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How to Build a Data Analytics Portfolio: 6 Projects That Impress Recruiters (With Examples)

A strong data analytics portfolio is not a collection of random charts. It is proof that you can take messy data, ask the right questions, produce reliable insights, and communicate decisions clearly. Recruiters look for evidence of business thinking, practical tools (SQL, Excel, Power BI/Tableau, Python), and the ability to explain trade-offs. If you are building skills through data analytics training in Bangalore, your portfolio should reflect the same end-to-end workflow you would follow in a real job.

What Recruiters Actually Want to See

Before picking projects, align your portfolio with how analytics work inside companies. A good portfolio signals four things:

  • Problem framing: You can define a question that matters (revenue, retention, cost, risk).
  • Data handling: You can clean, join, validate, and document data confidently.
  • Analysis depth: You go beyond basic visuals and explain “why” and “so what.”
  • Communication: You present insights as actions, not just numbers.

Keep each project focused and complete. One well-finished project is better than five half-done notebooks. Also, avoid “dashboard-only” work without explaining assumptions and limitations. If you are following data analytics training in Bangalore, treat every project like a mini case study: context → method → result → recommendation.

Projects 1–3: Business Dashboards With Clear Decisions

1) Sales Performance + Profitability Dashboard (Retail or D2C)

Goal: Show that you can connect revenue with profitability, not just top-line growth.

Example dataset: Sample Superstore, an e-commerce orders dataset, or any retail sales data.

What to build:

  • Monthly revenue, margin, average order value, and top categories
  • Returns/refunds impact
  • A “profit leakage” view (discounts vs margin)

Deliverables recruiters like:

  • A Power BI/Tableau dashboard with filters by region, category, and channel
  • A short write-up: “Which segments should the business double down on and why?”

2) Customer Retention and Cohort Analysis (Subscription or App)

Goal: Demonstrate you can analyse user behaviour over time.

Example dataset: App events, subscriptions, or transaction logs.

What to build:

  • Cohort retention curves (week 0 to week 12)
  • Repeat purchase rates or churn by cohort
  • Simple segmentation (new vs returning, plan type, acquisition channel)

Deliverables:

  • SQL queries (or Python) that produce clean cohort tables
  • A narrative summary: “Retention drops after week 3. What product change might help?”

3) Inventory and Demand Insights (Operations Analytics)

Goal: Show you can link data to operational efficiency.

Example dataset: Inventory levels + sales + lead times (even simulated data is fine if clearly explained).

What to build:

  • Stockout rate, overstock rate, inventory turnover
  • Simple demand forecasting baseline (moving average)
  • Reorder point suggestion using lead time and variability

Deliverables:

  • A clear assumptions section (lead time distribution, seasonality)
  • A final recommendation: “Which SKUs need tighter control?”

Projects 4–6: Analysis That Shows Rigour and Storytelling

4) Marketing Campaign ROI + Attribution Basics

Goal: Prove you can evaluate marketing spend, not just report clicks.

Example dataset: Campaign spend, leads, conversions, revenue (or a public marketing dataset).

What to build:

  • Cost per lead, cost per acquisition, ROAS
  • Channel comparison (search vs social vs email)
  • A simple attribution approach (first-touch vs last-touch) and how conclusions change

Deliverables:

  • A one-page insight note: “Where should next month’s budget go and why?”

5) Fraud/Anomaly Detection in Transactions (Rule-Based Analytics)

Goal: Show applied thinking without making it “only ML.”

Example dataset: Credit card transactions (public dataset) or expense claims.

What to build:

  • Rule-based flags (unusual time, unusual location, high frequency, duplicate claims)
  • Threshold reasoning and false-positive trade-offs
  • A small “case review” list of top suspicious records

Deliverables:

  • A reproducible notebook and a clear explanation of why each rule exists
  • A section on limitations and next steps (e.g., feedback loop for rule tuning)

6) Product Analytics Funnel + Drop-Off Diagnosis

Goal: Demonstrate product thinking and metric clarity.

Example dataset: Event-level data (signup → onboarding → activation → purchase).

What to build:

  • Funnel conversion rates with drop-off points
  • Breakdown by device type, traffic source, geography
  • A hypothesis: “Users from channel X drop at step Y due to friction Z”

Deliverables:

  • A simple experiment proposal (what to change, what success looks like)
  • An executive summary written for non-technical stakeholders

How to Package These Projects So They Get Interviews

The same project can look average or outstanding depending on the presentation. Use this checklist:

  • GitHub structure: /data, /sql, /notebooks, /dashboard, /report
  • README that answers: problem, dataset, tools, steps, key insights, next actions
  • Screenshots and short walkthroughs: 60–90 seconds help recruiters quickly understand value
  • Resume-ready bullets: “Built cohort retention analysis and identified 20% drop after week 3; proposed onboarding improvements.”

If you are building your portfolio alongside data analytics training in Bangalore, publish fewer projects but make each one interview-ready: clean documentation, clear insights, and realistic recommendations.

Conclusion

A recruiter-friendly portfolio shows you can deliver decisions, not just visuals. Pick six projects that cover revenue, retention, operations, marketing, risk, and product funnels. For each one, include clean data work, transparent assumptions, and a clear story from question to recommendation. With consistent practice,especially if you are coming from data analytics training in Bangalore, your portfolio can become the fastest way to prove job readiness and stand out in interviews.

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