When you have a problem calculating data, you do not keep repeating the exact process and expect a different result. Instead, you take a step back, examine your process, diagnose the problem, make the proper adjustments, and try again. You should be doing the same for your job search. If you keep applying and are not getting the results that you want then you need to take a step back from your situation examine your materials, interview presence, and follow up, diagnose the problem, and make the proper adjustments.

You may be thinking this is obvious stuff, yet many of you will not make the changes you need to make.  Usually, one of these two reasons is holding you back: you do not see where the changes need to be made or you do not know how to make the changes needed and are just guessing. 

No matter what the reason is for the disconnect the solution is the same. Ask for help. Having an extra set of eyes to review your application materials will shed new light on how to improve them.  Also, by asking an experienced career coach to review your materials they will be reviewed based on common benchmarks for data science, machine learning, artificial intelligence, and advanced analytics.

Often, applicants will have their materials reviewed by a friend or family member. This can be problematic because, unless the friend is very honest, they will not give you the negative feedback that you may need to improve. Additionally, your family and friends understand you on a level that hiring managers won’t. Therefore, what may make sense to those that know you will not always translate to a hiring manager that doesn’t know you. Hiring a career coach removes the bias from the review of your materials.

When you are applying for a position in data science, machine learning, artificial intelligence, or advanced analytics you want someone who has been successful in the field to help you prepare to apply. The process of applying for these positions requires a specific type of formatting that many people who have never worked in these fields don’t understand. Experience is not something that can be overlooked.

The more experience in your desired field you have will increase the number of positions you may be qualified for. Having a career coach that specialized in your desired field will help weed out all the valuable experiences that you may have overlooked. You could have more to offer than you realize.

With all of that said, I firmly believe that the upfront investment of an experienced career coach is worth the time and energy you will save by working with a professional.