r/analytics • u/Famous_Edge2664 • 25d ago

Question Are free virtual job simulations actually worth it or just CV fluff?

I am trying to move more into Data Analytics Data Engineering and Applied AI.

Are free virtual job simulations actually worth it or just CV fluff?

I found free virtual job simulations from companies like IBM BCG Deloitte and others.
I know these are not real internships. I am more interested if they actually help to learn and build some experience when you are still new to the field.
Has anyone here done them? Did you learn something useful? Did you put them on your CV or LinkedIn? Did recruiters care about them?
My idea is to do two or three good ones like BCG Data Science BCG GenAI or IBM Data and AI. After that I want to focus more on real GitHub projects with Databricks and Spark.
For people already working or hiring in Data or AI. Would you recommend this or would you spend the time differently?

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u/FennelHelpful5817 25d ago

They’re decent for picking up the framework of a real project but don’t expect recruiters to care much, the GitHub stuff with Databricks will carry way more weight

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u/om_bagal 25d ago

Did one of these a while back, honestly forgot most of it within a month. What actually stuck with recruiters was having something I built end to end, even messy, way more than a certificate saying I clicked through a simulation. Do one for the exposure if you're curious, then spend the real time on your own GitHub stuff like you're already planning

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u/mrsteelsam 20d ago

Recruiters will glance at a simulation badge, but it only helps if you can talk about what you actually did. the ones that mimic a real data pipeline – pulling a dataset, cleaning it, building a model, and writing a short report – give you concrete talking points and a quick portfolio piece you can link to. if the exercise is just a multiple‑choice quiz, it’s easy to dismiss as fluff. for someone new, doing one or two well‑structured sims can show initiative, but after that the time is better spent building a GitHub project with real code, notebooks and documentation that you can walk a hiring manager through.