MENTORSHIP - Applications for the Winter 2025 mentorship cohort are now open!
Apply here → https://theanalyticsaccelerator.com/

ABOUT THIS VIDEO
Last week I gave a talk to ~60 Columbia University grad students about the most common pitfalls of aspiring data professionals today, as well as ways to avoid and overcome them. We dive into topics like getting experience (without "experience"), portfolio projects, interview challenges, certifications, and sponsorships. If you're serious about transitioning into a data career, stick to the end for our live Q&A!

ABOUT ME
If we haven’t met yet - hi! I’m Christine, a former data director and hiring manager helping ambitious career transitioners and recent grads land their first job as a data analyst. I'll be sharing the insights and strategies that empowered over 70% of job-hunting students in the first cohort of my mentorship program landed their first data job within 6 months, in today's super-competitive job market.

If you want to become a standout data analyst through applied business skills, soft skills, and strategies for every part of the job hunt process - so that you can have confidence, professional leverage, and bring real impact to work - connect below for more insights and future workshops!

LINKS
Get more tips in my newsletter - https://bit.ly/3LodfYs
Powerful action verbs for resume / cover letter here - https://www.betterteam.com/action-ver...
Apply to the next cohort - https://theanalyticsaccelerator.com/
Follow on LinkedIn -   / christine-jiang  
Instagram -   / cjiaang   (my photography, because why not)

Timestamps:
0:00 - Introduction
2:04 - Start of Talk
4:50 - 5 Most Common Pitfalls
5:39 - Pitfall 1: Resume Before Experience
9:00 - Pitfall 2: Portfolio without Relevance
15:41 - Pitfall 3: Spraying and Praying
24:43 - Pitfall 4: Lost in Translation
29:23 - Pitfall 5: Over-focusing on Tech Skills
37:01 - Question 1: What should I focus on to land a US-based data job?
38:49 - Question 2: How do we stand out in the interview process?
41:56 - Question 3: How to handle questions about sponsorship?
43:04 - Question 4: How much does a referral from an employee help?
44:20 - Question 5: When is the best time to ask for a referral?
46:00 - Question 6: What are the most important certifications to have?
47:35 - Question 7: When is the best time to apply and not get lost in the resume hole?
48:49 - Question 8: How should I go about transitioning from engineering to product?
50:48 - Question 9: Should we include school projects in our resume?
51:47 - Question 10: What if I get an offer at a company while interviewing with a better company?
53:52 - Question 11: Common mistakes during interviews?

Video URL:    • 5 Common Pitfalls of Aspiring Data Analyst...