The digital landscape is awash with opportunities for data professionals, and if you’re looking to elevate your career, understanding the right tools is paramount. A quick LinkedIn search reveals the immense demand: a search for “Alteryx” job postings worldwide recently yielded over 5,500 results, with surprisingly few of those positions being directly within Alteryx itself. Furthermore, a search for LinkedIn profiles mentioning “Alteryx” showcased over 47,000 professionals highlighting their Alteryx skills – a clear indicator of its value in the job market.
Becoming proficient in Alteryx is more than just acquiring a skill; it’s a tangible asset that can significantly boost your professional trajectory. The question then becomes: how do you leverage your Alteryx expertise to actively cultivate your career and build a powerful professional brand? The answer, as you’ll discover, is akin to building an Alteryx workflow itself – systematic, tool-driven, and results-oriented. This article will guide you through a series of actionable tools, readily available and easily integrated into your professional life, to chart and construct the career path and brand you aspire to achieve. Consider this your guide to Teal Your Career Growth Tool – the Alteryx Community.
Define Your Destination: Begin with the End in Mind
Before we delve into the specific tools within the Alteryx Community that will help you teal your career growth tool, it’s crucial to establish a clear vision of your professional aspirations. What are your career goals? What kind of personal brand do you want to cultivate? Are you aiming to transition from an analyst role into management? Perhaps you’re seeking to evolve from a data analyst into a citizen data scientist? Or, if you’re already managing Alteryx analysts, are you striving for a director-level position? Having a defined direction is essential to ensure your efforts are focused and your brand message is targeted effectively.
Navigating these questions can be challenging. Consider this thought experiment: Envision yourself in an interview for your “dream job.” Firstly, what does that “dream job” look like for you? Secondly, what skills and experiences would you want to confidently articulate during that interview? What accomplishments would you highlight to demonstrate your readiness for this desired role? How would you showcase your contributions in your current position to prove you’re the ideal candidate for the next step?
Invest time in introspective thinking to define your desired career trajectory before formulating your action plan. This vision will serve as your compass, guiding you to prioritize activities and cultivate a brand that propels you towards your next level of professional success.
Harnessing the Power: Career and Brand-Building Tools at Your Fingertips
This article will introduce you to a diverse range of resources and opportunities available within the Alteryx Community, all designed to empower you to build your career and enhance your professional brand. While some data professionals may find value in utilizing all of these tools to achieve their goals, others may find that focusing on just a select few is sufficient to propel their careers forward. Similar to an Alteryx workflow, you don’t necessarily need every tool to achieve significant results. There’s no single “correct” approach to career advancement. Trust your instincts and choose the tools that resonate most with your individual needs and aspirations.
Let’s embark on this journey to accelerate your career growth. In return, we simply ask that if you discover a particular tool that proves beneficial, share your experience in the comments section below. Your insights can guide and inspire others on their own career paths. Even better, as you’ll see, you can further enhance your personal analytics brand by sharing your experiences through blog posts within the Alteryx Community itself.
Tool #1: Craft Your Professional Identity
Words are powerful. The way you describe yourself and your professional activities significantly impacts how others perceive you. Be deliberate and thoughtful about the language you use to communicate your professional identity and expertise. This is your opportunity to shape the narrative that other professionals will associate with you. One effective way to begin building your brand within the Alteryx Community is through your Community handle, or username. Consider the example of Mark Frisch, an Alteryx ACE whose Community handle, “MarqueeCrew,” cleverly references his widely used and valuable set of macros, the “CReW macros,” which he generously shares with the Alteryx Community. Mark, like many other prominent Alteryx users, exemplifies how to effectively utilize the Alteryx Community to cultivate a strong professional brand. You can even hear Mark’s valuable insights on this topic in the Public Sector Alteryx User Group meeting, which specifically focuses on leveraging Alteryx for career and brand development.
Let’s consider another example. Jaxon, a Communications Specialist, began working with employee satisfaction survey data within his company. Despite being new to data analysis, he discovered a passion and aptitude for data using Alteryx. Jaxon quickly became the internal expert for statistics and insights. Now, aiming to build his career as a data professional specializing in survey data, he chose the Alteryx Community handle “SurveyDataJaxon.” This handle immediately communicates his area of expertise to anyone encountering his posts within the community, effectively becoming a component of his professional brand.
Take Action: If you’re reading this, you likely already have an Alteryx Community account and handle. If you decide to strategically use your handle to build your brand, you can request a change from the Alteryx Community managers at [email protected].
Tool #2: Engage in Meaningful Discussions
With a vast repository of approximately 200,000 posts, the Alteryx Community is a dynamic hub of activity. Active participation in community discussions is a proven strategy for Alteryx experts to accelerate their career growth and brand recognition. Upon visiting the Alteryx Community landing page, you’ll immediately see the latest posts. Take the initiative to review the challenges posed by other users and contribute solutions to assist your fellow community members. Helping to solve challenges not only benefits other Alteryx users but also establishes your reputation as a knowledgeable and competent Alteryx professional. Many top contributors in the Alteryx Community have progressed to compete in the Alteryx Grand Prix or become recognized as Alteryx ACEs.
Furthermore, by staying informed about how other Alteryx users are utilizing the platform, you remain current with the latest data practices. Sharing your solutions and ideas allows you to demonstrate the value of your work to a wider audience.
Take Action: Dedicate time each day or week to explore new posts in the Alteryx Community. Observe how others respond to questions and share their expertise. Challenge yourself to solve problems and share your proposed solutions. The Alteryx Community is known for its welcoming and supportive atmosphere, making it an ideal environment to practice and refine your skills. If you’re hesitant, you could preface your post with a message like, “As a newcomer to the Alteryx Community, I wanted to try and offer a solution to this user’s problem. Here’s my approach – I’m still learning and eager to see how others tackle this.” You’ll likely receive encouragement and support from the community. Remember, Alteryx often offers multiple pathways to solve the same problem. Embrace the opportunity to contribute and let us know about your experience!
Tool #3: Showcase Your Alteryx Success Stories
Sharing your Alteryx use cases within the community is a powerful way to demonstrate how you apply your data skills in specific industries or functional areas, such as finance. When you successfully solve problems using Alteryx, the platform’s efficiency might make the solution seem “simple.” However, remember that the same task might have been significantly more complex and time-consuming using traditional programming or even Excel. This ease of use can sometimes lead to undervaluing your work, but sharing your use cases, regardless of perceived complexity, is incredibly valuable. Alteryx users frequently visit the community seeking examples of how others are addressing similar challenges. Even seemingly basic applications of Alteryx tools to solve fundamental industry or department-specific problems are highly insightful.
Before dismissing your work as insignificant, reflect on your recent workflows. What business challenge or problem did you address for your organization or team? Consider the positive impact and results your work delivered. Many analysts stop at the descriptive level, thinking, “I just created bar charts or summarized category counts.” However, even basic summary statistics can provide business stakeholders with previously unavailable visibility, enabling better informed decision-making. This contribution is far from trivial.
Consider who benefited from your workflow – your stakeholders. What are their roles? How did your data work support their responsibilities? Stakeholders may range from those directly interacting with your Alteryx apps on the Alteryx Server to executive leaders like the CFO who rely on insights derived from your analysis. Are your results informing C-level decisions or other leadership levels? If so, this is a powerful aspect of your work that you can leverage to build your brand.
Take Action: Start by exploring the Use Cases already published in the Alteryx Community to understand the format and types of content shared. You’ll find a helpful form to guide you through the submission process. If you have a use case idea but are short on time for writing, the Alteryx Customer Advocacy Team is available to assist you. Contact them via the online form or directly at [email protected].
Submitting a use case connects you with a team of professionals who can help refine your story for online publication. Once published, your use case becomes a powerful brand-building asset. Amplify its reach by sharing it on social media platforms like LinkedIn or Twitter. Further enhance your professional profile by adding your published Alteryx Use Case to the Publications, Projects, or Honors and Awards sections of your LinkedIn profile – recognition of your expertise and contribution to the Alteryx community.
Tool #4: Level Up Your Skills Continuously
Alteryx provides exceptional training resources, freely accessible through the Alteryx Academy. Many Alteryx users may not fully realize that the skills acquired through Alteryx training extend far beyond platform operation. These trainings provide deep insights into data types, data structures, data blending and preparation, descriptive statistics, data formulas and expressions, spatial analysis, and problem-solving methodologies. Alteryx Academy training equips you with resume-worthy skills and practical experience that can significantly advance your career.
Take Action: Recognizing diverse learning preferences, Alteryx offers training in various formats, including numerous interactive lessons, training videos, weekly challenges, and certification curriculum guides and prep sessions. Explore the new Alteryx Designer Learning Path, a structured curriculum culminating in a capstone project that showcases your acquired skills.
Tool #5: Connect and Collaborate in User Groups
Currently, there are over 40 Alteryx User Groups across the Americas, 15 in Europe, the Middle East, and Africa, 7 in Asia-Pacific, and 5 virtual industry or department-focused groups meeting online. This network is continually expanding as the global Alteryx community grows. Alteryx User Groups are immensely popular due to the valuable opportunities they provide for sharing ideas, learning new techniques, and connecting with like-minded data enthusiasts who share a passion for data’s power. Plus, they offer a fun and engaging environment!
Take Action: The Alteryx Community maintains a comprehensive list of volunteer-led Alteryx User Groups. Visit a User Group’s landing page and click “Join the Group” to become a member. As a member, you can participate in online discussions and attend regular meetings. Customize your “Subscription & Notifications” settings in your Alteryx Community profile under “My Settings” to receive email updates on User Group activity.
Joining User Groups is just the beginning. Elevate your brand by volunteering to speak at a meeting. If you’ve previously developed a use case to build your brand, you can repurpose that content for a User Group presentation!
Extend your brand-building efforts by inviting your professional network through social media platforms like LinkedIn and Twitter to attend your presentation. After delivering your presentation, share the meeting recording via social media, further showcasing your expertise, accomplishments, and industry knowledge to your network – demonstrating your valuable contributions to the broader analytics community. This not only builds your professional brand but also gives back to the community.
If there isn’t a local Alteryx User Group in your area, you have a unique opportunity to advance your career by starting one. Alteryx provides extensive User Group Resources, including a detailed playbook on how to launch a local group. Taking the initiative to establish and lead a local Alteryx User Group significantly enhances your leadership skills and expands your professional network, providing impressive credentials for your professional profile.
Furthermore, many organizations have found that internal Alteryx User Groups foster cross-departmental collaboration and unlock new possibilities for leveraging data. The Alteryx Community offers a valuable article guiding you through the process of starting an Internal Alteryx User Group.
Tool #6: Conduct Informational Interviews
As you become more involved in the Alteryx Community – engaging in discussions, attending User Group meetings, and reading use cases – you’ll likely encounter community members you admire or find particularly interesting. Consider leveraging informational interviews as a valuable tool for career growth. If you’ve already defined your career goals and desired brand, as recommended earlier, speaking with individuals who are already in roles you aspire to can be incredibly insightful. An informational interview is a focused conversation, typically involving 5-6 prepared questions, designed to help you learn about your target role. It’s crucial to understand that this is not a job interview, and you should not approach it with the hidden agenda of seeking employment. While an informational interview might indirectly lead to job opportunities, misrepresenting your intentions can damage your brand if discovered.
Take Action: Identify individuals within the Alteryx Community who possess skills or roles that you admire or aspire to. You can directly message them through the Alteryx Community platform. Clicking on a user’s profile provides an option to send a direct message. In your initial message, express your admiration for their work and politely request an informational interview. Clearly state that you only need 30 minutes of their time – and respect this time limit.
Prepare thoroughly for the interview by researching their company and role online to avoid asking easily obtainable information. Prepare 5-6 targeted questions focusing on the skills and experience needed for their role, the challenges and rewards of the position, and any advice they can offer to help you develop relevant skills and experience. Respect their time by ending the interview promptly within the agreed-upon 30 minutes. Even if they offer to extend the time, demonstrating courtesy and respect will leave a positive impression, strengthening your growing network.
Within 24 hours of the interview, send a thank-you note reiterating your appreciation for their time and highlighting how their insights will specifically benefit you. Mentioning how you plan to act on their advice further reinforces your sincerity. Also, within 24 hours, consider inviting them to connect on LinkedIn to further solidify your professional network.
Tool #7: Leverage Your Skills for Social Good
The Alteryx Community is filled with inspiring stories of data professionals using Alteryx For Good to make a positive impact. Many analysts and data scientists are driven to extend their Alteryx skills to contribute to causes they care about. Engaging in “data for good” initiatives is not only personally fulfilling but can also enhance your career prospects. Increasingly, organizations recognize social responsibility as a core value. Using your data expertise to support non-profits allows you to give back while building your brand as a data professional with a social conscience.
Take Action: Explore the Alteryx For Good For Nonprofits page within the Alteryx Community. Alteryx offers five distinct ways to empower nonprofits with data and analytics. Additionally, the Alteryx For Good Co-Lab team comprises volunteers ready to dedicate their time and expertise. Contact them at [email protected] for more information.
Tool #8: Inspire Others on a Larger Stage
The Alteryx Inspire conferences, held annually in the United States, Europe, and Australia, showcase the pinnacle of achievement within the Alteryx Community. If you’re ready to take your brand building to the next level, presenting at Inspire provides a platform to shine in front of thousands of attendees. This is your opportunity to demonstrate how you are driving impactful change within your organization by solving complex business challenges and delivering measurable ROI using Alteryx. Developing an Alteryx Use Case and presenting at a User Group meeting are excellent preparatory steps for an impactful Inspire presentation.
Take Action: Identify your most compelling use case that you want to share with a global audience. Refer back to Tool #3, “Showcase Your Alteryx Success Stories,” for guidance on crafting your Inspire proposal. Inspire conferences typically feature multiple attendee tracks, allowing you to tailor your presentation to the most relevant audience. When submitting your proposal, you’ll specify the track and target audience for your talk. Stay updated on Inspire conference details by monitoring the Inspire | Buzz discussion forum in Alter.Nation.
Tool #9: Get Rewarded for Your Contributions
As you utilize the Alteryx Community’s tools to advance your career and build your brand, you also unlock opportunities to be recognized and rewarded for your efforts. The Alteryx Customer Advocacy program, Advocacy.Amplified, awards points for your career-building activities and rewards your progress with exclusive Alteryx swag.
Take Action: Enroll in the Advocacy.Amplified program and log your career-building activities to earn points. Accumulating points unlocks rewards, starting with the Advocacy.Amplified badge and a branded hoodie.
Putting It All Together: Your Personalized Career Growth Plan
We’ve explored nine distinct tools within the Alteryx Community that you can leverage to teal your career growth tool and cultivate your personal data and analytics brand. This is a powerful arsenal of resources. However, feeling overwhelmed is understandable. A practical approach is to revisit each tool and assess your current needs, willingness, and capacity to utilize it, along with the estimated effort required. This initial assessment is the first step in creating a personalized plan.
| Career and Brand Growth Assessment |
|---|
| Tool |
| Craft Your Professional Identity |
| Engage in Meaningful Discussions |
| Showcase Your Alteryx Success Stories |
| Level Up Your Skills Continuously |
| Connect and Collaborate in User Groups |
| Conduct Informational Interviews |
| Leverage Your Skills for Social Good |
| Inspire Others on a Larger Stage |
To translate your assessment into a concrete plan, prioritize tools with the highest priority and lowest effort for immediate action. For high-priority, high-effort tools, break down your goals into smaller, manageable tasks that can be tackled incrementally. Develop a monthly or quarterly plan to bring your ideas to fruition.
Don’t Navigate Your Career Journey Alone
With your assessment complete and a plan in place, building a support network is highly recommended. Fortunately, the Alteryx Community is ideally suited to serve as that network. Utilize the comments section below to share your plan, seek support, or ask for guidance if you feel stuck. As you implement your plan, share your progress and social media posts so the community can offer encouragement and support. Finally, celebrate your successes with the community – we’re here to cheer you on!
Heather Harris—author of “Citizen Gain: Citizen Data Scientist as the Catalyst for the Modern Analytics Strategy” and Analytics & Intelligence Practice Director for PK—leads data, analytics and AI experience engineering for some of the world’s most customer-obsessed companies. Heather ensures enterprise execution excellence for clients’ goals and strategic plans in data and analytics solutions — elevating data as a key organizational asset. Prior to her work in data science and analytics, Ms. Harris led emerging technology programs and deployments in the semiconductor industry. www.linkedin.com/in/hmharris
