Work Experience?

Question

I enjoy working with and analyzing figures, and thinking of changing career from being a debt collector to become a statistician. However, although I am highly numerate, I have trouble getting to the interview stage when applying for jobs. The main reason is that I have no work experience of a statistician.

Does anybody know where I can get such work experience from?

Thanks

Answer 1

Ah, yours is the common dilemma of how do I get a job that needs a certain type of experience if no one gives me a chance to get that experience in the first place. Been there done that.

1. Look for opportunities to volunteer in your spare time. There are always non-profit, religious and charitable organizations who need free help in exchange for giving people a chance to gain experience.

2. Talk to local university deans & professors in statistics departments to see if there are projects and studies where you can volunteer your talents in this area.

3. Look not only at your job experience but also at examples of how you have manifest your numeracy talent in school and other non-paid situations as well as at work to demonstrate your transferable skills that qualify you for a statistician job despite the fact you have never been in the formal job role. Organize your resume and interview pitch around these transferable skills, versus job chronologies, so that potential hirers see that you are a qualified statistician by "skill set" versus by "job role".

4. Do research to identify a broader number of job opportunities that value your numeracy beyond statistician. Your horizon is too narrow in this regard.

Good results on your journey and feel free to contact me if you want to chat further about this matter.

Paraclete Performance

Answer 2

The Civil Service employ a lot of statisticians and give in work training, this is the relevant link.....http://www.rss.org.uk/main.asp?page=2242

Answer 3

go into banking or insurance and work your way up to actuary