost-of-living areas, which can help you make the most of your salary.

Experience

As with any career, you’ll earn more as you gain experience and take on larger roles. According to ZipRecruiter, Senior Game Developers make an average annual salary of $113,296, which is $11,652 more than the average salary for a Game Developer.

Skills needed for game development

To be a Game Developer, you need to master both technical and soft skills. Below, we’ll explore some of the skills you’ll use daily in this field.

Technical skills

Some technical skills to master include:

• Programming languages: Game Developers often know multiple programming languages. These include C#, Java, and Python.
• Game frameworks and engines: Game frameworks are a collection of tools and libraries that help you build customized games. Game engines are more developed and have many of the tools in place ready to create games. You’ll need to know a popular engine or framework to get started in game development. Popular game engines include Unity, Unreal Engine, and Amazon Lumberyard. A popular framework for browser games is Phaser.
• 2D and 3D modeling: You’ll also need to model assets using tools like Blender.
• Prototyping and testing: If you’ve ever alpha- or beta-tested a game, you know they have bugs. As a Game Developer, you’ll need to develop prototypes and testing plans to ensure that your games work as smoothly as possible.

Soft skills

Soft skills are harder-to-quantify skills that are critical to your success and career advancement. If you have excellent technical skills as a Game Developer, but you don’t work well with others or have trouble communicating your ideas, you’ll have a difficult time advancing and improving your salary.

Here are some of the soft skills you’ll need as a Game Developer:

• Collaboration: Games are typically developed in teams. You’ll need to know how to work with others, how to give and receive feedback, and be willing to help out teammates who need assistance.
• Problem-solving: You’ll spend a lot of time solving problems, and many won’t have obvious solutions. You’ll need to be able to evaluate problems and decide what steps to take to get things working again.
• Leadership: You’ll need to be willing to take responsibility and see projects through to the end. Even if you don’t have a management or senior position, you can show leadership in your daily responsibilities and help keep up morale in tough times.

Making the most of your career as a Game Developer

Working as a Game Developer is a dream career for many, and there are several skills to master. Our team has developed courses and Skill Paths to help you get started or sharpen your skills to advance in your career.

Create Video Games with Phaser.js is our beginner-friendly Skill Path. You’ll learn the basics of JavaScript to build out a Phaser game from scratch, as well as how to add animation, visual effects, and more to your game.

We also have courses on individual programming skills for beginners and intermediate coders that you can consider taking, like:

Learning a new programming language can build up your skillset and allow you to take your gaming development to a new level.

Ready to advance or start a career that’s personally and professionally fulfilling? We’re ready to help. Learn how to use Phaser.js to create games with our robust series of lessons, quizzes, and projects.

Working from home brings the best of both worlds, allowing you to support yourself and your family without leaving home. This means no stressful, time-consuming commute and more time and energy to devote to the place and people that matter most.

Best of all, with the surge in tech jobs, there are many you can do without even walking out the front door. Read on to learn the best jobs you can do from home and how we can help you land the right one for you.

1. Cloud Solutions Architect

A Cloud Solutions Architect earns around $135,147 a year in the U.S. They ensure companies have cloud environments and tools that enable them to accomplish their goals. Because the job of a Cloud Solutions Architect mainly involves remotely accessed tools, it’s a great job to do from home.

The array of cloud solutions available are as varied as the challenges faced by businesses. A Solutions Architect can handle everything from communication to application design to security measures. One of the most common challenges a Cloud Architect has to meet is helping an organization digitize its processes.

While many already use services like email, texting, and video conferencing, some businesses need to digitize more of their processes to thrive. This may include how they develop applications, their communication systems, how they gain and manage leads, and applications that help their specific business run.

A Cloud Solutions Architect is responsible for introducing and deploying cloud services, training staff, and maintaining their cloud solutions.

The programming language Go is a popular cloud solution tool that’s supported by Google. With our Learn Go course, you can get started with Go so you can begin designing cloud solutions from home.

2. Database Administrator

In the U.S., Database Administrators bring home an average of $89,889 a year as they design and maintain the databases companies use to collect and use data. As a Database Administrator, you’d help organizations discover ways to use the data they generate on a daily basis, as well as other data they can glean by carefully studying their processes and target markets.

The key to a Database Administrator’s job is communicating ways to leverage data-based insights. Because you can do this using videoconferencing tools, being a Database Admin is a great work-from-home job.

Plus, the tools you’ll use while designing and working with databases can all be used from the comfort of your home. Even if a company stores or processes data on an on-premise server, you can connect to it with a secure VPN.

As a Database Admin, you’ll need to be adept with coding languages such as SQL, Python, R, and C++. To get started with these languages, check out the courses below:

3. DevOps Engineer

A DevOps Engineer earns around $120,377 every year as they design and manage website applications and platforms. As a DevOps Engineer, you may often work with cloud-based infrastructures, ensuring a solution is optimized for your company.

Within the DevOps framework, you’ll have to work with other developers and stakeholders throughout the production process. With so many conferencing and collaboration tools available, doing this from home can be easy.

As a DevOps Engineer, you’ll want to have several coding languages in your tech stack. CSS, HTML, and Python are particularly common tools employed in the DevOps process. With our tailored programs, you can learn these with courses like Learn CSS, Learn HTML, and Learn Python.

4. Cybersecurity Systems Engineer

Earning about $108,003 a year, a Cybersecurity Systems Engineer is in charge of making sure a company has the tools they need to be safe from cyber threats.

As a Cybersecurity Systems Engineer, you’ll have to study an organization’s network infrastructure — both what they have on-premise and in the cloud — and find ways to protect their digital assets. To do so, you’ll need to use technologies like firewalls and anti-malware.

If Cybersecurity Systems Engineer sounds like the role for you, take your first steps into the field with our Introduction to Cybersecurity course.

5. Systems Administrator

A Systems Administrator makes sure computer systems are functioning as they should and can handle a company’s workloads under a variety of conditions. Systems Admins earn around $75,185 a year, ensuring the digital backbone of an organization is up to par.

Along with managing operating systems, cloud solutions, and networks, System Admins are also often in charge of backup infrastructure. Backup infrastructure makes it easier for a company to recover after a natural disaster or security breach. Because Systems Admins maintain these systems, they often work with Cybersecurity Engineers and Cloud Solution Architects.

To become a Systems Administrator, you’ll need to have a solid foundation in the languages that computer systems use to execute their programming. As more and more companies shift key operations to the cloud, a skill set that includes programming languages used for cloud development is also helpful.

In our Learn Java course, you can learn the basics of one of the most popular languages in the world used by many common computer systems. With a background in Java, you can understand how computer systems interact with a wide range of applications, helping companies while you work from your home office.

You can enjoy our interactive courses from home, just like these great jobs. The skills you’ll obtain are only part of the benefit, as you’ll also get to build a portfolio to support your resume while applying for work from home jobs. You can begin with us today, free of charge.

Data engineering is a fast-growing field in the world of AI and data. But you might be wondering, what exactly does a Data Engineer do? In this article, we shine a spotlight on the role of Data Engineer, based on information shared by industry coaches Nana Essuman and Femi Anthony during the Black and Brilliant AI Accelerator program. Nana is the Director of Data Engineering at Condé Nast, and Femi Anthony is a Lead Data Engineer at Capital One.

At a high level, Data Engineers play an important role in helping companies make data-driven decisions by collecting, transforming, and publishing data. Data Engineers work behind the scenes to create the databases that house a company’s data. They build pipelines that transform raw data into formats that are useful for Data Scientists. And they create the infrastructure that automates model building for machine learning and analytics.

“We work with Data Scientists to understand what they’re trying to build. And we help them set up the foundations. Then we work with them — when they’ve actually built the models — to take what they’ve built and deploy it,” Nana explains.

Femi explains one of the key differences between data engineering and data science: “It’s one thing to create the model. But to actually get it up and running in production, and doing what we want, and getting the reliability that we need — that’s where we need Data Engineers to scale and get the model running every day with very little trouble.”

“Data Engineers are really out there to automate and scale things, to essentially help take this to the next level,” Femi says.

What skills do data engineers need?

If you’re interested in a career in Data Engineering, you might be wondering what kind of skills you need to excel. Below are some of the specific skills that you’ll use in your work as a Data Engineer.

“These topics are what you would call a Data Engineer’s toolkit, in terms of which areas you want to get some sort of skill or mastery in,” Femi tells us. He adds that Data Engineers who are just starting out should not worry about mastering every skill, but that they “should have experience dabbling in all of them.”

Data processing

As a Data Engineer, a big part of what you’ll be doing is sourcing and processing data. This can include filtering for the right data sets, checking data formats, and bringing in data through processing methods like batch or stream. “This essentially is the meat of a data engineering system,” Femi says.

Data storage

Making sure your data is formatted the right way, and stored in the right place, can impact how quickly someone can access or read your data. “Storage and formats can make or break how your downstream system utilizes your data,” Nana says. He adds that for aspiring Data Engineers, knowing the pros and cons of different file formats, based on how people are going to access or query that data, is a great place to start.

Databases

Depending on where you work, a Data Engineer might work with SQL databases (like PostgreSQL and MySQL) or NoSQL databases, which are becoming ever more popular for their scalability. Nana explains: “Some companies like to store model scores in NoSQL databases because if they need to add features about a customer, or more scoring details about a customer, they can do that much faster.”

As a Data Engineer, you may also work with data warehouses, which are special databases geared towards analytic queries — the kind of queries commonly used by Data Scientists and Data Analysts.

Containerization

Nana shares that when it comes to containerization, “there’s one word, which is reusability.” As a Data Engineer, you’ll want to know about containers, which allow you to package what you build and move it from one environment to another. You’ll also work with tools that help you deploy these containers and scale out your infrastructure.

Caching

If you’re working with systems that need to be highly responsive — like Uber, which shows real-time pricing data — you’ll want to know about caching data in memory.

Femi explains caching in more detail: “You don’t want to go to the database every time because it’s slow. You can take the most frequently used items or pieces of data and put it in memory. You can query that cache, and the response time would be much faster.”

Machine learning frameworks

“This is where you have an overlap between the Data Engineering world and the Data Science world,” Femi tells us. He adds that if you want to be able to work with Data Scientists to help productionize their models, or to provide a platform where they can train and scale their models well, you’ll want to become familiar with machine learning frameworks.

Femi shares that some of the most popular machine learning frameworks today include TensorFlow and Scikit-Learn. “If you start off with Scikit-Learn, and you pick up TensorFlow later, I think you’ll be in good shape,” he says

Getting started as a Data Engineer

For aspiring Data Engineers who are just starting out, Femi shares this advice: “I would learn Python, take some introduction to data science courses, and make sure you have a GitHub presence. There are lots of open data sets out there. Use the skills that you’ve learned to come up with some sort of project that you can put on GitHub and advertise your skills. That way, you’re reinforcing what you’re learning. And because you’re learning by doing, you get the actual practical experience.”

If you’re leaning towards becoming a data engineer, we recommend checking out Learn SQL for learning how to query databases effectively, Learn Python to start building pipelines for your data, an Design Databases with PostgreSQL to create your own databases from scratch. We also recommend the Data Scientist Career Path, which is designed to give you all the skills you need to work in the world of data.

The tech industry in the U.S. is expected to grow by 11% each year between now and 2029. To enter this booming job market, you’ll need to have the right hard skills. Equally as important, you’ll have to know how to make them stand out on your resume and while interviewing.

Hard skills include proficiency with the technical tools required to accomplish tasks like programming, designing software solutions, or using technologies like cybersecurity devices and database management tools.

Take a mechanic as an example. An all-around mechanic may fix brakes, adjust suspension, do oil changes, change tires, and troubleshoot a problematic O2 sensor.

These all require hard skills. Along with the tasks listed above, a mechanic may also have to talk to customers, explain why and how things need to be fixed, and listen as they describe issues. These tasks involve soft skills.

It’s the same with those who work in tech. Doing the basic elements of your job requires both hard and soft skills, but hard skills are used to perform the more technical aspects.

How to showcase hard skills on your resume

Showcasing your hard skills on your resume has to be done with care. You don’t want to simply list what you can do because that can undercut the value of your skills. It’s best to weave your hard skills into short statements or phrases that typically start with verbs.

For example, you wouldn’t want to say “Skilled in C++.” It would be better to word it like this:

“Programmed revenue-generating system tools using C++.”

This way, you indicate your skill with C++ and ability to use it to benefit an organization.

In many cases, it may be best to highlight your hard skills more than once in your resume. You can accomplish this in two ways:

• You can mention key hard skills multiple times by weaving them into descriptions of things you’ve done at other jobs or while working on projects in your portfolio.
• You may choose to list them within a “Skills” section elsewhere in your resume, which may be helpful if an employer is quickly scanning through it.

Keep in mind that you’re better off using both of these techniques instead of just the “Skills” section. Doing so makes it easier for an employer to see what you bring to the table.

How to showcase your hard skills during an interview

During the interview process, you want to avoid sounding like you’re reading directly from your resume — so when you discuss your hard skills, bring them up naturally. The best way to do this is by using examples that illustrate how you’ve used them to solve key problems.

For example, if your interviewer asks you about a business problem you’ve solved, you wouldn’t want to simply state, “I worked on a mobile app that helped a company increase engagement with customers.” It would be better to say:

“I used JavaScript to design a customer interface that made it easier for the company to collect and process customer feedback.”

In this way, you showcase the hard skill within the context of how it benefited an organization.

But you don’t want to stop there. Keep talking about how you used your hard skill, mentioning specific elements of your solution. For instance, for JavaScript, you can say something along the lines of:

“The company’s website was visually appealing but static and one-dimensional. Using JavaScript, I introduced an image carousel that changed in response to the visitor’s cursor position. To encourage them to leave their input, I also used JavaScript to code animations that appeared after they filled out feedback fields. The percentage of customers who left feedback increased by 38% year-over-year.”

With this kind of answer, you show:

• The hard skill you have
• How it contributes to high-level organizational goals
• Its associated metrics (like customer feedback rates).

How to showcase your hard skills during a technical interview

A technical interview is a golden opportunity to flex your hard skills as you’ll be tasked with solving some kind of problem using technology.

What are technical interviews?

Technical interviews typically happen after the initial interview, and it’s a chance for your prospective employer to see you in action — both as you solve a technical problem and communicate your solution to those in attendance.

The prompt may involve a general challenge that you can solve using a selection of tools, or it could be something specific such as how to solve a problem within a database using SQL.

How to show your hard skills in a technical interview

The time to show your hard skills is immediately after the prompt or question is posed. You can write down the skill you’re using on a whiteboard or begin by stating out loud which tools you would use.

For example, let’s say you were asked to make sure that the values presented within a column are all different from each other. You could begin by saying:

“To begin, I’d use the Unique constraint within SQL instead of Primary Key because you can use Unique to define more than one constraint within the same table. Primary Key may work as well, but it might take longer.”

While, based on the context of the problem, it may already be obvious they expect you to use SQL, announcing it at the start of your answer makes it crystal clear that it’s within your skill set.

With our platform, you can gain the hard skills you need to excel in any tech interview. You can also take advantage of interview preparation resources, such as our Pass the Technical Interview with JavaScript, Pass the Technical Interview with Java, Data Analyst Interview Preparation, and Pass the Technical Interview with Python Skill Paths.