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⌚ TIMESTAMPS

00:00 – Call centers to AI team

05:36 – Why he quit the Google cert

12:39 – The internal pivot

15:45 – 12 rejections a day

20:51 – Applied for a different job

25:30 – Networking on LinkedIn

🔗 CONNECT WITH JORGE

🤝 LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jorge-lopezvelarde/

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🤝 LinkedIn

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🎵 TikTok

💻 Website

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And then I just cried, you know?

2

I was, like, handling, like, 12

rejections a day for, like, a month,

3

and then I changed it and it got better.

4

So I think self-taught is a fallacy.

5

The role that I applied for was

nothing to do with this job title.

6

Okay.

7

'Cause you only need one

impression to get the job.

8

You need to say yes to jobs

that you're not gonna love them.

9

You were able to transform your

career from kind of this call

10

center HR career into this data

and AI career in about a year.

11

I wasn't expecting that at all.

12

Hey, guys.

13

It's Avery, and that guy you just heard

from is one of my students, George Lopez.

14

And a year ago, he was literally

answering phones in a call center,

15

getting rejected from data jobs,

like, over a dozen times a day.

16

Ready to quit, absolutely miserable.

17

And today he works for an AI and

data team for a US company living

18

in Mexico, and the job he landed

wasn't even one that he applied for.

19

In this episode, he breaks down

exactly what he changed on his resume

20

to start getting interviews, why

he thinks self-taught data analysts

21

is a fallacy, and how he turned

utter rejection into an offer.

22

If you're trying to get into

data, this is a great episode to

23

listen to to get the playbook.

24

Let's go ahead and get into it.

25

All right, George.

26

So you were able to transform your

career from kind of this call center

27

HR career into this data and AI

career in about a year through the

28

data analytics accelerator program

without having, like, a real a- IT

29

degree or previous IT experience.

30

Walk me through your whole

journey in this episode.

31

Let me know, like, how you got from, from

A to B and how other people can do it.

32

Let's start with, like, you

know, your first job li- like

33

you were actually working at.

34

You were working in call centers.

35

Tell me what that was like and

then how you ended up in HR.

36

Yeah.

37

So I worked for all American

companies since I'm 18.

38

Got my first job at 18 working

for MetroPCS customer service.

39

It sucked, just being honest.

40

Um, then I moved to AT&T tech support,

um, car rentals with Avis and Budget,

41

and then I did a little bit of

sales, um, sale call center work.

42

Then I did, um, collections for

a Long Beach company, um, more in

43

the finance side of the industry,

but still kind of call center.

44

After that, I started as a recruiter for a

call center, of course, for about a year.

45

After that, I was promoted

to HR, same company.

46

Um, and couple months later, I

landed a, a remote job, still

47

HR, but for a US company.

48

Um, and I learned a lot in that job.

49

I worked there for almost four years.

50

Um, and part of that is that, you

know, I started as an MSP, which

51

is a managed service provider.

52

Then I transitioned to a billing analyst

position, of course, which, um, we

53

can talk a little bit more about that.

54

Um, the course really helped me out

because I really sucked at Excel.

55

And that's, like, my main

expertise right now Very cool.

56

So you went from, yeah, I don't

think anyone would necessarily say

57

that call centers are super fun.

58

So you went from this, this sucky

job to you, you landed this billing

59

analyst role, which is your first

step into the data analyst world.

60

Um, you were there for a little bit,

and then most recently, as of recording,

61

you just started this new job, which

is this, this project coordinator role

62

with this generative AI operations team,

um, that, you know, you just started

63

about, uh, which is really exciting.

64

So like you're in the data and AI space,

you know, out of nowhere overnight.

65

It really wasn't that, that

way, and we'll talk about that.

66

It took a lot of effort on, on your

end, and it took about, you know, nine

67

months-ish to a year of actually like

putting in the work to, to get there.

68

Uh, we should also mention that

you're, you live in Baja, California

69

in Mexico, and you've been working,

uh, these, these two data jobs are with

70

American companies, with US companies.

71

So, uh, that's, that's really impressive.

72

I guess at like what point did you

decide that you were interested

73

in data and AI and analytics?

74

Because you, you really

had this HR career.

75

You were a recruiter.

76

Uh, at what point were you like,

"Oh, I wanna be a data analyst"?

77

Because at work, I was the

go-to person for the system, for

78

our vendor management system.

79

Uh, we did a lot of reports.

80

Uh, we have something called xAG,

which is built in with Power BI.

81

That was like my first interactions

b- beyond, you know, downloading a

82

report and deleting columns, applying

filters and whatnot in Excel.

83

Um, that helped me out because I

automated the process by just using

84

the system as data that I cre- I

created, but like scheduled reports

85

with sp- specific filters that will

be sent, um, automatically via email

86

to managers or the client, you know.

87

Let's say first of every month you will

have a negative turnover r- report with

88

specific filters, which will be the

first day of the previous month, and the

89

last day of the previous month will be

sent on the first day of every month so

90

that it's a monthly report of turnover.

91

So I was playing with the system.

92

I was like, "Huh, this is interesting,

you know, how we can project what's

93

going on, the patterns, what it means.

94

What can we do about it?"

95

Because at ease, you know, at

first glance, you don't really know

96

what's going on until you download

a report and start scratching.

97

Hmm.

98

Very cool.

99

I think a lot of people can

probably relate to that.

100

They're like, they're in their,

their career, they're doing this job,

101

and they're like the more organized

person, the more analytical person,

102

the more systems person doing the work.

103

And it's like, "Oh, I actually really

like this, and I'm kind of good at it."

104

So that led you to, to data analytics.

105

You're like, "I wanna pursue,

you know, becoming a data

106

analyst, um, in, in my career."

107

And eventually, you, you found me.

108

Um, was it via YouTube, or was

it via the podcast or LinkedIn?

109

Do you remember even?

110

It was YouTube at first.

111

So it was because I wanted to enroll.

112

Why I technically enrolled on the

course were Google data analytics.

113

Um, I started it, like, af-

after, like, an hour I was

114

like, "What the heck is this?

115

This is just multiple choice questions."

116

You know?

117

I wasn't learning, I'm

sorry for my French, shit.

118

I wasn't learning anything, you know?

119

Um, and I was like, "What

else can, can I see?"

120

You know, I was like, "Wait."

121

So I, I Googled is a Google, um, course,

like, worth it, and then you popped up.

122

Okay.

123

Yeah, I definitely have done,

uh, an episode or two about the

124

Google data analytics certificate.

125

Uh, which I basically say the same thing.

126

I say, "If you want a really

high level overview of

127

analytics with people asking…"

128

Not even people, just a computer asking

you multiple choice questions that

129

don't actually get you much hands-on

experience, then sure, it's for you.

130

I think in that episode I actually

count how many different sequel

131

queries you write, and it's, like,

20 different sequel queries that

132

you write in a six-month period.

133

And it's like Guys, come on.

134

We can do faster.

135

We can do more than 20

SQL queries in six months.

136

We can do, you know, 40

SQL queries in six weeks.

137

Like, we can definitely, you

know, quadruple the pace at least.

138

So, uh, that's one of my arguments,

you know, for the accelerator.

139

Okay, so in that video I'm like, "Okay,

the ac- you know, the Google Data

140

Analytics Certificate is fine, but it's

not really gonna help you land a data job.

141

If you want help to land a data

job, you should do the SPN method.

142

You know, learn the skills, build

projects, uh, grow your network.

143

If you want to do that with mentors and

with friends, you know, come and join the

144

Data Analytics Accelerator, um, and do

it with me, and I'll teach you everything

145

I know and help you land a data job."

146

So you, you hear that, you know, that

whole pitch, and, uh, tell me, I guess,

147

like what was your thoughts on it?

148

Uh, and then I guess you can tell

the story of, of how you made sure

149

that it wasn't necessarily a, a scam.

150

Um, it's pretty funny.

151

Um, so it was like some

type of demo, right?

152

You were…

153

It was a video, and there was like a chat-

a chatbot, what I thought was a chatbot.

154

Um, "If al- if you have any

questions, just let us know."

155

And I was chatting, and then I

watched the entire video, and I

156

was asking a lot of questions.

157

And then you were saying it

was you, you know, the one that

158

was answering m- my messages.

159

So I was like, "Prove it," you know?

160

Like, "Send me a picture so

I can know that it's you."

161

And you send me a video of you,

like, getting ready and having a

162

burrito heated in, in the microwave.

163

I wa- I was like, "Okay, so

this guy is eating a, a burrito.

164

That's fine."

165

And I swiped my credit card,

and was a great investment.

166

Wait.

167

Okay, yeah.

168

Now I remember what you're talking about.

169

Yeah, so you joined.

170

I do, like, a, a free training.

171

We'll have a link in the show notes

down below where, uh, like you join,

172

and I basically give you this one-hour

training of how to become a data analyst.

173

And in there, a chat widget

that, that goes to my Slack.

174

And so if I'm available, I

respond via Slack, right?

175

If I, if I'm not

available, I don't respond.

176

Okay, and so you're like, "Is

this AI or is this Avery?"

177

And it ac- Yeah.

178

And that's how I proved.

179

Okay.

180

Good I was eating a burrito that day.

181

I've gotten more into Asian bowls

recently in the microwave, but.

182

Same.

183

Okay, so then you join the accelerator,

so you're in, you're in our boot camp,

184

and I guess what, what did you feel

like you got out of the boot camp?

185

I know that you, you mentioned, like,

you feel like Excel, your Excel skills

186

were, were still a little bit weak.

187

So in module two, right away, we build a

project on some sales data using Excel.

188

So did you find that whole

module pretty helpful?

189

Yeah, it was pretty helpful, but I

think the most helpful was actually

190

having someone, like, to ask a

question, to get good mentorship.

191

Like, Trevor was amazing.

192

Um, Isaac was amazing.

193

You were amazing, too.

194

Um, and I think that's a lot of value,

because I can just send a WhatsApp

195

message and get an answer, right?

196

Like, "Hey, I'm stuck here," or,

"Hey, I'm applying to this job."

197

What should I do?

198

Get prepared for the interview, like

practical interviews, stuff like that.

199

So you f- Um- You found the mentoring

to be, to be the most helpful.

200

Yes.

201

I'm not self-taught, really.

202

Um, I'm not really self-taught.

203

I need to be held accountable by somebody.

204

Maybe there's people that

they're self-taught and they

205

watch hundreds of YouTube videos

and they be- become experts.

206

I tried, I failed.

207

Um, but just, like, actually getting

that motivation to do something, not

208

just say that you want to do something.

209

Like, do it and then say

whatever, but try it at least.

210

Mm.

211

I, I love the humility that, that you

have to say, "I'm not self-taught."

212

I don't think I'm

self-taught- No … either.

213

I think I've had an episode

where I say, "I think self-taught

214

is a fallacy," and it's…

215

People wear it as a, a badge of honor,

and it's like, why is that cool?

216

Like, oh, so you spent a lot of

time learning something you could

217

have learned faster on your own?

218

Like, good for you.

219

Like, there's no award in life that

actually, like, that makes you…

220

Like, it makes being self-taught worth it.

221

And also, I don't think there's anything

really truly self-taught, 'cause it's like

222

you learn from somewhere, like, whether it

was a, a, a boot camp- Somewhere, someone

223

yeah, a university.

224

It's not like you just sat down and you

were like, "God of data, please teach

225

me how to make tableau charts," and

then poof, you, like, figured it out,

226

and I guess even then that was God.

227

So I don't know.

228

I, I, I tried it and I failed, so I know.

229

I, I love that.

230

Um, I'm curious, so in the

Accelerator, uh, we have a couple

231

different ways to, to get help.

232

We have an AI bot in the program-

Mm … that's trained on our lessons.

233

We have our community forum

where you can ask questions.

234

We have comments on all of our

technical lessons where you can,

235

where you can ask questions.

236

We have the live office hours.

237

We have email support.

238

Um, which one of those

did you take advantage of?

239

Uh, all of them, any of them?

240

Which one did you like the most?

241

All of them.

242

Like, all of them, but the best

was for sure the weekly meetings.

243

Um, I forgot the name of the- Yeah, just

office hours … the weekly office hours.

244

Yeah.

245

Yeah.

246

So that was the best, and just

also chatting, like, one-on-one

247

with Trevor helped me out a lot.

248

Um, also, um, sharing

questions, posting my overall…

249

Because just so you know, if you look

at my social media, I don't post shit.

250

I just share memes.

251

That's all I do.

252

Um, so it was really hard for me to,

like, start- Doing stuff like interacting

253

with other people on LinkedIn, that was

like the hardest for me beyond learning

254

how to code or to use Excel, honestly.

255

Okay, very cool.

256

That's, that's awesome to hear.

257

Yeah, I, um…

258

You, you were pretty-- I mean, you,

you were pretty decent at, at posting

259

inside the community and asking us

questions and sharing with, with everyone.

260

One, one of the things, one of the

posts I, I pulled up from you, um,

261

was when we first rolled out our AI

support tool, um, inside of the program.

262

Uh, that helps…

263

One of the things it helps you do

is, um, rewrite your resume bullets.

264

So y- the title of the post was "Use

the Data Fairy Tool If You Haven't,

265

uh, Yet," and you mentioned that

you were applying to a lot of jobs

266

but not getting a ton of responses.

267

Uh, and then you used Data Fairy to

highlight your previous experience and how

268

that adds value to a data analyst role.

269

Um, "Surprisingly, I started

receiving emails from recruiters

270

wanting to schedule interviews.

271

This week I have six interviews lined up.

272

I'm currently on module five, and

even if none of these interviews

273

lead to an offer, I'm in a much

better place than I started."

274

So, um, that's super good,

good to hear that, that, that

275

tool was useful, uh, for you.

276

I'm curious, so you're, you're applying

to roles, you have this HR experience,

277

you know, you're, you're trying to

revamp your resume using some of the

278

AI tools that, that we have here.

279

Tell me about, a little bit more about

the journey that eventually, you know,

280

led you from this HR role to landing

a billing analyst role internally

281

inside of your company, which is one

of the things we talk about in module

282

one, where like one of the best things

you can do is transfer internally.

283

Talk through like how that

process was and how you actually

284

landed that, your first data job.

285

Yeah.

286

So I was doing a lot of reporting, like

maybe like 12 reports every week, right?

287

Um, manual reports and

scheduled reports and whatnot.

288

Um, then I had my yearly review

with the director of operations

289

for Global Business Services.

290

Um, and I was just talking to him,

"Hey, what, what's the next step?

291

I've been here for three years now.

292

How can I grow?"

293

Right?

294

And I've been asking that question

for like over a year and a half.

295

And he was saying, "Oh, it's

because there's not a lot of,

296

or any, um, open opportunities.

297

Like right now we're looking for a

billing analyst that can know how to use

298

Excel and this, this, this and that."

299

I was like, "But I know how to do that."

300

And he was like, "Oh, really?

301

How did you learn that?"

302

And I was like, "Well, I did a, like a

bootcamp and learned, I learned a lot.

303

I learned about Python, about

R, SQL, Tableau, advanced Excel

304

skills, to if I'm, if I'm honest."

305

Um, and he was like, "Oh, really?

306

I didn't know about that."

307

And the reason why is because

they don't update the resumes.

308

Like the resume that I applied for on

309

use that for internal purposes, but

that's not who I am anymore, right?

310

Um, and then I got a, an interview.

311

They're corporate, by the way.

312

Um, then I got another one, and then

I got the job and they were asking me,

313

"How do you see yourself in five years?"

314

And I s- said, "As a solutions architect."

315

And they were just saying, "Oh,

I just want to confirm that I'm

316

investing in the right person."

317

Right?

318

But that really helped me out.

319

I did a lot more of Excel

work, lots more of audits.

320

Um, they actually have daily SQL

integrations with like Workday, um,

321

on a daily basis, and you will see

errors and you will then fix them.

322

Okay.

323

Awesome.

324

So at that role, um, you were using

Excel, uh, quite a bit, and I also saw

325

some Power BI on your resume as well.

326

Was that more for like the

reporting side of things?

327

Yeah.

328

Um, it's just so, so much data,

like for different clients.

329

Like I will audit six different

accounts, six different

330

clients, different industries.

331

Like all these different

exceptions- Pay policies, states,

332

exemptions, markups, you name it.

333

I don't wanna bore you with this.

334

Um, but if you don't use something that

will make it easier for everyone to

335

understand, then what's the point, right?

336

You can have a really nice dashboard,

but if nobody understands what

337

you're trying to say, then what's

the point of the dashboard?

338

Yeah, 100%.

339

You know?

340

You mentioned a lot in the community,

um, and from me and you just talking

341

recently that, you know, sometimes you

were struggling to land interviews and

342

sometimes you had a lot of interviews.

343

Um, what do you feel like the biggest

difference, and maybe also from

344

your recruiting experience as well,

like actually looking at resumes and

345

applications and stuff like that,

what do you feel like was the biggest

346

experience going from not getting

interviews to getting interviews?

347

Like, what changed?

348

What were you doing differently?

349

The format.

350

The Data Fairy and the template that

you shared with us, um, it's really

351

cool because it highlights what you

have accomplished, your achievements,

352

not just what, what you did, right?

353

And here in Mexico, many other

countries do it as well, we have our

354

picture, we have images, we say Excel.

355

So it was a bit weird overall because

I was applying to jobs and I was

356

just getting rejected over and over.

357

I was, like, handling, like, 12

rejections a day for, like, a month,

358

and then I change it and it got better.

359

Wow.

360

So really it was just, like, resume

formatting, switching to one of the,

361

the resume templates that we give you,

and then what's the resume content,

362

like the bullet points essentially,

like making sure that the bullet

363

points on your resume are tying

closer to, like, data analyst roles.

364

Yeah.

365

For example, um, the whole thing

that I talked to you about, about

366

scheduled reports, about, um, monthly

business reviews, client-facing,

367

like what I did with that, how I

reduced errors by 45, 50% on the

368

billing side and also like data-wise.

369

Like if somebody is working remotely but

they're based in, let's say, California,

370

but the job is in Oregon, then the

pay policy should be different, right?

371

Um, instead of weekly 40,

it should be daily eight.

372

So you know, if it goes like that

for about six months it will be

373

like a big impact for the company.

374

Funny, it's funny that you say that

because, um, you know, one of the

375

things if I go to your LinkedIn and

I scroll all the way down, well the

376

first job I see is, is QA analyst.

377

And I don't know if that's actually what

your exact title was back then, um, but

378

we had an interview that we did with Jen

Hawkins who landed a job at Apple, and

379

everyone went to her LinkedIn page and

looked at her experience and she's like…

380

And they were like, "You didn't

help her become a data analyst.

381

She's already been a

data analyst for years."

382

And I'm like, "You guys,

that's like the exact point.

383

Like that's the whole reason like the

accelerator worked is we did such a good

384

job at disguising her past experience to

look like they were data analyst roles

385

and that's why she was able to land

data analyst interviews and actually

386

land her true first data analyst role."

387

So it's like if you could actually

change your bullet points and even your

388

titles to sound more data analysty,

that's how you land more data analyst

389

interviews and that's how you actually

get your first real data analyst job.

390

And, and if someone looks at their, your

resume or your LinkedIn and they're like,

391

"This person's been a data analyst for

years," that's how you know we did a

392

good job of, of disguising the resume.

393

So s- that makes a lot of sense.

394

Um, I'm curious though because like there

were some times where you weren't, you

395

know, like you said, you were applying,

you got like 12 rejections a day.

396

How'd you stay positive

during all of that?

397

I didn't stay positive.

398

That's the thing.

399

Um, it got me down.

400

At w- at what point, I didn't apply

to any jobs for about a month.

401

I was like, "What's the point

of applying if I'm gonna be

402

rejected either way," right?

403

Um, I used that time to,

like, improve my skills.

404

Um, and one thing that I can tell

you that helped me out the most

405

from DAA was learning the structure

of making a good project overall.

406

Like, yes, we make projects in Excel, in

Tableau, and different tools, SQL too,

407

but if we add our own spice to it, you

know, our own signature if you wanna call

408

it, like something that you, you like.

409

I like, I like soccer.

410

We call it football here, but I'm,

I'm just call, gonna call it soccer.

411

If you do something related to soccer

or something to turn over something

412

that you- you're actually passionate

about, about like, "Hey, why were so

413

many layoffs between 2024 and 2025?

414

What was the main change?

415

What happened?"

416

You know, between '23 and '24 and '25.

417

And, you know, looking at those pa-

uh, at those patterns, I don't have,

418

like, a live project portfolio for

those specific projects, but I will

419

share those projects according to

the job that I was applying for.

420

I was like, "Okay, if I'm

applying to HR, I'm just gonna

421

have HR and payroll projects.

422

If I'm applying to more data, I'm

just gonna add, you know, data

423

projects about stuff that I'm actually

knowledgeable about," like Pokemon

424

cards or, you know, soccer, sports,

stuff that I actually like, and I

425

kinda made it like a hobby of mine.

426

Um, you're mixing a hobby that

you're passionate about with

427

what you're learning, so that way

it's, like, the best mix to learn.

428

Yeah, I mean, that was,

that was well said.

429

That's like in- inside of the accelerator

we have like a mini course called,

430

like, Data Project and Portfolio

Bible, and that's, like, better than

431

the way I say it in the lesson in

there where it's like, "Yes, we do all

432

these projects inside the accelerator.

433

You know, you should use those.

434

You sh- those are good projects, but

the best projects are the ones that

435

you're going to create on your own.

436

And hopefully after we've walked you

through the steps of how to do a project,

437

how to do the write-up, how to publish

it and all those things, you'll be able

438

to do them on your own a lot easier."

439

And specifically you do that at

the end with your capstone project,

440

and those are the projects I think

that really make you stand out.

441

Um, and like you said, they're the ones

that are more fun, 'cause it's like I'm

442

not part- like, one of the projects we do

i- in the accelerator program is, like,

443

World Bank data, and it's like I'm not

really passionate about World Bank data.

444

And I'm glad that I have that on

my, my portfolio, but it's like I'm

445

much more interested in, like you

said, Pokemon cards or sports or

446

something, you know, more up my alley.

447

And I think recruiters can really

see that passion, that passion as, as

448

well when you're actually applying.

449

Okay.

450

Now tell me, like, how you actually landed

this role that you, you just started the

451

other day, like with this AI data company.

452

Tell me, like, how did you actually…

453

Did you find them?

454

Did they find you?

455

What was the interview process like?

456

Um, how did that go?

457

It's gonna be very funny,

so if I laugh, I'm sorry.

458

Um, the role that I applied for was

nothing to do with this job title Okay.

459

It was for a payroll analyst job title.

460

Okay.

461

Different job description,

different everything.

462

Uh-huh.

463

So here's the, the, the fun part.

464

I did get the interview.

465

You know, I, I found the job.

466

I applied.

467

I used the whole last posted

24 hours- Yep … remote and

468

according to what I'm looking for.

469

I applied to the job.

470

Within two weeks, I got a,

a call from the recruiter.

471

She was- she's the best recruiter

I've ever had an interview with.

472

Like, she was, like, really human

about the whole process, and I'm,

473

I'm gonna tell you why in a bit.

474

So it was for a payroll analyst

position, and I was doing the

475

interview with the recruiter.

476

She said, "Oh, you have

a great background.

477

I love your, your energy," you know.

478

And then I got an interview with, um,

another manager, and then she really

479

liked my energy, my background experience.

480

She was making me a couple questions.

481

And then long story short,

I didn't get that role.

482

They said the, the role moved to India.

483

But she said, and I quote,

"I'm trying each and every way

484

to get you to work with us."

485

That's what the recruiter said,

and I was really grateful for that.

486

Like, there were days of…

487

Like, two days I didn't know anything.

488

I was, like, sending her an

email, and she was, like, really

489

responsive with my emails.

490

No more than a day to,

to reply back, you know.

491

Um, super professional as well.

492

Then I got an interview with someone

from the AI and robotics team, and

493

they said that I was gonna take

over the payroll for their team, but

494

that's, that's what I was assuming.

495

And then I got an interview with,

I didn't know, he was a director of

496

operations and AI for that company.

497

But I was talking to him like,

"Hey, dude, how's it going?"

498

You know, like if he was

a long friend of mine.

499

Then I was having different questions

asked to me like, "Oh, how long

500

have you been working remote for?

501

Are you based in Mexico?

502

What part of Mexico?

503

What do you do outside of work?"

504

There were really no technical

questions in that interview.

505

They were just asking who I am, what

I like to do outside of work, and, you

506

know, how long I've been working for,

what's my background, stuff like that, but

507

never, like, actual technical questions.

508

But he even said, like, "Oh, I already

done my, my research, and I think

509

we're gonna move forward with you."

510

Fast-forward, I didn't hear anything

for about two weeks, three weeks.

511

I was like, "Okay, that's it," you know.

512

"I'm done for."

513

Um, then the recruiter calls me and say,

"Hey, they want to offer you the job."

514

I'm like, "Okay, payroll analyst."

515

And then I see the offer,

which I share with you.

516

I was like, I was like, "Maybe

this is a mistake, you know.

517

Hey, are you sure?

518

Like, maybe it's, you know, something

different for somebody else.

519

Maybe you made a mistake."

520

But then she was like, "No, he's

a- she's actually offering you

521

that position with this team."

522

I was like, "Oh."

523

I was, like, speechless during that call.

524

And I was like, "Okay, just give me a

few," and then I just cried, you know.

525

I was like, "What the heck?"

526

Yeah.

527

That's why it was…

528

It's, it's funny and emotional at

the same time be- because, you know,

529

I wasn't expecting that at all.

530

Yeah.

531

That's, that's very interesting.

532

There's so many different things I

like that you did in that process

533

that I think served you well.

534

One was you were looking for roles

that weren't just data analyst, right?

535

'Cause those get really swamped, but like

payroll analyst, and benefits analyst,

536

you know, HR analysts, billing analysts.

537

Those are different roles that

you were looking for, and I think

538

that, that served you really well.

539

And then two is you didn't let the

rejection get you down 'cause they,

540

like, did say no to you, right?

541

Like, they, they moved

the role somewhere else.

542

Um, but, like, that relationship-

Yeah … you were able to, to garner

543

and stay positive and kinda nurture, you

know, obviously turned to this, this new

544

role, um, this new AI data role, which

I think is, is really exciting for you.

545

So, I mean, good on you for, for

keeping the relationship alive, staying

546

positive through that process, and

looking for, you know, fresh jobs

547

that aren't just data analyst jobs.

548

So that, that makes a lot of sense.

549

You just started this job, so w- I'm not

gonna ask you, like, what you do on a

550

day-to-day basis or what tools you use

'cause you will, you will figure that

551

out as you go, uh, through, through

this job down through the future.

552

You know, one of the things that

you posted in the community when you

553

landed this job, kind of announcing

this, like, two to three weeks

554

ago, um, you know, one of the…

555

You gave some advice to the

rest of our, our students.

556

One of the things you said is

build something you were generally

557

curious about, and I think we

talked about that, um, here.

558

Yeah.

559

Another thing that you, you talked

about was stay consistent on

560

LinkedIn even when engagement is low.

561

Can you talk through, like, why

you feel like it's important to,

562

to post on LinkedIn and, and to

kinda get yourself out that way?

563

I'ma keep it short.

564

That's what re- recruiters see when

you apply for a job on LinkedIn.

565

Just honestly, like, if, if

you're active, if you're posting.

566

It's kinda like a…

567

I wanna call LinkedIn, like, a

mini resume/Facebook page because

568

you, you could post memes, you can

post something about work, but just

569

staying active really means a lot.

570

And you, you never know, maybe your…

571

you, you go viral on the post, right?

572

And you get noticed by that

from re- different recruiters.

573

And I was getting reached out

by recruiters, but they were not

574

good roles, just being honest.

575

But none of my posts went viral at all.

576

I think the max that I got

was, like, nine reactions, 12.

577

But I, I did notice a big difference in

my connections and people messaging me.

578

Even though it looks like it's like

a ghost town on my LinkedIn page, it

579

did make a difference, and I'm really

grateful that I was pushing for at least

580

two months straight, posting almost

every day, like Monday through Friday.

581

It helped me out, boost

my visibility on LinkedIn.

582

Yeah Very cool.

583

I like that you said that.

584

That's what we're curious to see.

585

It doesn't matter if it only, you

know, if you get 12 likes and it

586

gets, you know, 800 impressions.

587

You only need one

impression to get the job.

588

Um, and you're- Yep … just fishing for

the, the right, the right impression.

589

What other advice, you know, would

you give people who are maybe in

590

a similar shoe, uh, uh, to you?

591

Like maybe, maybe specifically there's

a lot of people who listen and they

592

talk about, you know, "I wanna work.

593

You know, I live not in the US," maybe

it's Mexico, maybe it's whatever country.

594

"I wanna work for a US company."

595

I'd be curious to know like what advice

you'd give, 'cause obviously you've

596

done that pretty well in your career.

597

Yeah.

598

So for my 11 years of experience

working with US companies, I can

599

say you need to say yes to jobs that

you're not gonna love them, right?

600

At first glance, it's gonna

just give you one step closer

601

to what you're looking for.

602

But you need to say yes to awkward

positions that you're not super

603

attracted to because that's

how you gain experience, right?

604

So just stay consistent

and adapt to the culture.

605

You're gonna talk with people from

different countries, not just the US.

606

Um, in my previous job I talked

with people from the US, from India,

607

from Canada, from, from the UK.

608

You name it.

609

The different cultures, different

ways of working, you have to adapt.

610

So just be open-minded when it comes to

applying to jobs for y- US based clients.

611

And even though if you get a no,

you're closer to, to the yes.

612

You already have the, the no already.

613

So it's like a more of a sales mindset

if you wanna call it like that.

614

You already have the no.

615

You just keep, um, you know, trying.

616

Like doing something is better

than doing nothing always.

617

100%.

618

I, I think you bring up a good

point, that it's really hard…

619

If you're trying to pivot two things at

once, you're trying to pivot the country

620

you work for and the role that you do,

if you're trying to do both those things

621

at once, that's probably too much.

622

It's probably, like, too

big of a home run swing.

623

You probably need to try to do something.

624

Choose one first.

625

Like, become a data analyst in

your home country, and then try

626

working for an American company.

627

Or like you said, and like you did

in your career, work whatever career

628

you have right now for a American

company, and then pivot to data from

629

within that company, like you did.

630

Like, you did that internal pivot

to your first billing analyst role.

631

Um, I think that makes a lot of sense.

632

What other advice would you

give to people who are maybe

633

in a similar shoes, uh, to you?

634

Maybe they're trying to be- become

self-taught data analysts right now.

635

Maybe they're struggling

to get any, um, interviews.

636

What advice would you give them?

637

You need to find a good structure.

638

If you're just applying because

you want to apply, you're n-

639

really not gonna get good results,

at least not on the long term.

640

Um, if you start with a good structure

from scratch, like, on the midterm,

641

long term, depending on how hard

you work, you will eventually get

642

where you're trying to, to go.

643

For example, I…

644

It took me, like, nine to 12 months.

645

I had, like, a three-month

break, um, because I was going

646

through some personal stuff.

647

But when I started working again,

like, every single month I was showing

648

up and working hard for it and, like,

embracing, like, awkward situations

649

where I had to post and comment on

LinkedIn with people that I don't know.

650

That's when I got a positive impact.

651

It was not, like, right away.

652

Took two, three months to see a positive

impact, but it really helped out.

653

You know, always, if you do something,

if you show up, you will eventually

654

get where you're trying to, to, to go.

655

But again, you can stop and not do

anything and keep yelling at, at the

656

screen and complaining, but you don't get

anything by, by complaining, you know?

657

Structure's re- really key.

658

I think it's hard to accomplish

any big goal without structure.

659

I'm supposedly training for my

third half Ironman, uh, this fall,

660

and I have no- How's that going?

661

Oh, I have no structure,

so it's not going well.

662

I, like, don't…

663

I lack a nutrition structure.

664

I don't have a workout structure.

665

I just kinda do it by the seat

of my pants, and, uh, I think

666

it's, I think it's showing.

667

I don't think I'm making any true

progress, and it's frustrating.

668

So just a plug, if you want that

structure, come, come follow the ESPN

669

method, uh, with the accelerator.

670

I'm curious, George, what advice you'd

give to people who, you know, are maybe

671

hearing about the accelerator for the

first time, or maybe have been sitting on

672

the fence, like, "Should I actually join

Avery's, you know, boot camp or not?"

673

What advice would you give them?

674

Hear him out the same way that I did.

675

I don't know if you still do it or not.

676

Like, it was, like, a, a demo

or a live video, and actually

677

breaking down everything.

678

Just at least listen to what he has

to say, and if you're interested,

679

you should definitely give it

a try because it helped me out.

680

Um, I tried different

courses, like the Google one.

681

It didn't help me out.

682

Um, and it feels, like, pretty cold, like

you're not actually talking with a person.

683

It's really, like, one-on-one with

Avery and Trevor and Isaac and the team.

684

That's what helped me out

the most, at least for me.

685

And just, you know, give it a try.

686

You n- you never know what's gonna happen

because, again, I'm not a self-taught.

687

I tried watching, like, hundreds

of YouTube videos, but I was, like,

688

dropping it on the spot always.

689

Well, I don't think you're

alone in, in that case, George.

690

I don't, I don't think

you're, uh, alone at all.

691

Yeah, I echo what George says.

692

You know, try me.

693

Send me an email and ask me to

say, "Are you actually AI or not?"

694

And see what food I'm microwaving,

uh, in the video I send

695

back to you in my response.

696

I'm, I'm happy to send more

burrito microwave videos out

697

there too to whoever wants one.

698

Go for it.

699

Go for it.

700

Um, George, this has been totally awesome.

701

Thank you so much for sharing your story.

702

We'll have your LinkedIn down

below in the description.

703

Is it okay if people reach out to

you with any questions they may have?

704

No worries.

705

Okay, awesome.

706

You guys can find George's LinkedIn

in the description down below.

707

Maybe follow him on LinkedIn.

708

Maybe give him a, a like on some

of his posts so he goes from

709

12 to 13, uh, re- reactions.

710

Yeah.

711

Uh, George, it was truly a pleasure.

712

Thank you so much for sharing your story.

713

Awesome.

714

Thank you.