Geospatial Pod #1: Jett Metcalf

Welcome to Geospatial Jobs, a career newsletter focusing on data science and geosciences (🌧climate-tech, 🌽ag-tech, 🌊risk modeling, ⚡️energy, 🛰remote sensing, ♻️sustainability, and more).

This time, I’ve talked with Jett Metcalf about recruiting, resume writing, negotiations, and strategies for standing out among job applicants. Jett is the owner of ClimateRec—a geospatial and climate tech recruiting firm—and he has over 8 years of experience working at geospatial companies such as Regrow Ag, Descartes Labs, and the Geo group at Google. When he's not in recruiter calls, he's figuring out how to survive as a new dad, his most important job.

p.s. This was my first time working with a podcast format, editing audio, and creating music. But I think it turned out quite well!

The full conversation (~37 minutes) is available to paid subscribers only. Here’s a gist of what we covered:

• Market trends and open positions in the geospatial industry over the past years

• Tips for resume writing and best practices

• Suggestions for recent grads and how to transition from academia to industry

  • Which companies are more likely to hire early career professionals?

• Referrals and the importance of connections

• Cheat codes for easily becoming visible to LinkedIn recruiters and standing out

• Negotiation tips and tricks

Jett mentioned something (on minute 5:18) that stood out to me and highlighted how crucial it is to submit the application early:

“People undervalue how important it is to apply quickly to a role. Most people hired from direct applications are coming in the first batch of applications. So, you really need to be quick to apply to these roles.”

Another useful resource:

I previously wrote an article entitled How to stand out in a crowded job market, where I shared my suggestions on the topic and what has worked well for me. Check that out if it seems useful.