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How to Apply for Jobs the Right Way

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Applying to jobs can be a long, stressful, tiresome and overwhelming process. In this tutorial, we'll discuss some strategies to make your job application process effective, efficient and organized.

Job Application and Outreach Tracking sheet: https://bit.ly/jobapplicationtracking

Different Ways to Apply for Jobs

Here are some ways you can apply for jobs:

  1. LinkedIn Easy Apply (one-click)
  2. Job sites (AngelList, Indeed, Naukri)
  3. Company websites e.g. https://www.facebook.com/careers
  4. Cold outreach to recruiters/employers
  5. Referral from someone working at a company
  6. Inbound from recruiters/employers

Ease of application reduces as you go down but effectiveness increases.

Job Application & Outreach Tracking

You may need to apply to 200+ jobs to get hired, so it's important to stay organized.

Use this sheet: https://bit.ly/jobapplicationtracking

How to use it:

  1. Make a copy of this sheet using "File" > "Make a Copy"
  2. Make an entry into the sheet whenever you're reaching out to someone or apply to a new job
  3. Modify the relevant entries whenever something changes
  4. Add notes from interviews, phone calls, company research etc.
  5. Review the sheet weekly (use filters) and identify action items (follow up, learning etc.)

Inbound from Recruiters/Employers

Putting all your data science work online will help recruiters/employers find you:

  • Write blog posts (on Medium, dev.to etc.)
  • Submit your blog posts to popular publications
  • Participate in Kaggle competitions
  • Have an updated LinkedIn profile with all your work
  • Share your work on LinkedIn regularly
  • Stay active on Data Science communities
  • Contribute to open source projects
  • Deliver presentations & workshops at meetups & conferences

Keep learning, keep building projects and keep sharing your work online.

Referral from someone working at a company

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This is likely to be the most effective strategy for finding a job. Being referred makes your Resume 10-50 times more likely to be looked at and shortlisted compared to applying via job portals, so it's worth the effort. Use the outreach tracking sheet to stay organized.

How it Works

Here's how referrals works:

  • You reach out to someone who works at company that you want to apply to
  • They forward your Resume internally to the right team/person
  • If your Resume meets the hiring criteria, you're invited to interview
  • If you accept an offer from the company, the referrer generally gets a bonus

Who to Ask

LinkedIn is the best way to find & reach out to people who can refer you. Here's the order of priority for outreach:

  1. People you know personally (friends/ex-colleagues)
  2. 1st connections on LinkedIn
  3. 2nd connections on LinkedIn
  4. People from your university & previous workplaces
  5. People you aren't connected to yet

If people don't reply on LinkedIn, you can try emailing them. Use this guide: https://www.demandcurve.com/article/find-emails-linkedin

Outreach Message Template

Create and use an outreach message template that you can modify for each lead. It should cover:

  • Greeting and introduction about yourself
  • Your interest in the company and in the person
  • Your ask: refer me or can we speak
  • Thanks

Follow up at least a couple of times, once after 3-4 days, and after 10-12 days.

Talk to Referrers

Most companies have internal guidelines that employees should only refer folks they know personally, can vouch for or find exceptional. So, if possible, speak with the person referring you. Here's the agenda for the call:

  • Understand what the day to day work in their company look like (for your target role)
  • Understand their hiring process and what they look for in candidates
  • Tell them about yourself (500+ hours of coursework in the bootcamp), your projects etc.
  • Ask them if they think you are good fit for the role. If not, find out what you're missing

Treat each conversation as an opportunity to learn and improve. Target having at least one conversation every week.