If you are following the job market, probably seen people applying to the 100s of jobs and positions are receiveing 100s of CV withing a few days, leaving hiring managers overwhelmed.
So, how do you stand out in such a saturated market?
How do you land a job—let alone your first role in the data world?
When I was faced with those same questions, I recall feeling very helpless. I had previously distributed hundreds of resumes, had only six months to go until I graduated, and had no technical work experience other than teaching children to code. Despite landing one interview, I didn’t do well because it was my first technical interview.
Just hoping someone will look at your résumé and give you an opportunity may be quite discouraging, and I understand that.
To help you get into the data sector, I want to share some practical advice and personal experiences with you, whether you’re just starting your job hunt or are ready to graduate.
1) Don’t pay attention to the job titles, type of companies and location.
When I first started to search job, I just typed “analyst” in the search in LinkedIn and applied to all. It turns out that was correct. Because of different operations, projects and new stuff coming to business, job titles change.
So, do not only look at title “business analyst”, but try to search “analyst”.
I have see business analyst title job asking actually different/close responsibilities:
- Business Analyst (IIBA standard)
- Data Analyst (only data focus)
- Business Data Analyst (combining business and data analyst)
- Project Manager (mainly stakeholder communication and managing)
You see, title is same in the position and responsibilitie are different.
Besides big corp in your city check other companies also:
- startups
- small companies
- agencies
- government organizations
Do not limit yourslef with big corps. These companies generally have less applications than others.
Your ultimate goal should be land a job in first place rather than having ultimate high level super job. Just start, learn and grow. Once you do it, later will be easy to change job.
2) If You Fail To Prepare, You’d Better Prepare To Fail
“What should I study for my interview in two days?”
I get messages like this all the time. We can divide it into 2 parts:
1. Be prepared to the interview [main preparation]
If you are already in the preparation stage and pply to the companies, you have to have it ready. Understanding of business analysis, PM, data, IT understanding, cases, docs, tools and so on. If you want to have general guide what to learn and pay attention, check this source.
2. Tailor your preparation to the position.
Now understand if position is about sales, you have to tailor your speech according to that, if it is about processes same, if it is about IT BA role same, business data analyst for procurement same.
Remember the nature of the role can change depending on position, team, department, team and industry. But there is a template role for business analyst role and you know it in the previous main preparation.
Studying should not be put off till the last minute.
Try:
- Be prepared
- Ask recruiter for topics
By preparing ahead of time, you can concentrate on the things that really matter and be prepared for these fundamental subjects.
3) Relationships and Referrals
Face-to-face connections are becoming increasingly important as the world moves closer to AI. Spam emails from B2B SaaS salespeople are flooding our inboxes, and the incessant online chatter can make genuine interactions seem uncommon. This makes a return to more intimate, in-person interactions appear inevitable.
Several recruiting managers have already contacted me for recommendations after I tried the conventional method of publishing job openings. The volume of resumes they received made it difficult to sort them all. Rather, they resorted to their networks, asking trusted individuals outside of their organizations for advice.
So, how can you begin establishing your own professional connections and network? This is where you start:
- Attend events: Go to conferences, check websites LinkedIn events, Facebook Events, meetup.com or ask about it in communities. Sometimes people share them in close Telegram or Whatsapp chats. We add them to the community events.
- Same industry peers: try to have connection with people in the same industry or position working in the different companies (event competitors). This will help you to have connection with
- Use LinkedIn (daily): post, comment, create value and engage. LinkedIn is more than just a platform for sharing your recent employment success. It’s also a fantastic location for social interaction. Interact with posts, provide meaningful comments, and share what you’ve learned. Being genuine and engaged can help you build deeper relationships that may eventually lead to opportunities.
- Join communities: there are many international and local communities that discuss topic about business and analysis. Ask questions, help, show progress and contribute where you can. Pro Analysts Hub is one example for community.
4) Tactical steps for interview preparation
Let’s discuss tactical steps: what can you do to get a job today, next week, and in the upcoming months? Let’s start with the fundamentals:
- Basics:
- CV is ready: a friently CV written in the Word.
- Portfolio: data or business docs/projects. GitHub, personal website or any free such websites are good. If you do not have, start from here to build one.
- LinkedIn profile: post, share projects, comment, engage.
- Track your progress: it is hard to be motivated, but need to stay in the loop and keep track. You can expect 1% offer rate which means apply 100 jobs and get accepted from one.
- Applications sent
- Meet-ups
- People you meet and follow-ups
- Prepare: interview materials, information and STAR cases keep ready om hand. When you get interview invitation so you do not stress.
- Consistency: continue to do what you do, make it better. Consistency is key.
Besides being consistent, check this source for whole career pack for analysts.
Or get 1:1 consultation from expert.
Final
It has been difficult to get a work for a time, especially your first one. I recall that folks had similar problems when I was attempting to get data.
Entry-level positions required at least two to three years of experience.
Before they were ever seen by a human, resumes were rejected by ATS filters.
The market was oversaturated by the spike in demand for data and business professionals.
In addition to competing for remote work, we now have to deal with the problem of LLMs producing thousands of generic resumes. Nonetheless, difficulties will persist and change. That doesn’t mean you should throw your hands up in defeat. If you have the right skills and you can pass an interview, trust the process
Any help needed, write to Nexus Adv Support
Good luck!
