How I approach my job search and interviews
Trying to land your first data analytics job in 2025? Or are you trying to land your next job but it’s been a while since your last job search?
These are the steps I follow when doing a job search. Keep reading for more tips and advice for each step.
Ramp up my networking and reach out to my existing network
Update my LinkedIn and Resume
Start applying and document my applications and interviews
Prepare for each interview as it’s scheduled
Networking
I say this all the time, but you should always be building your professional network, and you can start doing this before you land your first data role or even before you take your first course. You need to build your network before you need to rely on it for favors.
I have already written a guide with everything I know about networking, so I won’t repeat all of that here. But once you are job searching, you should take advantage of your network.
Now, when I say “your network,” I don’t necessarily mean someone who is a LinkedIn connection but you’ve never had any other contact or communication with them. I mean people who you have had conversations with (over Zoom or in person), people who would know who you are if they heard your name or saw your face at a networking event. (That’s not to say you can’t reach out to LinkedIn connections, just don’t expect much of a response.)
How to use your network for your job search:
Reach out to people who are in your target role and ask for a 15-minute chat to ask them about the skills and experience that are the most important and/or will help you to stand out.
Reach out to contacts who work at a company you want to apply to, mention you are interested in XYZ specific job (provide a link to the job), and ask if they are open to making referrals to the role.
Create a shortlist of companies you would be excited to work at and reach out to current employees (ideally in your target role or at least on your target team) and ask for a 15-minute chat to discuss job function, interview process, open roles, etc.
Ask them to make an intro to someone in their network who could help with the above bullet points.
Even if these folks are genuine networking contacts, be prepared to hear “no” or get no response. People are busy. Don’t take it personally.
Update your LinkedIn Profile and Resume
I already have a blog post with tips and advice for updating your LinkedIn profile and resume for data analytics jobs.
However, I am not the only expert on their topic, so consult other sources. Additionally, if you are in any industry-specific Slack or Discord communities, consider posting your resume there for feedback.
Start applying and document your applications
In a market as competitive as the current one, you unfortunately have to treat your job search like a job - sometimes a full-time job. And you have to apply to hundreds of jobs - if not thousands - to get interviews and maybe offers.
Like the good little data pro that I am, I like to keep a spreadsheet to keep track of not just all of the jobs I apply for, but document things like salary range, job level, what percent of qualifications I have, if I included a cover letter, etc. You can download a template that I created or create your own.
And as a proper data analyst, I like to analyze my own job search data. What’s my response rate for an interview? What percent of interviews require a technical assessment or a take-home? What’s my response rate if I include a cover letter or don’t? Or if I have 100% of the qualifications or 90% or 80% or less? Etc.
Prepare for each interview
Getting an interview feels great - but brings on more work to prepare.
Get my notes ready - I create a Word document for each company I interview with. I use it to save a copy of the job description, brainstorm my list of questions to ask, and keep notes from each conversation.
Technical assessment - Many analytics jobs require a SQL assessment, so I start practicing on sites like StrataScratch and also prepare for other technical questions.
Product sense - Since I’m going after product analytics roles, I can expect a product sense interview at some point, and start thinking about the product, what metrics I would track, and frameworks for answering questions. But you should prepare for whatever domain the job is in (marketing, finance, business, etc).
Think about my own experience - There will always be “tell me about a time you …” questions. So I think about my own experiences and how to talk about my major projects using the S.T.A.R. (situation, task, actions, result) framework.
Research the company - Make sure you are familiar with the company, their products, how they make money, their mission and/or values, major news, etc. You will probably be asked “why do you want to work here” and also many companies have a “culture fit” round that is not about your technical or business sense, but how you handle challenging situations or approach problems.
What else do you recommend for your job search or to prepare for job interviews? Let us know in the comments.