He didn't need more job boards. He needed the right 50 companies.

Somesh came to Ireland from India to complete his master's degree and build an international career in data science.

After graduating, he had an Irish qualification, specialist knowledge and a clear career direction. However, his job search involved an additional challenge: he needed an employer that could support his employment permit.

Somesh was applying for data science and analytics roles, but it was difficult to know which companies were realistic targets. A vacancy might match his skills perfectly, but if the employer had no history of supporting international professionals, the application was less likely to progress.

He did not simply need to find companies hiring data scientists. He needed to find companies hiring people like him.

Many international graduates search for sponsorship by looking for the word “sponsor” in job descriptions or asking recruiters after applying.

We approached Somesh's search differently. Using HULA Career Intelligence and real-world employment data, we analysed companies that had supported international professionals in Ireland during the previous five years.

We then filtered the market according to:

• Previous employment-permit activity
• Roles and professional profiles sponsored
• Relevance to data science, analytics and technology
• Company size and sector
• Current and recurring recruitment needs
• Alignment with Somesh's skills and experience
• The likelihood of finding relevant decision-makers

This research produced a target list of 50 companies with evidence of hiring and supporting international professionals in areas relevant to Somesh.

Instead of applying across the entire Irish market, he could concentrate on employers where sponsorship was a realistic possibility.

The list of 50 companies was only the starting point. Somesh needed a clear plan for using it. We developed a personalised sponsorship strategy covering:

• The roles he should prioritise
• The skills most valued by his target employers
• The companies with the strongest fit
• The right people to approach inside each organisation
• How to discuss his employment-permit requirements
• How to apply before a vacancy became highly competitive
• How to follow up without appearing demanding
• How to maintain momentum throughout a longer job search

We divided the companies into priority groups, allowing Somesh to focus first on those with the strongest combination of role alignment, sponsorship history and active recruitment. This transformed his search from a sequence of disconnected applications into a focused campaign.

Somesh had completed his master's degree in Ireland, but we did not want employers to see him only as a recent graduate who required sponsorship. We positioned him as a data professional who could solve real business problems.

His CV was rebuilt around his technical capabilities, academic projects, practical experience and ability to turn complex data into useful insights. We highlighted the tools, methods and areas most relevant to his target roles while making the document easy for recruiters and Applicant Tracking Systems to understand.

His LinkedIn profile was also repositioned to improve his visibility for data science and analytics opportunities. His headline, About section, skills and project descriptions were aligned with the language used by his target employers. The purpose was to make his value clear before sponsorship entered the conversation.

Data science candidates are often assessed on what they can demonstrate, not only what they have studied.

We helped Somesh select and present projects that showed how he approached a problem, worked with data, chose the right methodology and communicated the result. This gave recruiters and hiring managers clearer evidence of his abilities and helped him stand out from candidates whose applications focused mainly on qualifications and lists of technical tools.

His professional materials worked together to answer the employer's most important question: what could Somesh contribute to the organisation?

Somesh's sponsorship strategy could not rely only on online applications. For each target company, we identified relevant people who could help him understand upcoming opportunities or bring his profile closer to the hiring team. These included:

• Data and analytics leaders
• Hiring managers
• Technical recruiters
• Talent acquisition professionals
• International employees in similar roles
• Former students from his university
• Professionals working within his target teams

Somesh learned how to start genuine conversations, ask useful questions and build relationships before requesting help. The goal was not to message strangers asking for sponsorship. It was to become visible, learn about the company and demonstrate a credible interest in the work it was doing.

Because these conversations focused on carefully selected employers, his networking became more relevant and manageable.

Through 1:1 coaching, Somesh learned how to move away from generic, high-volume applications. For every suitable opportunity, we helped him consider:

• Whether the role matched his strongest skills
• Whether the company had relevant sponsorship history
• Which achievements and projects should appear in his CV
• Who he could contact before or after applying
• How to explain his current permission to work
• When to introduce the employment-permit conversation
• How and when to follow up

We also reviewed his application activity regularly. When a company, role type or message was not producing results, we adjusted the strategy. This meant Somesh was not left alone with a company list and a new CV. His progress informed what we did next.

One of Somesh's concerns was how to discuss sponsorship without reducing his chances of progressing. Avoiding the subject could create problems later, but raising it without context could cause an employer to focus on the administrative requirement before understanding his value.

We helped him develop a clear and confident explanation of his situation. He learned how to communicate:

• His current status in Ireland
• Why he was eligible for relevant employment-permit pathways
• What support would be required from the employer
• His long-term commitment to developing his career in Ireland
• The value and specialist skills he could bring to the role

The conversation became a practical employment consideration rather than the centre of his professional identity.

As Somesh began securing interviews, we shifted more of our work towards interview preparation. Through 1:1 coaching and mock interviews, he practised how to:

• Explain technical projects to technical and non-technical interviewers
• Structure examples clearly
• Demonstrate his individual contribution
• Connect his master's degree to real business needs
• Discuss gaps in practical experience
• Answer questions about his right to work
• Approach the sponsorship conversation professionally

After each mock interview, he received practical feedback and specific areas to improve.

Five and a half months after beginning his structured search with HULA, Somesh secured a sponsored position in Ireland.

His success was not based on finding a secret job board or sending hundreds of applications. It came from knowing which employers to target, presenting his value clearly, connecting with the right people and approaching sponsorship as part of a wider career strategy.

• Career analysis powered by HULA Career Intelligence
• Live market and employment-permit data
• A target list of 50 relevant sponsor employers
• A personalised career and sponsorship strategy
• A CV built for Irish data roles
• Stronger LinkedIn positioning
• Evidence-based project presentation
• Targeted networking inside priority companies
• Strategic, tailored applications
• Weekly reviews and adjustments
• Interview and sponsorship-conversation preparation
• Continuous 1:1 support

HULA did not promise Somesh that every company would offer sponsorship. We helped him stop investing time in employers that were unlikely to do so and focus on opportunities supported by evidence. That made his search more targeted, more realistic and ultimately more successful.