The data job market in 2025 is not fun. People are sending 100+ applications w/ no responses. What if I told you there was a way to land a job, without even applying. Sounds too good to be true, right?

In my opinion, it is. You need to be sending applications. But there's 5 steps you need to do while you're applying that will ACTUALLY help you be successful. Steve Dalton, the author of "The 2 Hour Job Search," and I recently talked about them on this week's episode of The Data Career Podcast.

The thesis? Networking is 12x more effective than cold applying online. Network more, apply less.

🎯 Define Your Targets

If you're applying for everything, you're applying for nothing. Sit down and make a list of the types of companies you have a shot at. The more friends or alumni that work there, the better.

💡 Ask For Advice

If you try to sell yourself in a email asking for a job, you're not likely to get it. If you ask for advice, you'll get it. Humans love giving advice, and when someone gives you advice, you'll learn a friend.

Friends hire friends.

📄 Less Time on Resume

Spend 3 quality hours on your resume and then be done. Instead, spend your time interacting with humans.

Humans hire humans.

👔 Schedule The First Interview

Want to interview at a certain company? Start by reaching out to someone at that company and ask to be introduced to someone else. That's it. It's not exactly a "normal" interview, but it can quickly turn into one.

🧠 Rewire Your Brain

Networking is hard. And applying online often feels easier. But the data says that networking is 12x more effective than cold applying. This means if you spend 1 hour networking, it's equal to spending 12 hours cold applying.

This is time wizardly if you ask me.

Steve and I explored these concepts in a lot more detail in the podcast episode. Catch our full 40-minute episode.