How to Land Jobs as a Data Professional

Our client pivoted from Sales to Data Analytics. They did it with no formal data experience. Here are 6 strategies they used to make it happen: Context: When our client reached out, they were stuck. They had spent months applying to data analyst roles with no success, despite completing a data analytics course. They had even received a verbal offer that was later rescinded. Frustration was building, and they were considering a return to account management. We teamed up with them, and things started to change: 1. They Clarified Their Target Role Before working with us, their approach was to just apply to any and every data analytics role that popped up. We helped shift that mindset to focus more of our energy on a smaller set of highly-aligned companies. They used this clarity to create a “Match Score” for each opportunity—filtering out roles that didn’t align with their ideal job. 2. They Optimized Their LinkedIn For What Employers Wanted To See Before joining, they weren’t getting any outreach for roles on LinkedIn. We revamped their LinkedIn headline and profile to include keywords specific to the Data Analytics space as well as projects that illustrated their capabilities. Then the inbound messages began to roll in. 3. They Shifted Their Time From Online Apps To Networking Instead of just applying online, they reached out to alumni from an analytics bootcamp they attended. They specifically focused on people who had successfully transitioned into data roles. One alum gave them insider insights into the hiring process at a target company and even suggested key skills to emphasize their application. 4. They Built A Consistent Outreach System They started sending 5 personalized LinkedIn messages per day to data professionals. They focused on asking for advice, then taking action on it and using it to open the door for a follow-up. This helped build rapport and trust, which led to multiple referrals and interviews. 5. They Went Deep On Interview Prep They knew that other candidates would likely have more “traditional” experience to lean on, so they went deep on interview prep. For technical interviews, they built a portfolio project analyzing Airbnb data to showcase SQL and visualization skills. For behavioral interviews, they prepared answer examples that tied directly into the company’s biggest needs and goals. 6. They Stayed Persistent & Flexible Originally, the recruiter who reached out was asking about a business analyst role. After pitching their SQL and Python skills, our client convinced the recruiter to get them in the door for a data analytics position. Then they used their networking to gain insider info on goals and challenges which they pitched in their interview. That approach secured the offer.

Last week, my client sent me a screenshot: Their offer letter: $120K base + equity. 3 months ago, they were getting rejected from $70K roles. The difference wasn't their technical skills. It was this systematic approach that 90% of data professionals ignore: Here's what we fixed (and what you're probably doing wrong): 𝟭/ 𝗦𝘁𝗼𝗽 𝘄𝗿𝗶𝘁𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗯𝗼𝗿𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗿𝗲𝘀𝘂𝗺𝗲𝘀. My client was listing their job duties like everyone else. I made them rewrite every bullet using my impact formula: Action → Outcome → Business Value "Built customer churn model → increased retention 15% → saved company $1.2M annually" Numbers talk. Buzzwords don't. 𝟮/ 𝗤𝘂𝗶𝘁 𝗰𝗼𝗹𝗱 𝗮𝗽𝗽𝗹𝘆𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗹𝗶𝗸𝗲 𝗶𝘁'𝘀 𝗮 𝗻𝘂𝗺𝗯𝗲𝗿𝘀 𝗴𝗮𝗺𝗲. They were sending 50 applications a week and getting nothing. I told them: "Stop. You're wasting time." Instead, we mapped their network: • 12 former colleagues • 8 university connections • 15 LinkedIn contacts at target companies    One coffee chat = three interview invites. 𝟯/ 𝗧𝗲𝗹𝗹 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝘀𝘁𝗼𝗿𝘆 𝘁𝗵𝗲𝘆 𝘄𝗮𝗻𝘁 𝘁𝗼 𝗵𝗲𝗮𝗿. They used to list every project they'd ever touched. Wrong move. We picked 3 experiences that matched what each job posting actually wanted. The hiring manager's notes matched our strategy perfectly. 𝟰/ 𝗧𝗲𝗰𝗵𝗻𝗶𝗰𝗮𝗹 𝗽𝗿𝗲𝗽 𝘁𝗵𝗮𝘁 𝗮𝗰𝘁𝘂𝗮𝗹𝗹𝘆 𝘄𝗼𝗿𝗸𝘀. No more "study everything and pray." They practiced medium-level problems for 20 minutes daily. The key: explaining their thought process out loud. When interview day came, they weren't just solving problems. They were teaching the interviewer how they think. 𝟱/ 𝗠𝗮𝘀𝘁𝗲𝗿 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗯𝗲𝗵𝗮𝘃𝗶𝗼𝗿𝗮𝗹 𝗾𝘂𝗲𝘀𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻𝘀. "Tell me about a time you handled competing priorities." They used to stumble through this. We built 5 STAR stories that showed leadership, problem-solving, and results. Confidence = preparation. 𝟲/ 𝗗𝗼𝗻'𝘁 𝗯𝘂𝗿𝗻 𝗼𝘂𝘁 𝗶𝗻 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗽𝗿𝗼𝗰𝗲𝘀𝘀. They tried pulling all-nighters to "catch up" on skills. I stopped them. 8 hours of sleep > 16 hours of stressed studying. Energy wins interviews. Exhaustion loses them. 𝗪𝗲𝗲𝗸 𝟭: We rewrote their resume using my impact formula 𝗪𝗲𝗲𝗸 𝟰: First referral conversation turned into an interview 𝗪𝗲𝗲𝗸 𝟴: They were choosing between 3 offers This system works because I've placed 50+ data professionals using it. I've done 300+ mock interviews. I know what gets offers and what gets ghosted. PS: You can ask me anything in the next 30 minutes. 𝗣𝗣𝗦: When you treat job searching like a system instead of throwing spaghetti at the wall, you get results like this. Ready to build your custom system? Start here: https://lnkd.in/eP5KJrbh

The job searching strategy that got me a job as a data scientist.. 📌 Create a spreadsheet with the name of the company, job title, date applied and link to the document that contains the job description. Save a copy of the job description to your google drive because some companies remove the job once the application period is over. The job description will help you prepare for the interview. 📌 Apply to a minimum of 10 jobs per week. Apply to a minimum of 2 jobs per day during the week. Dedicate the weekends to learning and building projects. Never stop learning! 📌 Customize the resume for each job by updating the with language from the job description. Most companies use screening software to filter and rank resumes based on how closely it relates to the job description. 📌 Send connection requests to multiple people from the company. I always sent connection requests to data scientists and people who attended the same school. I attended NC Central University so a quick "Eagle Pride, AMPLIFIED" always worked for a connection request. 🦅 📌 Try to set up a call or video meeting with connections from the company. Ask questions about the company and/or hiring process. If I was to do it all over again, I would... ✅ Use Jobscan or Jobalytics to see how closely my resume matches the job description. ✅ Contact my connections and ask for an employee referral before applying. The referral will increase the odds that your application will be seen by a recruiter. 💭What is/was the most challenging part of your job search? #DataSistah #strategy #personalbranding #socialnetworking ------------- 📣 If you sent me a connection request, please don't feel ignored. I check profiles and write personal messages before connecting. Tip: Add a personal message for a faster connect.