Identifying Your Professional Niche

I constantly get recruiter reachouts from big tech companies and top AI startups- even when I’m not actively job hunting or listed as “Open to Work.” That’s because over the years, I’ve consciously put in the effort to build a clear and consistent presence on LinkedIn- one that reflects what I do, what I care about, and the kind of work I want to be known for. And the best part? It’s something anyone can do- with the right strategy and a bit of consistency. If you’re tired of applying to dozens of jobs with no reply, here are 5 powerful LinkedIn upgrades that will make recruiters come to you: 1. Quietly activate “Open to Work” Even if you’re not searching, turning this on boosts your visibility in recruiter filters. → Turn it on under your profile → “Open to” → “Finding a new job” → Choose “Recruiters only” visibility → Specify target titles and locations clearly (e.g., “Machine Learning Engineer – Computer Vision, Remote”) Why it works: Recruiters rely on this filter to find passive yet qualified candidates. 2. Treat your headline like SEO + your elevator pitch Your headline is key real estate- use it to clearly communicate role, expertise, and value. Weak example: “Software Developer at XYZ Company” → Generic and not searchable. Strong example: “ML Engineer | Computer Vision for Autonomous Systems | PyTorch, TensorRT Specialist” → Role: ML Engineer → Niche: computer vision in autonomous systems → Tools: PyTorch, TensorRT This structure reflects best practices from experts who recommend combining role, specialization, technical skills, and context to stand out. 3. Upgrade your visuals to build trust → Use a crisp headshot: natural light, simple background, friendly expression → Add a banner that reinforces your brand: you working, speaking, or a tagline with tools/logos Why it works: Clean visuals increase profile views and instantly project credibility. 4. Rewrite your “About” section as a human story Skip the bullet list, tell a narrative in three parts: → Intro: “I’m an ML engineer specializing in computer vision models for autonomous systems.” → Expertise: “I build end‑to‑end pipelines using PyTorch and TensorRT, optimizing real‑time inference for edge deployment.” → Motivation: “I’m passionate about enabling safer autonomy through efficient vision AI, let’s connect if you’re building in that space.” Why it works: Authentic storytelling creates memorability and emotional resonance . 5. Be the advocate for your work Make your profile act like a portfolio, not just a resume. → Under each role, add 2–4 bullet points with measurable outcomes and tools (e.g., “Reduced inference latency by 35% using INT8 quantization in TensorRT”) → In the Featured section, highlight demos, whitepapers, GitHub repos, or tech talks Give yourself five intentional profile upgrades this week. Then sit back and watch recruiters start reaching you, even in today’s competitive market.

Your LinkedIn profile is a 24/7 inbound job magnet if you set it up right! It's an opportunity to have the hottest companies and hiring managers chasing you rather than you running after them. Impossible? Hell no. It’s how I got my senior product position at Affirm and the same story for VP of product at Apollo. Here’s the complete guide to converting your LinkedIn profile into a job-attracting asset: — 𝟭. 𝗛𝗘𝗔𝗗𝗟𝗜𝗡𝗘 Don't use generic headline templates mentioning your job title and company name. ↳ Highlight your expertise or niche. ↳ Mention companies for credibility. ↳ Add a secondary offer; are you a coach, speaker, or consultant? ↳ Example: "Senior Product Manager @ TechCo | Driving B2B SaaS Growth 🚀 | Ex-Google, Ex-Amazon | Product Leadership Coach" — 𝟮. 𝗔𝗕𝗢𝗨𝗧 𝗠𝗘 Think of your "About" section as your personal story. ↳ Experience summary showcasing your value. ↳ Use storytelling to highlight your key achievements (don’t forget to mention numbers/results) with a personal touch. ↳ Wrap up by stating what kind of roles or challenges you’re interested in next. — 𝟯. 𝗣𝗥𝗢𝗙𝗜𝗟𝗘 𝗣𝗜𝗖𝗧𝗨𝗥𝗘 𝗔𝗡𝗗 𝗖𝗢𝗩𝗘𝗥 𝗜𝗠𝗔𝗚𝗘 How people perceive you depends a lot on how you visually present yourself. Here’s how to do it right: ↳ High-quality and professional headshot. Use AI if you don’t have a good photo. ↳ Don’t use cover photos for vague quotes; use it to highlight your achievements, awards, reviews, your products, etc. — 𝟰. 𝗘𝗫𝗣𝗘𝗥𝗜𝗘𝗡𝗖𝗘 Your experience section is where the real depth comes in. ↳ Go beyond job duties and focus on the specific results and outcomes you achieved. ↳ Use the Situation, Action, Result (SAR) framework to highlight what you did and how it made an impact. (e.g., “Increased customer retention by 25% in 6 months”). ↳ Use industry-specific keywords so recruiters can easily find you in searches. — 𝟱. 𝗔𝗗𝗩𝗔𝗡𝗖𝗘𝗗 𝗦𝗘𝗧𝗧𝗜𝗡𝗚𝗦 ↳ Simplify your LinkedIn URL (e.g., linkedin.com/in/YourName) with a custom URL. ↳ Make sure to add a link to your portfolio, website, or a side project directly in your profile. ↳ Regularly review your contact info and make it easy for recruiters to reach out to you. — 𝟲. 𝗥𝗘𝗖𝗢𝗠𝗠𝗘𝗡𝗗𝗔𝗧𝗜𝗢𝗡𝗦 Think of recommendations as built-in references that add credibility to your profile. ↳ Reach out to people who can specifically highlight your key skills and achievements. ↳ Aim for a variety of recommendations—managers, colleagues, and clients. ↳ Pin your top 2-3 recommendations. — 𝟳. 𝗦𝗞𝗜𝗟𝗟𝗦 The "Skills" section helps you appear in searches and validates your expertise: ↳ Choose skills that define your professional strengths, and pin your top 3. ↳ Take LinkedIn skill assessments to add credibility with “verified” badges. — If you want to dive deeper into how to do it all with real-time examples and breakdowns, check out the guide below in comments.

You're making yourself invisible to recruiters. My client just got 2 recruiters reaching out within 24 hours of fixing their LinkedIn profile. Same skills, same experience - just stopped doing what 90% of data professionals do wrong. The truth is: You're competing against thousands of other "Python/SQL/Tableau" profiles that all look identical. Your technical skills aren't the problem - your positioning is. I've placed 50+ data professionals in the last 3 years, had 700+ calls with them, and the pattern is always the same: smart people making themselves invisible because they think being technical is enough. 𝗜𝘁'𝘀 𝗻𝗼𝘁. Here's what separates those who get contacted from those who get ignored: 𝟭. 𝗬𝗼𝘂𝗿 𝗵𝗲𝗮𝗱𝗹𝗶𝗻𝗲 𝗶𝘀 𝗱𝗼𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗡𝗢𝗧𝗛𝗜𝗡𝗚 𝗳𝗼𝗿 𝘆𝗼𝘂 Stop this: "Data Scientist | Python, SQL, Tableau" Start this: "Data Scientist | Helped hospitals reduce readmission rates by 37% using predictive analytics | Python • SQL • Tableau" See the difference? One shows what you know, the other shows what you accomplish. 𝟮. 𝗬𝗼𝘂𝗿 "𝗔𝗯𝗼𝘂𝘁" 𝘀𝗲𝗰𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻 𝗿𝗲𝗮𝗱𝘀 𝗹𝗶𝗸𝗲 𝗮 𝗿𝗲𝘀𝘂𝗺𝗲 Recruiters spend 7.4 seconds scanning your profile. Your opening line either hooks them or they're gone. Try this formula: • Bold opener: "I help fintech startups turn messy data into revenue" • Proof with numbers: "Built classification model that reduced customer churn by 15%, saving $230K annually" • Call to action: "Let's discuss how data can solve your biggest challenges" 𝟯. 𝗬𝗼𝘂𝗿 𝗲𝘅𝗽𝗲𝗿𝗶𝗲𝗻𝗰𝗲 𝘀𝗲𝗰𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻 𝗹𝗶𝘀𝘁𝘀 𝗿𝗲𝘀𝗽𝗼𝗻𝘀𝗶𝗯𝗶𝗹𝗶𝘁𝗶𝗲𝘀, 𝗻𝗼𝘁 𝗿𝗲𝘀𝘂𝗹𝘁𝘀 Instead of: "Responsible for data analysis and dashboard creation" Write: "Designed automated dashboard used by 5 departments, reducing manual reporting from 5 hours to 30 minutes weekly." Every bullet point should make them think: "We need someone who can do THAT." 93% of recruiters use LinkedIn to find technical talent. If you're not showing up in their searches, you might as well not exist. 𝟮 𝗵𝗼𝘂𝗿𝘀 𝗳𝗶𝘅𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝘁𝗵𝗲𝘀𝗲 𝘀𝗲𝗰𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻𝘀 𝗰𝗼𝘂𝗹𝗱 𝗰𝗵𝗮𝗻𝗴𝗲 𝗲𝘃𝗲𝗿𝘆𝘁𝗵𝗶𝗻𝗴. Stop hoping someone will notice your technical skills and start making it impossible for them to ignore your impact. 𝘍𝘰𝘭𝘭𝘰𝘸 𝘮𝘦 Jaret André 𝘧𝘰𝘳 𝘴𝘵𝘳𝘢𝘵𝘦𝘨𝘪𝘦𝘴 𝘵𝘩𝘢𝘵 𝘢𝘤𝘵𝘶𝘢𝘭𝘭𝘺 𝘨𝘦𝘵 𝘥𝘢𝘵𝘢 𝘱𝘳𝘰𝘧𝘦𝘴𝘴𝘪𝘰𝘯𝘢𝘭𝘴 𝘩𝘪𝘳𝘦𝘥. 𝘙𝘦𝘱𝘰𝘴𝘵 𝘪𝘧 𝘺𝘰𝘶'𝘳𝘦 𝘳𝘦𝘢𝘥𝘺 𝘵𝘰 𝘴𝘵𝘰𝘱 𝘣𝘦𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘪𝘯𝘷𝘪𝘴𝘪𝘣𝘭𝘦 ↻️

UX, as a field, is splitting. It's not "dying", just changing. Some designers are niching down, becoming high-paid specialists. Others are blending UX with AI, PM, or Data. Some are staying execution-focused and embedded in product teams. Look at the framework below. Where do you fall? 1. Specialized UX → High-demand, high-pay experts (Fintech, AI UX, Accessibility, etc.). 2. Strategic UX → Leads vision, research, and product strategy. 3. Crossover UX → Blends UX with PM, AI, or Data for hybrid roles. 4. Product-Embedded UX → Execution-focused inside product teams. So…which path is best? That depends on your long-term goals. ✅ Want job security and leverage in UX? → Specialize. ✅ Want to lead UX strategy? → Go strategic. ✅ Passionate about AI, product, or data? → Crossover is a great option. ✅ Love fast-paced execution? → Product-Embedded might fit. There’s no “wrong” path. But there are risks. 🛑 Generalist UX roles are shrinking. 🛑 Execution-heavy roles have less long-term leverage. Be intentional about your path. 📩 DM me if you want to strategize your next move. 💬 Comment below on your thoughts! UX isn’t dying...it’s evolving. Pick the right lane before the market picks it for you. #UXCareers #UXDesign #UXStrategy #UXResearch   #CareerGrowth #Specialization #FutureOfWork   #AIandDesign #ProductDesign #DesignThinking  

This is the framework I find most helpful with designers who are struggling to position themselves in a tough job market. I highly recommend finding a good design recruiting partner or experienced design hiring manager to have a conversation on: 1. What have you done at previous roles? 2. What would you like to do next, ideally? 3. What sort of design skills are most in demand right now? I envision these 3 questions to form a Venn diagram of 3 circles. Designers tend to fall in 1 of 3 overlapping areas of: Reskill, Pragmatism, or Transition. **RE-SKILL If they would like to continue doing what they’ve always done, but suddenly can’t land a job, they’re likely in the RE-SKILL category. This includes design strategists, researchers, service designers, and people managers. Folks who do not have hands-on visual design craft are finding that the market has shrunken considerably since 2022. The question becomes do they transition into a different function or double down and try to out-compete the hundreds of other applicants? **PRAGMATISM If they’re running out of savings and must land a job ASAP, then they’re in the PRAGMATISM category. They do not have the luxury of considering their ideal work environment or the time to re-skill or transition. We’re just trying to bridge past experiences with current market demands by effectively communicating strength signals, copy writing, and portfolio overhauls. **TRANSITION If they’d like to do something somewhat different from their previous experience and are wiling to invest significant time and resources into this, then they fall into the TRANSITION category. Usually, their portfolios and job titles don’t clearly demonstrate that they can do the work asked of them. Examples include B2B designers wanting to transition into B2C work. Or designers who would like to become PMs. Unlike in 2021, hiring managers are less likely to take on ‘TRANSITIONERS’ when there are ‘PRAGMATIC’ candidates who have identical demonstrated experience as the job requirements. The focus then becomes how best to create concrete examples of the work they want to do and identify the hiring manager willing to give them that chance.

Don't listen to people who say you need X years of experience in data analysis before starting your own business. Since the job market has been so rough lately, it seems like more and more people are exploring self-employment as a viable source of income. If you have several years of experience in tech, you've probably already considered freelance analytics consulting. But if you're early in your career, you may not have the industry experience to become a consultant. So what options do you have? I believe you should lean into whatever ultra-niche obsession you have. For me, that's creating tech tutorials and talking about data. I've been consistently creating educational content for over two years, and six months ago, I was able to turn it into my full time job. Your obsession does not have to be tech-related. Whatever you like to do and are good at doing, do it. Eventually, you'll become the best at it and people will hire you to do what you love. - Maybe you love creating memes. Create data-related memes and post them on social media. Maybe you love paranormal activity. Build statistical models to detect anomalies in EMF, temperature, and audio readings from paranormal investigations. Sell “data-driven ghost reports” to ghost tour companies. Maybe you love mushroom foraging. Collect spore print, soil composition, temperature, and humidity data to predict mushroom growth spots. Turn it into an app for safe mushroom hunters. - You might be surprised at how well data analytics pairs with the hobbies you already love. Everyone has something they are good at, so everyone can build a business. Comment what hobby you obsess over and I'll help you brainstorm some business ideas.

Years ago, one of my colleagues was drowning in work. 80+ hours a week. A 2-hour commute. Missing his kid’s milestones. He was earning well, but it was costing him everything. And one day, he opened up to me — his marriage was now on the line. In these situations, I always ask, “Are you venting, or seeking a real solution?” He was serious — he needed a way out. So we talked money. Turns out, he could make do with 75-80% of his current salary. And he loved planning events. Any size. Anywhere. I reminded him of his knack for it. He’d even hosted hit parties at home. My suggestion? Turn this into a business— Start small. Weekend events. Meanwhile, pivot at work— Move to a remote, customer support role. Less hours, no commute. That gave him more family time, and more time to grow his business. So week later, he switched roles. And a month later, he hosted his first event. 18 months on, he quit his job to run his event planning business full-time. Moral of the story? Invest in yourself. Create work that lets you get paid for your passion. We only get one shot at this life thing— So don’t waste time on what doesn’t bring joy.

Tonight, I received a call inquiring about my journey in the insurance sector and seeking advice for someone starting their career in this industry. One key insight I've gained is the importance of working for companies where the CEO engages with employees at all levels. Leaders who genuinely care about your career growth are the ones you should aim to work for. I've been fortunate to work for some remarkable companies, and the friendships I've formed there are invaluable. If I were beginning a new career in insurance today, drawing from 36 years of experience, here's the advice I'd offer my younger self: ✅ Prioritize Mentorship and Sponsorship: Build your brand with the help of mentors and sponsors who can advocate for you. Ensure your voice is heard in significant discussions. ✅ Embrace Specialization: While aligning with a carrier that focuses on auto and home insurance is an option, it’s vital to diversify your expertise with life and commercial insurance. These areas have considerably broadened my knowledge and skill set. ✅ Maximize Earnings and Marketability by Job Mobility: To optimize your earning potential and enhance your market appeal, consider changing companies every 3-5 years. Although this may unsettle those accustomed to traditional career paths, it reflects the modern workforce's realities. Adaptability is crucial in today's professional landscape. ✅ Learn from Industry Leaders: As an agent, seek out and learn from the best in the industry. As for which is better, independent or captive carriers - there’s pros and cons to both. I have my preferences for certain. ✅ Diversify Your Experience: During my 18+ years with one company, my greatest growth occurred when I diversified my experience every two years. If you remain with one organization, avoid staying in the same role for too long. Broadening your knowledge will be indispensable for future opportunities. ✅ Network Strategically: Constantly expand your network. Make sure people within and outside your organization know who you are. Building your personal brand is key to long-term success. ✅ Value Education: While many carriers stress the importance of industry-specific designations, I chose to earn a Master's degree. Although it wasn't essential for my insurance career, the additional knowledge and experience were invaluable. ✅ Stay Humble and Give Back: As you advance, remain humble and always remember the significance of mentoring others. Invest in someone's growth and help pave the way for their success. Best of luck, new insurance industry professionals. #mentorship #specialization #networking #education #giveback #Diversify #insurance

An easy way to discover your niche is to look back at your prior work and find the projects you loved, were great at, and clients were the happiest about. Then go try and do more of those. But what if you’re new to the industry or to a specific field? You may not have enough experience yet to know what to do more of. Instead of picking one arbitrarily, here’s a simple guide I share with juniors: 1️⃣ Explore widely. Take on different industries, project types, and clients. Treat it like research. If you can swing it, do 12 different projects over 12 months. 2️⃣ Don’t be picky. Your early projects don’t define you forever. Work with different clients, perform different services, try different things. Think of this time as a period of experimentation. The more range you get here, the more data you have to work with. 3️⃣ Look for patterns. After your 12 months of 12 projects, then reflect. Which projects energized you most? Which ones felt easy? Where did you deliver the best results? What did clients seem to value most? By doing a lot and then evaluating after, you’ll start to hone in on what you can become known for. Don’t stress about picking a niche on day one. The best niches aren’t plucked out of thin air. They’re discovered through experience.