Hi fellow data professional!

Next time you think you’ve tried everything in your job search, remember: I once worked with a guy who got hired at a national broadcast network on the strength of his parody rap.

The intern, Jake, didn’t have a network or elite contacts, but he wanted an internship at The Tonight Show, a competitive role with over 10,000 applicants per semester.

So, he recreated a shot-for-shot parody of a song previously performed on the show, rewritten with lyrics specifically for the staff.

The result? Jimmy Fallon hired him personally on-air.

Now, a cynical read says he just did something "extreme."

I take the optimistic view.

He was purposeful, he was creative, and most importantly, he did the work.

If you’re currently applying for Data Science or Engineering roles, you’ve seen that LinkedIn prompt: See how you compare to 1,000 other applicants. It’s the ultimate TMI for job candidates.

That 1 line of text doesn't tell you who is a bot, who is unqualified, or who actually did the work. But it does fuel the "vicious cycle" of needing experience to get experience.

In a tightening market, being "privately good" at what you do isn't enough.

You need to build and market yourself in public.

When my colleague Jake got hired for his rap, hundreds of people tried to copy him.

The results were cringeworthy.

They saw a "shortcut" when the "overnight success" they witnessed was actually built on 100+ hours of craft and creativity.

Increasing your visibility isn't about LinkedIn "hacks" or asking for a job the day after graduation.

It involves adapting a systematic Calling Card strategy:

1. Identify a Unique Value: Don't build another "Titanic" dashboard.
2. Build a "Thesis" Project You Actually Enjoy: Spend weeks, not hours. If you love baseball, build an MLB scouting dash using raw data you sourced yourself.
3. Explain the Process: Write a "Behind the Scenes" on Medium. This proves you can simplify technical concepts for non-technical stakeholders.
4. Connect Where Managers Lurk: Take that project to GitHub, Reddit, or specific niche communities. LinkedIn may be full of bots, but my peers still lurk on data subs.

If a hiring manager finds your work on r/dataisbeautiful or reads your technical breakdown on Medium, you aren't just an applicant anymore. You are a proven commodity.

You’ve demonstrated domain knowledge, technical design, and, most importantly, the courage to go public with your work.

Jake’s video wasn't just a gimmick; it was a resume-worthy product.

In an era where AI can generate a basic Python script in seconds, your ability to document a complex, manual, and creative process is one of the remaining moats between those who learn how to code and those who can truly build.

​Read the full profile to learn how to build something you won’t want to keep private.

Thanks for ingesting,

-Zach Quinn

​Medium | LinkedIn | Ebooks