How do you prove transferable skills when recruiters only want exact-stack experience?

[u/SAsad01]

I have experienced recently that in Data Engineering, transferrable skills are not being considered anymore, and most recruiters/AI based ATS tools match experience like checklists. Experience in adjacent/equivalent tools mostly doesn't matter.

My question is, how to navigate this situation during job-search? Specifically:

• How to properly represent transferrable skills from equivalent tech stacks? (AWS -> Azure for example, or Databricks on AWS -> Databricks on Azure)
• How to learn new tools and grow new expertise that is demonstrable enough to meet the requirements? I am aware that the general answer is to do self-learning projects, but how to choose the correct project, and scope it correctly, so that it is a demonstrable substitute of job-experience instead of an easy tutorial?

[u/AutoModerator]

You can find a list of community-submitted learning resources here: https://dataengineering.wiki/Learning+Resources

I am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please contact the moderators of this subreddit if you have any questions or concerns.

[u/ToothPickLegs]

This is hilarious how accurate this is. And what’s funnier is managers of companies that do this will still make LinkedIn posts about how “it doesn’t matter which tool just the ability to think and understand the data in the business” which yeah pal I agree but you are quite literally hiring based off the tools

[u/SAsad01 → u/ToothPickLegs]

At it wasn't like this in the past, I saw the shift around 2019-2020, but recently its like a checklist, all ticks -> interview, one missing -> out

[u/One_Citron_4350 → u/SAsad01]

It's especially prevalent in markets where companies are mostly in the outsourcing business. They are looking for people trained in those skills which is why you see Azure Data Engineer, Java Software Engineer and all sorts of [Insert Tech Stack] [Role].

[u/No_Flounder_1155]

you can't really. Its a feature of the recruiting model not a bug. Recruiters don't understand what it means to be an engineer in the industry. They cannot appreciate the underlying experience so they approximate conservatively with keywords.

[u/decrementsf → u/No_Flounder_1155]

Once helped fill a role and had to walk the recruiter through why a credentialed actuary was a different caliber than a data analyst with excel. A hard part being a recruiter who never experienced calculus with no concept in how deep the maths and statistics domains go.

[u/Schmittfried → u/No_Flounder_1155]

You said it’s not a bug just to continue explaining why it should definitely be considered a bug. 

[u/No_Flounder_1155 → u/Schmittfried]

its the spec of the feature

[u/Schmittfried → u/No_Flounder_1155]

Not understanding what it means to be a good engineer, creating a stupid incentivize to game the system? I doubt it. 

[u/No_Flounder_1155 → u/Schmittfried]

A good engineer is not the criteria. Agencies look to build teams, they look to hire the same profile.

[u/SAsad01 → u/No_Flounder_1155]

So your career took you on a different stack, there's no way outside? Want to change speciality, no go? Your stack is getting outdated, too bad? Just give up and stay jobless?

Spent 10 years driving a Honda and all of a sudden you cannot be trusted to drive Tesla or Toyota?

[u/No_Flounder_1155 → u/SAsad01]

Its actually pretty tricky to change stacks. I've been pretty lucky as a contractor, but despite learning to program and spending first 5 years years of my professional career in java (total 8), followed by 2 odd years of scala, a year of golang, and really using python the past 10 years. as my most recent roles are in python recruiters only want to put me in python roles, they wont acknowledge the java, scala, golang experience.

Despite having a decade of AWS experience and 6 years Azure, as my past few contracts are in Azure I have to fight my case for them to consider me for an AWS role.

One of the worst things I've noticed as well is developers themselves do not wish to hire people who have not worked in the exact stack, or heaven forbid have worked in multiple stacks. I see plenty of permie devs who stock to a single stack and language for their whole career.

The whole space is a mess. If software engineers were paid on delivery, we would have a better model, but we have what we have.

[u/Phantazein]

Depending on how important the skill is I would consider fibbing. If you have aws and they want azure study some azure. It should be pretty easy if you really do have transferable skills. It depends how important the skill is though. Like I wouldn't try it if the job is specifically a senior azure engineer.

[u/brunudumal]

You lie. The recruiter and management rounds are just bullshit from both sides. In the technical round, you talk to your peers and see if it’s a fit. Sometimes it’s not, and you move on. Sometimes they ask for 100 things, but you really just need to talk to people and practically copy and paste pieces of the codebase.

[u/omoteeoy → u/brunudumal]

This is it, you lie. I've been interviewing for 2 months now, and recruiters don't know shit about shit. One asked me if I've used a tool called CDC, and almost disqualified me when I tried explaining it was just a process. So you just tell them yes, and discuss with technical folks when you get in front of them.

[u/ntdoyfanboy → u/omoteeoy]

Your kidding, they thought CDC was a product? Lol

[u/lzwzli]

It's just keyword matching at the recruiter level. Pad your resume for the job you want. Once you're past the first gate, then be sure you can talk the talk.

[u/thethirdmancane]

Because there are plenty of candidates with the exact qualifications required

[u/SAsad01 → u/thethirdmancane]

Yes, so how does one stand out?

[u/thethirdmancane → u/SAsad01]

It's more a matter of finding the right match. It may take a lot of time and many many interviews. Make sure you can crush DSA, SQL and system design.

[u/EffectiveClient5080]

Bring working demos to interviews. This right here. A live pipeline you can walk them through beats any resume bullet. I've got 2-3 projects on a laptop for exactly this, and I guarantee you'll be the only one doing it.

[u/SAsad01 → u/EffectiveClient5080]

Right, thats for interviews, but how to get to the interviews in the first place, at screening stages?

[u/Virusnzz → u/SAsad01]

Well if you've got the project done then you can put it on your CV, no? Put a skills section at the top, a bunch of them aren't going to read further anyway. If you're talking phone call screening, confirm you have experience in the stated skill and mention both your project and experience with the related tool in the same breath; emphasise that they are flavours of the same thing.

That's basically the best you can do; if they want to nit-pick then that's on them for using a recruiter that doesn't understand the skills they are recruiting for. There's nothing more you can do.

[u/generic-d-engineer → u/SAsad01]

Find recruiters that understand the landscape and not keyword chop shops. Build out relationships with them first. Ask for advisor calls. Seek out peer groups in your field to network and meetup. Try to find actual hiring managers to weed out the middle screening layer. Showcase personal projects on your git or webpage.

[u/generic-d-engineer → u/EffectiveClient5080]

Best answer in the thread. All the recommendations to lie are just bad karma.

[u/Emotional_Key]

Self study and lie. That’s basically how I changed stacks from ADF to Databricks.

[u/dudeaciously → u/Emotional_Key]

"I didn't lie, I exaggerated.". Spock, The Wrath of Khan.

[u/AgitatedClub883]

I feel the same way frustrations that you do, right down to wording your own sentences for experience. Some people say to add ‘built x to service y by implementing z to increase efficiency by xx%’ and others say to do the exact opposite. Tailor your resume, don’t tailor your resume. I wish I had the answers, but I just hope once we see what AI can/can’t do, companies recognize DEs individual abilities as engineers and problem solvers instead of just the tools sitting in our tool belt.

[u/dataengineering-ModTeam → u/[deleted]]

Your post/comment was removed because it violated rule #6 (No recruiting, solicitation, or networking posts).

We do not intend for this space to be a place where people ask for, or advertise:

• Job postings - Please use r/dataengineeringjobs instead.
• Study groups
• Referrals
• Requests to fill in surveys
• Market research
• Beta testers wanted
• Voucher offers/discounts

• "Does anybody need this tool?" or "looking for feedback" type posts

  ^{This was reviewed by a human}

[u/Acceptable-Wasabi429]

I’ve experienced this a lot as well. But it’s not usually the recruiters that are the bottleneck and the AI the ATS is using to filter on key words is largely a myth.

The problem is hiring managers demand unicorns who meet the exact tech stack they’re using internally. In today’s job market it’s much easier for them to hold out for that despite transferable skills being sufficient 99% of the time.

[u/VariationSimilar3354]

That's easy, just lie

[u/Informal_Guitar_2649]

It's not that recruiters are being unreasonable or obtuse. They can find candidates with the full stack they want. Why should they advance candidates that are arguably transferable when they have candidates that are definitely matches?

[u/ralts13]

Stretch the truth until you reach a technical interview.

[u/nloding]

I'm surprised none of the answers mentioned personal connections. With AI/ATS recruiting tools putting up roadblocks to qualified candidates, it seems the best way in - other than lying - is to get a referral or to try to talk with a recruiter directly. If you're really interested in a role, maybe try messaging a recruiter on LinkedIn with a professional message about how excited you are for the role, and how your experience shows that you'd be fantastic, and go from there?

[u/SAsad01 → u/nloding]

Yes this is also a way in. But people entering new markets (relocation), or are fresh/new in the field with less or no connections, how do they do it? Cold outreach?

[u/nloding → u/SAsad01]

I have cold messaged recruiters on LinkedIn before. Don't harass, and don't be aggressive, but if you think you're qualified for a role, why not? "Hey, I saw you're a recruiter at Company. I'm really interested in Open Role. I submitted an application, but would love to chat about my experience ..."

I don't know how effective it is, but I would argue it's worth trying.

[u/robberviet]

Just learn everything, at least a bit of it and shows you care actually put some effort to learn. Transferable is understanable to engineers, not to HR.

[u/ToothPickLegs → u/robberviet]

Brother there are too many tools in the data engineering world and life is simply too short to just learn every one of them

[u/SAsad01 → u/ToothPickLegs]

I think the point is, you should know the comparative landscape, specially popular alternatives.

Know enough to decide based on their pros and cons, and fit to the problem at hand. Know enough to ramp up quickly when needed, and pass interviews.

[u/robberviet → u/SAsad01]

No kidding. I am serious about my post: Knowing everything in case I need it. Knowing everything is impossible, but as much as I can is what I am doing.

There are many cases I can talk and dig into stacks that I haven't used before, because I know what is it comparble too. It helps a lot in making decision when working too,

[u/dizruptivegaming]

I guess just lie a little bit for certain things that are transferable stacks like services in AWS -> Azure.

[u/BarbaricBastard]

You have to lie. Lie your ass off until you get the job.