Building Relationships with Data Science Professionals

I had no connections. No referrals. No network. I moved to the US for my master's degree knowing nobody in the professional world. 47 LinkedIn followers. A resume nobody was reading. Zero callbacks. I built everything from scratch. Here is exactly how. Just a LinkedIn profile with 47 followers and a resume nobody was reading. Here is exactly how I built a network that led to my first role. 𝗙𝗶𝘅 𝘆𝗼𝘂𝗿 𝗟𝗶𝗻𝗸𝗲𝗱𝗜𝗻 𝗳𝗶𝗿𝘀𝘁 Nobody responds to a connection request from a blank profile. -- Spend one week getting it right before reaching out to anyone.  -- Clear headline.  -- Strong about section.  -- Measurable bullet points. 𝗥𝗲𝘀𝗼𝘂𝗿𝗰𝗲: Jeff Su - youtube.com/@JeffSu 𝗨𝘀𝗲 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗮𝗹𝘂𝗺𝗻𝗶 𝗳𝗶𝗹𝘁𝗲𝗿 𝗱𝗮𝗶𝗹𝘆 -- Go to your university's LinkedIn page.  -- Search a target company.  -- Get a list of alumni working there right now. These are the warmest contacts you will ever find. They went to your school. They understand your journey. I sent 5 alumni messages every morning. Not asking for a job. Asking for 15 minutes to learn about their path. 𝗧𝗿𝗲𝗮𝘁 𝗲𝘃𝗲𝗿𝘆 𝗰𝗼𝗳𝗳𝗲𝗲 𝗰𝗵𝗮𝘁 𝗹𝗶𝗸𝗲 𝗮𝗻 𝗶𝗻𝘁𝗲𝗿𝘃𝗶𝗲𝘄 -- Prepare 5 specific questions.  -- Research the person beforehand.  -- Send a follow-up within 24 hours referencing something specific from your conversation. 3 of my coffee chats turned into referrals. 1 led to my first role. 𝗥𝗲𝘀𝗼𝘂𝗿𝗰𝗲: Andrew LaCivita - youtube.com/@andylacivita 𝗝𝗼𝗶𝗻 𝗰𝗼𝗺𝗺𝘂𝗻𝗶𝘁𝗶𝗲𝘀 𝘄𝗵𝗲𝗿𝗲 𝗽𝗿𝗼𝗳𝗲𝘀𝘀𝗶𝗼𝗻𝗮𝗹𝘀 𝗴𝗮𝘁𝗵𝗲𝗿 -- Meetup → Local data and tech meetups. Show up consistently. -- DataTalks.Club → Free online community for data professionals. Active Slack. International friendly. -- LinkedIn Groups → Comment with value daily. Not just "great post." Showing up once means nothing. Showing up every month means everything. 𝗣𝗼𝘀𝘁 𝗰𝗼𝗻𝘁𝗲𝗻𝘁 𝗼𝗻 𝗟𝗶𝗻𝗸𝗲𝗱𝗜𝗻 Every time I posted about data analytics - a project, a resource, something I learned, someone new connected with me. Recruiters started finding me instead of me chasing them. 6 months: 47 followers to 2,000+. Two of my first job leads came directly from my content. 𝗕𝗲 𝘀𝗽𝗲𝗰𝗶𝗳𝗶𝗰 𝗶𝗻 𝗲𝘃𝗲𝗿𝘆 𝗼𝘂𝘁𝗿𝗲𝗮𝗰𝗵 𝗺𝗲𝘀𝘀𝗮𝗴𝗲 Every message I sent had three things: -- A specific reason why I was reaching out to them -- One genuine observation about their career -- A single small ask - a conversation, not a job Response rate went from near zero to 40%. The network you build in your first year determines your first 5 years. Show up every day. Be specific. Follow up every time. Where are you in your networking journey right now? ♻️ Repost - every international student needs to read this 💭 Tag someone who just moved to the US for their studies 📩 Get my full job search guide: https://lnkd.in/gjUqmQ5H

You don’t just need a referral for data science roles. You need someone willing to vouch for you. I recently received a message from someone I supported. He didn’t thank me for “a referral.” He thanked me for: • Personally recommending him • Letting him know about the closing date • Sharing the recruiter’s contact • Going the extra mile That’s different. A referral puts your name in the system. An advocate makes sure someone actually looks at it. When I transitioned from teaching into data science, I did not get hired through a referral. I was mass applying. Clicking submit. Waiting. Now I work closely with recruiters. For one data science role, there can be hundreds or thousands of applications. And now with AI tools, it’s even more. Most resumes list Python. Most list SQL. Most list machine learning. On paper, many people look the same. The difference? Someone inside saying, “I know her. She’s serious. Take a look.” If you are applying first and networking later, you are making this harder than it needs to be. Start with the conversation. Ask thoughtful questions. Show interest in their team’s work. Build a real connection. Then ask: “Would you feel comfortable referring me?” And if the relationship is strong: “Would you be willing to keep me updated on the process?” That is how your name gets remembered. A referral helps. An advocate follows through. And when you get in, pay it forward. P.S. Have you ever actually asked someone to advocate for you, or are you still just clicking apply? #DataSistah 📌 Save this if you’re serious about landing interviews. ♻ Repost for someone applying blindly. 👋🏾 Hi, I’m Data Sistah. I left a 20-year teaching career in my 40s to become a data scientist. I share what I learned the hard way so you don’t have to.

Getting my first data scientist job didn’t happen the way most career guides suggest. I didn’t rely much on job portals. Instead, I focused on things that felt more human: ✔️ Cold emailing people whose work I admired ✔️ Having lots of coffee chats and conversations ✔️ Turning school projects into real portfolio pieces ✔️ Building relationships before asking for referrals Over time, those small actions added up. Eventually, a recruiter reached out to me for my first data scientist role. Looking back, the biggest lever wasn’t one tactic, it was building visibility. Sharing my work, building a portfolio, and staying active on LinkedIn helped opportunities come to me. 💬Curious to hear from others here: What helped you land your first role in tech? #datascience #careersintech #womenintech #personalbrand #techcareers

I’ve given 5 lectures on networking in the past 2 weeks 🎙️ at various universities and professional societies. It’s never been more important to establish a strong network to support career progression—whether you're aiming for the tenure track, industry R&D, consulting, or a non-profit role. 🚀 But let's be honest, the word "networking" often feels transactional, stiff, and overwhelming, especially for scientists who'd rather be at the bench or writing code. 🧪💻 So, let's reframe it: You're not collecting business cards; you're relationship building. 🤝 3 Shifts to Make Your Relationships Effective: * From "What can they do for me?" to "How can I genuinely help/learn?" 🤔 When reaching out, always lead with curiosity about their career path or offer a relevant insight (e.g., "I saw your paper on X—it made me think of Y."). Show that you value their time and expertise. 🌟 * From 100 Acquaintances to 10 Champions🏆 A strong network isn't about volume; it's about depth. Invest time in 5-10 people who truly understand your goals and will actually put their reputation on the line to recommend you. These are your champions. 💪 * Prioritize Targeted Follow-up Over Crowd Mingle☕ Attend networking events when you can and focus on making a couple connections. You’ll get more impact by sending a brief, respectful email requesting a 15 min chat over coffee (in person or virtual). A targeted conversation is impactful and informative. 💡 Your PhD/postdoc training develops your expertise. Your network gives you opportunity. ✨ What's one thing you've found effective in building your own career relationships? Share your tips below! 👇 #PhD #Postdoc #CareerDevelopment #NetworkingTips #EarlyCareerScientist #ScienceCareers #RelationshipBuilding 🔬

Yesterday, I was asked on our weekly group coaching call: "How do I pick the tech skills to future proof my data career in 10 years?" Here's my answer: You don’t. You can’t. No one - not me, not hiring managers, not industry vets - can predict where data and AI jobs will be in 10 years. But you can future-proof yourself. I told them to invest in these two skills: 𝟭. 𝗟𝗲𝗮𝗿𝗻 𝗵𝗼𝘄 𝘁𝗼 𝘂𝗻𝗱𝗲𝗿𝘀𝘁𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗯𝘂𝘀𝗶𝗻𝗲𝘀𝘀 𝗽𝗿𝗼𝗯𝗹𝗲𝗺𝘀 - 𝗻𝗼𝘁 𝘁𝗼𝗼𝗹𝘀 Tools change. Techniques evolve. But companies will always pay for people who understand their pain points. If you know: - what the business is trying to make money from - what’s not working - where leadership is shifting strategy - what risks they’re worried about - what opportunities they’re betting on …you’ll be valuable forever. 𝗛𝗲𝗿𝗲'𝘀 𝗮 𝘀𝗶𝗺𝗽𝗹𝗲 𝘄𝗮𝘆 𝘁𝗼 𝘁𝗿𝗮𝗶𝗻 𝘁𝗵𝗶𝘀 𝘀𝗸𝗶𝗹𝗹: Quarterly earnings reports. 1. Pick 5–10 companies. 2. Download their Q/Q earnings from their investor relations pages. 3. Drop them into ChatGPT and ask: - “What problems is this company facing right now?” - “What are their top priorities this quarter?” - “Where are they losing money?” - “Where are they investing heavily?” - “What strategic focus is shifting?” This is how you build killer business intuition that 99% of people lack. 𝟮. 𝗕𝘂𝗶𝗹𝗱 𝗰𝗼𝗻𝗻𝗲𝗰𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻𝘀, 𝗯𝗲𝗰𝗮𝘂𝘀𝗲 𝗽𝗲𝗼𝗽𝗹𝗲 𝗵𝗶𝗿𝗲 𝗽𝗲𝗼𝗽𝗹𝗲 Jobs change. Skills become irrelevant. Entire fields appear and disappear. But one thing never changes: People control opportunities. People control resources. People hire people. The relationships you build today can open doors for you 2, 5, even 10 years from now. And the earlier you start cultivating them, the more they compound. Not networking in a sleazy way where all you do is take. But staying in touch, asking good questions, offering help 𝗕𝗲𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗵𝘂𝗺𝗮𝗻. Your network is the one asset that does not get disrupted by new models, new frameworks, new LLMs, or new job titles. Stop trying to predict the future. Get world-class at understanding business problems. Get world-class at building relationships. Everything else will change. These two never will. ♻️ Repost when you know 99.7% of people will ignore this ⚠️ Warning: Following Mandy may cause uncomfortable levels of success