Data Science Job Search — What worked for me?
“Learn from the mistakes of others. You can’t live long enough to make them all yourself.”― Eleanor Roosevelt.
According to the source, Some of the most popular job search engine sites are;
Based on the study, LinkedIn has over 760 million users, with more than 260 million monthly active users. With more than 20 million companies listed on the site and 20 million open jobs, it’s no surprise to find out that 87% of recruiters regularly use LinkedIn. LinkedIn is dominating along with Indeed, which has more than 250 million unique visitors every month.
But, Are these the only platforms to get the job done? Probably, not. Since the number of active users is high in these applications, the applications/job ratio is also high. The chance of our resume getting viewed by the recruiter is less (But not zero).
Based on my job search experience, I would like to share some of the not so popular techniques to ease the job search and get interviews.
Index of this blog:
1. AngelList
2. Slack Communities
3. LinkedIn Hacks
4. Few planning hacks
— Online Presence
— Action items
— Connections
AngelList
AngelList is a website for startups, angel investors, and job-seekers looking to work at startups. Some of the useful features for job search are,
“Sponsors visas” filter
For international students in the US, The filer option “Sponsors visas” is a time-saver. Enabling this filter allows you to apply to the companies that are sponsoring visas. Surprisingly, I haven’t seen this filter on any other website.
Hiring contact Information
The job details include the description, location, job type (full-time, part-time, internship), visa sponsorship, estimated/actual compensation, experience required, and hiring contact information.
Hiring contact info will help you customize your resume and cover letter based on his/her role at the company. Before applying, it's better to know a little bit about the company and recent work and advancement so that you can write a good cover letter. After applying to the position on AngelList, I would search for the hiring contact on LinkedIn and introduce myself and show my interest in the company. This is a very efficient method.
Slack Communities
Check out these blogs for the various slack channel;
These slack communities consist of data enthusiasts, students, and professionals. Many discussions happen around current technologies, tech news, projects, publications, meetups, events, etc. The communities also have career-related channels like;
- Resume Review: You can post your resume, and people from the related field will review and provide feedback. A fresh pair of eyes is always helpful. Additionally, the channel consists of HR and talent team people whose inputs are valuable.
- Job opportunities: This channel contains two types of people, Seekers and Givers. If you are a Jobseeker, write a good elevator pitch and provide your contact details. Generally, People respond if they have similar opportunities in their organization. The other set of people (Employers/ HR) post the job details, and you can directly contact them.
LinkedIn Hacks
LinkedIn has more than 260 million monthly active users, and it’s one of the best mediums to reach out to the employer/ HR. Some of the hacks I found on LinkedIn.
Using Boolean Search
Boolean search is a time saver. Suppose if you are looking to connect with people who are hiring Data Scientist. Use the Boolean expression (Hiring OR HR OR Talent) AND (Data Scientist OR Data Engineer). The result of this search is more accurate than a regular search for more details.
Connecting with Recruiters
Have a short and compelling elevator pitch to send along the connection request. Optimize this intro as there is a word limit.
Once the connection is being accepted formally, introduce yourself, and talk more about the company and the field. Patiently wait for the response as the person may not be available right away. Please take a look at the career page of their company and shortlist some of the roles. Give a good explanation of why you think you are a good fit for the position and company. If you don’t get any response, don’t take it hard on yourself. Improve your pitch and connect with more recruiters. I have got many interviews just by talking to the recruiters. The chance is higher than the online applications, but you have to be super patient and persistent. For me, the ratio of good responses from the recruiter was 1 in 30.
You can find many such hacks to increase your chances, but the main recipe is to be persistent, keep improving and customizing your resume to the role and connect with as many people as possible.
Hiring surge, An useful option in Glassdoor. Target those companies, take an advantage of the demand.
Few planning hacks
Online Presence
It’s essential to build your overall profile and provide visibility to your skills and achievements when recruiters search for related keywords in LinkedIn/Indeed. Some simple ways to achieve that is by,
- Post content on LinkedIn
- Attend events and webinars (Connect with the speakers)
- Write blogs and post them on communities/publications.
- Be ready with a strong elevator pitch.
- Cold mail recruiters.
Action Items
Maintain a Trello board/ OneNote to keep track of the progress and tasks. If the job description asks for a particular tool/technique/language, put it in things, I can learn and start learning.
Keep track of interviews. Write down three things you feel you did right and three things you could have improved for all the interviews. It helps understand the failure.
Few bits of advice:
- Don’t take your foot off the gas.
- Keep improving your profile if it’s things aren’t working for you.
- Handle stress well (Write down on Trello and discard them when you handle the stress)
- Keep track of your progress and failure.
- Listen to podcasts and webinars every day. It allows you to relax while learning new things.
- List of recruiter information
Conclusion:
“Take the path less traveled.” It would help if you only were spending 30% of your energy and time on the popular job boards (LinkedIn, Indeed, Glassdoor) and applying thru’ company websites.
Spend the rest of your time connecting with people on LinkedIn and Slack communities. Read as many job descriptions as possible to understand the areas of improvement. This is a stressful process, but it will be worth it once you find the right people and company. Good luck!
