Supreet Kaur’s Journey to Microsoft: Navigating the AI Job MarketSupreet Kaur’s Journey to Microsoft: Navigating the AI Job Market 29-year-old Supreet Kaur’s experience in the AI job market offers valuable insights into the evolving landscape. After applying to 15 companies and working in AI at Morgan Stanley, she recently received an offer from Microsoft. Key Factors to Consider: 1. LLM Experience: Large Language Model (LLM) experience, such as building chatbots or text classification systems, has become a baseline requirement for AI roles. Kaur completed a volunteer project to demonstrate her LLM capabilities. 2. Networking and Outreach: Cold applications may not yield results. Instead, focus on networking, reaching out to recruiters, and attending industry events. Aim to build personal connections and spread the word about your job search. 3. Specificity: Companies are seeking candidates with highly specific experience. Narrow your search and tailor your resume to match the specific needs of each company you apply to. 4. Online Presence: An active online presence can set you apart from other candidates. Engage in speaking engagements, share your expertise on industry platforms, and connect with professionals in your field. Additional Tips: * Understand Company Needs: Network with employees at the company you’re interested in to gain insights into their specific requirements. This helps you tailor your application and interview strategy effectively. * Seek Guidance: Consider attending workshops or bootcamps to enhance your skills. Utilize resources such as Google’s WomenTechMakers program for support and mentorship. * Stay Persistent: The AI job market is competitive. Don’t give up if you don’t hear back initially. Keep applying, networking, and refining your approach.
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- Supreet Kaur was offered a job by Microsoft after applying to 15 companies.
- After working in the AI sector at Morgan Stanley for two years, Kaur saw a major shift in the market for AI roles.
- She emphasized the need for LLM experience, networking and an understanding of a company’s AI needs.
Supreet Kaur, 29, has applied to 15 companies in the past few months and recently received an offer from Microsoft.
Before taking on her new role, she spent the past two years developing and managing data and AI solutions at Morgan Stanley. She said the job market for AI roles has changed dramatically since she started hunting two years ago.
As CEOs of major tech companies fight for AI talent, some candidates are vying for a spot in an increasingly competitive job market.
Kaur has a university degree in data science, worked in AI at a major bank and is an ambassador for Google’s WomenTechMakers program. Yet even she said she didn’t hear back from companies when she started looking for a job.
After making a few adjustments to her approach, Kaur was able to see results and eventually landed the Microsoft position as a cloud solutions architect. If you’re looking for a job in AI, Kaur said these are the four most important things you need to know.
LLM experience is now an industry standard
Kaur said that when she was applying for AI roles two years ago, companies were looking for machine learning experience. Now, companies want to build AI products. She said companies are more eager to see that a candidate has worked with a chatbot or text classification system.
Kaur said generative AI or LLM experience is now a baseline standard, and she didn’t hear back from interviews until she had trained in the field.
When Kaur saw how many recruiters were asking for this, she volunteered with an organization and completed a three-month LLM project. While many applicants looking to get into the field now attend AI workshops or bootcamps, Kaur suggests doing a use-case project. Kaur created her own enterprise-level project based on the volunteer experience so she could talk about it extensively in interviews.
Cold applications may not work this time
Kaur said she didn’t send out too many cold applications, but she didn’t hear back from the applications she did send. Instead, she said she spent her time networking and reaching out to recruiters. She said she aimed to send at least two messages and three to four personalized connection requests each day.
She also tried to spread the message that she was looking for a job by telling people in the professional context that she was looking for a job.
“The best way to look for a job is if you don’t need a job,” Kaur said. “You should go to events. You should go to meet-ups.”
Be specific
Kaur said companies have gone through a mindset shift in recent years. Today, they are looking for much more specific experience, Kaur said.
“When I applied in 2022, people were more interested in what I had done in data science,” Kaur said.
“This time, all my interviews were very specific about what the companies wanted,” she added.
With companies’ hiring portals flooded with qualified candidates, Kaur said she had to narrow it down. Kaur said she narrowed her search from product manager to solutions architect when she realized her first attempt was too broad.
Kaur also recommends networking with employees at the company you’re applying to and asking them what the company is looking for. She said this is crucial to understanding their needs and the type of experience they specifically want in a candidate.
Having an online presence helps
Kaur has also worked on building an online presence over the past few years.
She said she has spoken at dozens of events and many of them have led to interviews later on. It also helped her stand out in the application process.
“A hiring manager said during our interview, ‘You’re the 100th candidate I’ve interviewed for this one position,’” Kaur said. “So it’s obviously very competitive, so it’s important to stand out.”
Kaur said she started by contacting the university where she studied and telling professors she was available to speak about her experience. From there, she was able to build her following and book regular events, including AI Summit New York, BNY Mellon, Re-Work New York, Women in Data Science Series and Women in AI Series.
