Between Hope and Hired: A New Grad’s Playbook for Breaking Into Data

Good day to you one and all!

Today’s issue is a special one: we’ve invited a new guest voice with a story many early-career analysts will recognise.

Sayali Bagul is a recent analytics graduate who did everything “by the book”: solid grades, real-world experience, a move overseas for a master’s, relentless applications - and still found herself staring at a silent inbox.

Instead of giving up, she turned the struggle into a practical playbook for staying in the game when the market feels closed.

Why bring Sayali in? Because her perspective sits right at the fault line where analytics careers are shifting. AI is automating the busywork, and employers are demanding more than dashboards and code. They want people who can translate data into decisions, influence without authority, and adapt as tools evolve. For grads, migrants, and anyone breaking into a new market, that gap can feel like a canyon.

Sayali shows how she intends to cross it.

In this piece, she shares:

• The reality of “perfect plan, no offer”, and why it’s more common than anyone admits.

• How to keep momentum when internships fall through and visas or citizenship rules block roles.

• A 10‑minute career play you can run today to build signal, not just send more applications.

So here’s Sayali. With a grounded, hopeful field guide for anyone who’s qualified on paper but invisible in the market.

If the door hasn’t opened yet, this is the mindset and method to stay ready when it does.

Over to Sayali.

Sayali Bagul

https://www.linkedin.com/in/sayalibagul/

You can follow the “perfect” plan - good grades, an internship that turns into a full-time role, a master’s degree in another country; and still end up refreshing your inbox for a reply that never comes.

If you’re early in your data career, you know the sting. Entry-level jobs that want three years of experience.

Half the roles closed to non-citizens.

Your hard-earned qualifications suddenly feeling like a ticket to nowhere.

It’s frustrating in a way nobody warns you about. You’ve worked hard, ticked every box, and yet here you are; qualified on paper, invisible in the job market.

Why This Moment Feels Different

The world of data is shifting under our feet. AI is reshaping analytics work faster than most universities can update their syllabi. Dashboards, basic analysis, even coding tasks.. things we once thought of as “the work” are increasingly automated.

Employers aren’t just hiring for technical skills anymore. They want people who can bridge the gap between data and decision-making, who can influence without authority, who can adapt when tools change overnight.

And if you’re a graduate starting out in a new country?

The challenge multiplies.

The gap between education and opportunity doesn’t just exist - it feels like a huge yawning canyon.

How My Journey Began

I was in my final year of a bachelor’s degree when I landed a corporate placement. Six months of hands-on experience in a well-known company. That internship rolled into a full-time role, which should have been the happy ending.

But I wanted more. More knowledge. More exposure to the bigger picture. And, yes, the higher salary that often comes with advanced degrees.

I decided to study abroad. Australia became the choice, and I earned a 25% scholarship to Deakin University. My mum was thrilled from the start; my dad was cautious at first but eventually became one of my biggest supporters.

Taking the Leap

The first six months in Australia were… messy. I was trying to keep up with lectures and assignments, all while learning how to live alone for the first time. I worked part-time to cover expenses, racing from campus to shifts and back.

Homesickness was my constant shadow. Every festival or family gathering back home showed up in my phone notifications, and with it, a pang of FOMO. There were nights I lay awake wondering if I’d made the right choice.

But slowly, I found my footing. I built routines. I learned to cook simple meals. I figured out how to juggle everything without dropping the ball.

The Internship Wall

By my second year, my focus shifted from survival to career building. I knew I needed Australian work experience to stand out. I went to networking events, sent LinkedIn messages, applied to every internship that came up.

The answer was always the same: “We had many strong candidates, unfortunately, you were not selected.”

In my final trimester, I doubled down.

More applications.

More follow-ups. And in one low moment, I fell for a scam that dangled a fake “opportunity” in front of me.

Graduation, and the Grind

I graduated in February 2025. Since then, I’ve been in what I can only describe as the grind cycle:

• Wake up. Check job boards. Apply.

• Reach out to contacts. Send follow-up emails.

• Hear “We’ll keep you in mind” or… nothing at all.

Friends and family have passed along referrals, but most end the same way - no update, no offer.

The Fear

Some days, the fear is louder than the hope.

What if I never break in?

What if “Australian citizenship required” keeps blocking me?

What if even junior roles always want more experience than I have?

Those thoughts can eat away at your confidence. They make you question if you’ve made one wrong decision after another.

The Hope

But there’s another voice, and I hold on to it. Somewhere out there is a team that will take a chance on me. Somewhere there’s work that will make my parents proud. I just haven’t found it yet.

What’s unclear is how to get there.

Should I focus on volume, sending more applications?

Or depth, building stronger connections?

Or should I step back and upskill?

Right now, I’m doing all three.

My Networking Strategy

Im slowly learning that hiding behind applications isn’t enough. I have to be visible where opportunities start: on LinkedIn.

I don’t post absolutely every day, and you don’t have to either.

But.

The rule I am latching on to is simple: be consistently active in a way that’s sustainable.

Here’s the rhythm I’m following:

• Comment on a few posts each day with something helpful or specific. Ask for advice, be curious, be funny - show my human non technical side.

• Share my own post three times a week: lessons learned, small wins, or questions I’m exploring.

• Connect with one person at my level, one person a step ahead, and one person a step behind .. every week.

• DM every new connection (and check in with existing ones) with a short, genuine note.

It’s slow and steady, but it compounds.

Over time, my aim is to build a network that actually wants me to win.

The chances that someone in that circle steps up when I need help should hopefully go way up.

And along the way, I’m learning a lot about who I am and how I can help others.

The 10-Minute Career Play

If you’re in the same spot, here’s one thing you can do today.

In the next 10 minutes:

• Send a connection request to someone in your target role with one personalised sentence.

• Write a two-line “career snapshot” you can paste into messages and posts.

• Choose one in-demand skill from job descriptions and schedule time this week to start it.

I’m not expecting any of these will land you a job instantly, but they keep you in the game, feeling connected, and that’s the only way to win.

Closing the Gap

Only you can steer your career, but it’s not a solo climb.

My parents’ unwavering belief in me is what keeps me moving forward on days I want to stop. That support reminds me that persistence is just as important as skill.

If you’re stuck in the gap between where you are and where you want to be, stay resilient, stay ready.

Connect with me - I am here to support you, listen, discuss, ideate.

The door will open. And when it does, you’ll be ready to walk through it.

Own your path. Write your story.

❤️ Sayali

PS.. Forward this to one analytics teammate who worries AI is eating their lunch — and help them climb the Ladder.