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⌚ TIMESTAMPS
00:18 The SPN Method
00:42 Understanding the Importance of Skills
02:46 The Role of Projects in Landing a Data Job
08:20 Networking: The Key to Success
11:11 Final Thoughts and Resources
🔗 CONNECT WITH AVERY
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💻 Website
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00:00:00
Avery: On YouTube, there's lots
of data advice given to you every
00:00:03
single day by lots of great creators.
00:00:05
And I don't know about you, but me
personally, I watch a lot of videos, but
00:00:08
I'm not actually sure that I take a lot
from them that I can concretely follow.
00:00:13
The general ideas are great, but I find
it really hard to take the knowledge
00:00:17
they're giving me and apply it.
00:00:18
So that's why I created something
that's actually concrete that will
00:00:21
help you land your first day at job.
00:00:22
It's a framework that you can follow
and it's really easy to remember
00:00:25
because it's just three simple letters.
00:00:28
SPN.
00:00:29
The SPN method is the fastest and the
simplest way to land your first data job.
00:00:33
And if you follow it,
success is likely to ensue.
00:00:36
It's how I got a data job.
00:00:37
It's how hundreds of my students
have gotten data jobs, and
00:00:40
honestly, I hope it's the way
that you get a data job as well.
00:00:42
What is the SPN method?
00:00:44
It's really a simple philosophy,
and it's the idea that.
00:00:47
But skills alone is not
going to land you a data job.
00:00:49
Your technical analysis, your
data skills, your technical
00:00:52
tools, those are the bare minimum.
00:00:54
Those are the checkboxes that
you have to be able to check to
00:00:57
even be qualified to land a job.
00:00:58
But it's never what
actually lands you the job.
00:01:00
It's not what sets you apart.
00:01:02
The truth is there's probably someone
who's less skilled in SQL, who can't
00:01:05
make as good of a data visualization,
who maybe can't even program.
00:01:08
They're less of a technical
candidate than you are, but they're
00:01:11
landing a data job over you because
they're following the SPN method.
00:01:14
We live in a world where for better
or worse, it's not necessarily
00:01:18
how skilled or how technical
you are that gets you the job.
00:01:20
If you're the best sequel programmer
in the entire world, it's not like
00:01:24
you're going to get paid the most.
00:01:25
You might, but you probably won't.
00:01:27
There's probably people who
are less good at sequel who are
00:01:29
actually making more money than you.
00:01:31
So basically that's to say that
your salary and your skills
00:01:35
are not directly correlated.
00:01:37
Is there some correlation?
00:01:38
Sure, but it's probably something
closer to like 5 than a 1.
00:01:41
0 correlation.
00:01:43
So what does matter when you're
getting hired and how fast you
00:01:45
get hired and how much you get
paid if it's not just your skills?
00:01:49
Well, it's how you are appearing
and it's how your personal
00:01:52
brand is being presented.
00:01:54
If you're trying to land a data job,
you have to convince a hiring manager
00:01:56
or recruiter that you're not high risk.
00:01:58
That you can actually do
all the things that they're
00:02:01
requiring in the job description.
00:02:02
And these hiring managers
and the recruiters, they're
00:02:04
busy to be perfectly honest.
00:02:06
They have a lot going on and
they have families like you.
00:02:08
They have hobbies like you.
00:02:09
They're really busy at work.
00:02:11
And so your job as a job candidate is
to make their life as easy as possible.
00:02:15
And you'll do that by
following the SPN method.
00:02:17
So what does the SPN stand for?
00:02:18
S stands for skills.
00:02:19
Of course you have to have the skills.
00:02:20
But you also need the P and the N.
00:02:22
The P stands for projects, or a portfolio,
and the N stands for networking.
00:02:26
You'll need all three to land a data job.
00:02:28
My guess is you understand
why skills are important.
00:02:31
To be honest, most people do.
00:02:32
In fact, most people over index on skills.
00:02:35
They think skills are super
important, the most important thing.
00:02:38
But in the job landing formula, skills
are only 33 percent of the actual formula.
00:02:43
The remaining 66 percent are going
to be your projects and your network.
00:02:46
Projects are important because they are
very easy ways, tangible evidence to
00:02:51
show to hiring managers and recruiters
that you are valuable, that you can
00:02:54
actually bring value to a business.
00:02:56
Like I said, hiring managers and
recruiters, they're busy and they're
00:02:59
going to read through resumes.
00:03:00
After the ATS screens through a
bunch of them, but once they actually
00:03:03
get to the actual resumes, they're
going to be like, okay, who can
00:03:06
do what this job description says?
00:03:08
Who can I trust?
00:03:08
And if you don't have much of a data
background, if you don't have much of
00:03:12
like a STEM background or didn't go to
school for data or something like that,
00:03:16
what evidence can you provide to them
that, yeah, I can be a great data analyst.
00:03:19
If it's just listing your skills
on a project in like a list,
00:03:23
Python, Excel, Tableau, Power
BI, that's not very convincing.
00:03:26
You're going to have a hard time
convincing hiring managers and
00:03:28
recruiters that you are worth hiring.
00:03:30
But if you have tangible evidence via a
project and you can say, Hey, look, I know
00:03:34
you're looking for someone with Tableau
experience who can analyze marketing data.
00:03:37
Here is a project I did in Tableau
where I analyzed marketing data
00:03:41
to find the top customers and
top campaigns for the latest.
00:03:44
You know, marketing campaigns that our
company did that is really powerful.
00:03:48
And I said our marketing company,
but I really just meant any marketing
00:03:52
data you can get your hands on.
00:03:53
If you can create these projects from
scratch and almost replicate as if
00:03:56
you are working for the companies that
you want to work for, that is like the
00:04:00
most powerful thing for hiring managers
and recruiters to see because all
00:04:03
of a sudden it's so tangible and so.
00:04:05
Oh my gosh, I actually understand
what Avery can do as a data analyst.
00:04:09
Here's how he took this raw data
and transformed it into this amazing
00:04:12
report with really great insights.
00:04:13
I would love for him to
do that at our company.
00:04:15
Avery, you're hired.
00:04:16
And that's the power of projects.
00:04:18
Maybe a way that you can think
about this is let's say you're a
00:04:21
hiring manager for the Fast and
the Furious, the action car movie.
00:04:30
That's coming out soon.
00:04:31
And for this particular role, you're
looking for a stunt double, someone
00:04:34
that can do stunts really well.
00:04:36
In fact, in this case, they have
to be able to jump over a car.
00:04:39
Let's say you post the job on the
internet and you get two applicants.
00:04:42
Applicant A has a resume and on the
resume says, Yes, I can jump over a car.
00:04:46
And applicant B also has a resume
that says, I can jump over a car.
00:04:49
But in addition to that, sends in
a video of them jumping over a car.
00:04:53
Who are you more likely to
hire, person A or person B?
00:04:56
It's the person that's
in the video, right?
00:04:57
And why is that?
00:04:58
It's because they provided
tangible evidence.
00:05:00
They made it themselves less of a
risk for you and then made it really
00:05:03
clear, oh yes, I totally see how this
person can be of use in this role.
00:05:07
Well, it's the same way
as data analyst jobs.
00:05:08
You want to make it as easy for the
hiring manager to make their decisions.
00:05:12
Most people over index on how
important skills are, and they
00:05:15
obviously are important, but they're
only one third of the equation.
00:05:18
I think a lot of people Enjoy learning
and so they really spend a lot of time
00:05:23
actually doing the learning But you have
to remember your purpose in watching this
00:05:27
video in your self studying and in your
upskilling is really to land a job It's
00:05:31
not to just learn right when I was an
undergrad in college I studied chemical
00:05:35
engineering And there was a week where
we had like a career week where we had
00:05:38
the career fair and we had all these
recruiters Coming and all this stuff
00:05:41
and it was also During midterms as well.
00:05:43
So we had all these tests that we
were supposed to be studying for
00:05:46
and taking and acing, and we were
supposed to be doing all this job
00:05:49
fair application stuff as well.
00:05:51
I remember seeing one of my
fellow students and she was
00:05:54
studying a whole heck of a lot.
00:05:55
And to be honest, I really wasn't.
00:05:58
She was really focused on learning
and actually getting the fundamentals
00:06:01
so that she could ace this test.
00:06:02
Instead of studying, I was
spending my time talking to
00:06:05
recruiters, hiring managers, going
to the career fair, trying to.
00:06:08
Get hired.
00:06:09
And the midterm for a really hard
class came up that week and she got
00:06:13
an A on the test and I got an F.
00:06:15
Literally 46%.
00:06:17
I failed and she aced it.
00:06:18
But by the end of that semester,
she had no prospects for a job
00:06:22
and I had a six figure offer.
00:06:23
It's really important to make
sure that you're studying.
00:06:26
Not to ace the test, not for
studying's sake, but you're
00:06:29
actually studying to land a job.
00:06:30
You have to remember that's the focus.
00:06:32
And so you shouldn't spend all
your time on studying and learning
00:06:35
the skills, because that's
only one third of the equation.
00:06:37
So if you find yourself taking mini
course after mini course on Excel or
00:06:41
Tableau or Excel, and you're not getting
any sort of job bites, The answer is
00:06:45
because you're not really working on
landing a job, you're working on upskill.
00:06:49
And those two things are related,
but they're not directly correlated.
00:06:52
Another note is when you're trying
to land your first day at a job,
00:06:54
you have to realize that there's
over 2, 000 different data skills
00:06:57
you possibly could be learning, and
you're never going to learn them all.
00:07:00
Just like, forget about it.
00:07:01
No one's ever going to learn all of those.
00:07:03
And so instead of just trying to upskill
from one skill to another skill to
00:07:06
another skill to another skill to another
skill It's important to reflect and be
00:07:09
like, what skills do I actually need?
00:07:11
And if you're trying to land your
first data job, trust me, Excel,
00:07:13
Tableau, SQL, those are the only
three you really need to use.
00:07:16
That means for going Python,
which is probably touted
00:07:19
as the data skill to learn.
00:07:21
And it's a lot of fun and
it's used quite often.
00:07:24
But the truth is, is it's used in
under 30 percent of data analyst jobs.
00:07:27
And it's really hard to learn.
00:07:29
So it's going to take
you a long time to learn.
00:07:30
And it's not used all that much.
00:07:31
So.
00:07:32
Honestly, it's probably not
worth focusing on right now.
00:07:34
In today's economy, there's just way too
many job applicants for all these jobs.
00:07:38
And you really have to think
about how you stand out.
00:07:40
95 percent of candidates
won't have a portfolio.
00:07:43
So you can be a top 5 percent
candidate by simply having a portfolio.
00:07:47
It's like these fish
right here on the screen.
00:07:49
Which one of these fish out of
420 really stands out to you?
00:07:52
It's the pink one, right?
00:07:53
Because it looks different
than the gray fish.
00:07:55
That's what having a
portfolio can do for you.
00:07:57
And that's actually what
happens with my students.
00:07:59
This is a direct message from one
of my students, who landed a data
00:08:03
analyst job without a degree.
00:08:05
Not even any sort of
bachelor's degree at all.
00:08:07
This is what he said.
00:08:08
Thank you, I am legitimately
doubling my current salary.
00:08:10
It's amazing what doing some projects
and having a portfolio can do for you.
00:08:14
And this quickly too.
00:08:15
Projects are the cheat code, you guys.
00:08:17
It's what makes you stand out.
00:08:18
And it's tangible evidence to
hiring managers and recruiters
00:08:20
that they should hire you.
00:08:22
Now, that was the P
part of the SBN method.
00:08:24
Let's talk about the N.
00:08:25
The networking.
00:08:26
And in this crazy economy with inflation,
how it is, and the amount of job
00:08:30
applicants where it's at, you really
have to know someone to land a job.
00:08:34
Once again, it's all about trust, right?
00:08:36
These hiring managers and
recruiters, they're taking a
00:08:38
risk when they're hiring you.
00:08:39
Are you actually smart enough?
00:08:41
Are you actually going to work hard?
00:08:42
Are you actually like an honest, good
person that's going to help the company?
00:08:45
Are you a team player?
00:08:46
It's all about if you can create enough
trust for that person to be like, yes,
00:08:50
I believe that Avery is going to be
a good addition to our team and help.
00:08:53
I trust in him and I'm going to hire him.
00:08:55
Well, who do you trust?
00:08:56
It's honestly the people you know.
00:08:58
And so your network is huge when
you're getting hired because
00:09:01
that's just your circle of trust.
00:09:03
Those are the people who trust
you and they're more likely
00:09:05
to hire you than anyone else.
00:09:06
But you're probably thinking, oh crap.
00:09:08
Well, I don't really know
anyone, so I'm screwed, right?
00:09:12
And the answer is No, you're
not screwed because there's two
00:09:15
things that you could do today.
00:09:16
Number one, you can realize you probably
know more people than you realize.
00:09:20
And number two, you can
get to know more people.
00:09:22
My first tip is just to literally
go through your phone and look at
00:09:25
where data analysts might work.
00:09:26
Go through every single contact and
just write down where that person works.
00:09:30
Ask yourself, does that
company hire data analysts?
00:09:32
Yes or no.
00:09:33
If yes, shoot that person a text
and say, Hey, do you know any of
00:09:36
the data analysts at your company?
00:09:37
Just start the conversation.
00:09:38
You're not asking for a million dollars.
00:09:40
You're not asking for a referral yet.
00:09:42
You're just starting a conversation.
00:09:44
That conversation could lead
somewhere quite fruitful down the
00:09:46
road, but it doesn't have to yet.
00:09:47
You're just making a connection.
00:09:49
Number two, you can meet new people.
00:09:51
One of the easiest ways to do
that is via LinkedIn by creating
00:09:53
content and commenting on LinkedIn.
00:09:55
It's something that I teach and
ask my students to do inside of
00:09:58
the Data Analytics Accelerator.
00:09:59
It's scary for sure, but
it leads to great results.
00:10:02
Another thing that you can do to
stand out is send hiring managers
00:10:04
and recruiters cold messages.
00:10:06
These are messages that just explain who
you are and why you might be a good fit
00:10:09
for the role that they're posting about.
00:10:11
95 percent of job seekers don't
send these, so just you doing
00:10:14
so puts you in the top 5%.
00:10:16
Another thing that's easier said
than done is to really optimize
00:10:19
your resume and your LinkedIn.
00:10:20
If you're applying for jobs and you're
not getting any bites, you're It honestly
00:10:24
probably could be because your LinkedIn
and your resume aren't optimized.
00:10:27
These are the two tools that the ATS,
the applicant tracking system, look at
00:10:31
to see if you're a good candidate or not.
00:10:33
If you haven't set it up correctly,
you're not getting past them.
00:10:36
You're not even getting a chance
to get rejected by a human.
00:10:38
You're just getting auto rejected by the
computer, which is super frustrating,
00:10:42
but there's some simple things that
you can do to optimize both of those.
00:10:45
That's also part of the end.
00:10:46
All this is to say, if you're struggling
to land the data job, It's likely
00:10:50
because you're really fixated on the S.
00:10:52
But just remember that's only
one third of the equation.
00:10:54
You have to have projects,
you have to have a portfolio,
00:10:56
and you have to be networking.
00:10:57
If you ignore the other two
factors, the P and the N, you're
00:11:00
going to have frustration.
00:11:01
You're going to feel like you're
stuck in tutorial hell, or you
00:11:04
feel like you're making progress
because you're learning new things.
00:11:06
But, you have to remember that
learning doesn't equal earning.
00:11:09
The combination of the learning
with the portfolios and the
00:11:13
networking, that equals earning.
00:11:15
If you want to learn more about how you
can follow the SPN method, I send out a
00:11:18
free weekly newsletter explaining how you
can follow the SPN method step by step.
00:11:22
So go check out the show
notes and sign up for that.
00:11:24
I wish you the best on your data journey.
00:11:26
And if you need another episode,
I suggest this one here or it's
00:11:29
in the show notes down below.
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