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The role of a data analyst requires technical expertise, investigative thinking, and an ability to communicate complex computer science jargon to clients in a digestible way.
When hiring for an open data analyst position, an interviewer uses targeted questions to decipher a candidate’s skill level in these areas of the field.
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A data analyst uses their tools and know-how to provide valuable insights for clients about their business. This aids them in making more educated decisions by taking in related trends accounted for by data analytics.
Individuals who go into the data analysis field are fluent in software that provides them with raw statistics. They use this original form of data and translate it into meaningful information that their employer can use to their strategic benefit.
Data analysts can take their career in a lot of different directions. Some analysts work directly under the supervision of banks as their employer and others take on clients, such as social media managers.
A data analyst who is good at their job demonstrates a few key characteristics.
These skills include:
Structured Query Language (SQL)
Proficiency in Microsoft Excel
Critical thinking
Mathematics, statistics, and analytical abilities
Tell me about yourself. Hiring managers often begin an interview, regardless of the industry, by casually asking the candidate to divulge a little more information about themselves. Asking an applicant broadly to talk about themselves eases the interview towards the desired topic of their professional history and potential.
Example Answer:
“My name is Sebastian Long. I grew up in New York, but I’ve been living here in Dallas for the past seven years. I originally moved here for my first senior-level data analysis job at a well-known bank, and I’ve been floating between various positions ever since then.”
Why do you want to be a data analyst? Most candidates are asked a version of this question to better understand their career motivations. Employers don’t just want someone who can do the job. They want to hire an individual who is also passionate about the field.
Example Answer:
“I was first drawn to the field of data analysis because I’m a generally scientific person. I find it interesting to do things like gathering plot points and using online analysis tools to uncover a use for the information. Not only is it interesting to me, but I also think my work benefits other people, too."
What area of data analysis are you most interested in? This question narrows in on the inquiries on the previous one. It’s more specific to the industry of data entry and begins to evaluate the applicant’s experience in the field.
Example Answer:
“My favorite area of data analysis is the development of a business strategy. While I enjoy a lot of aspects involved in data science, I’m most interested in using the information to better a business.”
Describe what a data analyst does. By posing this question, the interviewer is hoping to understand the candidate’s level of experience as a data analyst and their ability to communicate.
Example Answer:
“A data analyst uses tools, like Excel and R, to gather information, assess patterns, and relay their findings back to their employer or client. This is a very basic synopsis of the job, but it covers the basic responsibilities.”
What are a few problems data analysts usually have when doing their job? Asking job applicants about problems they’ve encountered in the fields uncovers how they’ll speak about negative events. The event and way they handled the situation clue the interviewer into how they’ll behave if hired for the company’s open role.
Example Answer:
“A common problem that my colleagues and I have while working in data analysis is digging through piles of irrelevant or worthless data to end up finding the needle in the haystack of useful details. A way that I go about solving this issue in data analysis is employing automatic organization systems that alert me when relevant data or patterns emerge.”
What traits are most important to be a successful data analyst? A hiring manager poses this question in an interview as a way to gauge what you value as a professional data analyst.
It’s important to refer to elements that are relevant to the job and give examples of times you’ve used these qualities. Refer to some of the key skills of data analysts listed earlier.
Example Answer:
“I think the two biggest traits that are important for successful data analysts to have are extensive technical knowledge and strong communication skills. Technical knowledge is needed to complete the majority of a data analyst’s responsibilities. However, it’s equally important that they’re able to share their work with others in an understandable way.”
Why do you want to work for our company? A potential employer is curious to find out which of their candidates know details about the company they’re interviewing for. Researching the company’s values and culture is helpful when answering this question.
Example Answer:
“I’ve done some research into the values of your marketing team. I think your organization encourages teamwork to foster a more collaborative pool of ideas. I appreciate this group mentality because I do my best work in an open and non-judgemental environment that embraces coordinating with co-workers.”
What data analysis software are you trained in? When you start hearing questions like this, the interviewer is starting to get into the nitty-gritty of your accomplishments and data analysis skills.
When deciding which data analysis tools to bring up for discussion, consider which are going to be the most relevant to this role.
Some examples of popular data analysis tools include:
Excel
SAS
SQL
Python
R
Example Answer:
“I’ve played around with a lot of different data analysis software, but I’m professionally trained in MySQL and SAS. I’d be open to learning more, though.”
What questions should you ask a client before creating a dashboard? Since this question can have a lot of right answers, it’s best practice to answer with an example of previous experience.
Describe a previous project or client, and the questions that you actually asked them before creating a dashboard.
Example Answer:
“Before creating a dashboard there are a few general questions I’d ask any client. For example, I’d definitely ask them what the purpose of the dashboard was, their data sources, and the version of Office that they use. I’d ask more targeted questions depending on the situation.”
Tell me about your previous experience in a data analysis role. The bulk of the conversation in an interview has to do with the candidate’s previous experience.
Employers turn to an applicant’s work quality and behaviors in similar positions to assess how they would perform if hired. When answering this question, turn to concrete examples of data analysis and be specific about your responsibilities.
Example Answer:
“I’ve been working as a data analyst for a private equity firm in Albuquerque, New Mexico for the past five years. I began the role as an intern straight out of college with a degree in data analytics. My team was responsible for all aspects of data mining.”
“Eventually, I progressed to earning a supervisory role. In this position, I did a lot more presenting for my team. I decided to move on after my partner was relocated to a different state, and now I’m looking for a new opportunity to use my analysis and leadership skills.”
Do you work well with other people? The position of a data analyst requires lots of interaction with other people and strong communication. A large part of the job is about being able to communicate findings with clients in layman’s terms.
Asking about how well you work with others shows an interviewer if you can handle this responsibility of the job.
Example Answer:
“I think I do my best work with other people because they always provide me with an insight I couldn’t have come up with on my own. Generally, I think people work best professionally as a cohesive unit. I enjoy that type of team environment.”
How would you describe effective communication? This is another question that targets the importance of communication in a data analysis position. The best way to handle a question that asks you to describe an aspect of the job is by providing a clear and concise definition.
Example Answer:
“In general, I would describe effective communication as an interaction between people that ends with everyone walking away in mutual understanding of what has been said. There are equal amounts of listening and speaking done for everyone involved to feel heard.”
Have you given presentations at work before? Data analysts are often asked to present their findings to a larger audience once they’ve made solid conclusions. Many people succumb to stage-fright in a presentation scenario, and the employer needs to know that you’re up for the challenge.
Example Answer:
“Yes, I have experience with giving presentations at work before to different sizes of audiences. My largest presentation was to a group of 75 associates.”
How have you used Excel as an analytical tool before? One of the most popular data analysis tools is Excel, which means that you’ll likely be asked about your familiarity with it during an interview for this type of role. Employers might also ask about other data analytics software that their organization uses more often.
Example Answer:
“Yes, I have used Excel as an analytical tool before. I find it helpful for spreadsheets and data visualization, but I also enjoy using Apache Spark and Erwin.”
Tell me about a time you faced a conflict at work. Disagreement and conflict in the workplace are common among co-workers who spend most of their time together. Employees want to hire people who know how to handle this situation professionally. They’ll ask about previous conflict scenarios to understand your resolution skills better.
Example Answer:
“I was once working at a healthcare office. One of the individuals on my analysis team was constantly showing up late and holding up production for everyone. It began affecting my co-worker’s moods and performance. I decided to speak with the co-worker one-on-one and we agreed about the lateness problem. After the honest communication, her performance completely improved and she was never late again.”
Do you think creativity is important to a data analyst’s job? While the role of a data analyst in business is often considered a primarily technical position, it also involves some creative thinking. An interviewer asks about how you view creativity to see if your work style is more traditional or progressive.
Example Answer:
“I think that data analysts use creativity more in their daily work than people unfamiliar with the field might think. A great deal of an analyst's job is thinking outside-the-box on the technical side of things for their clients. Successful data analysts use their creativity to problem-solve, understand data, and suggest a strategy.”
What is data cleansing and how do you practice it? Cleansing is a common part of a data analyst’s job. It refers to combing through a database and scrubbing out any wrong information. A hiring manager asks about it to see if the candidate has handled it before.
Example Answer:
“Data cleansing is the practice of going through a company’s database to get rid of any incorrect or mislabeled information. I perform data cleansing by sifting through useless information in a data set, duplicates, and errors, and imposing filters to handle outliers.”
Define an outlier. This is another question that tests a job candidate’s on-the-job data analysis knowledge. An outlier is when an observed value lies outside of its expected range and diverges from the established pattern. It comes into play often in data analysis.
Example Answer:
“In the field of data analysis, an outlier refers to an observed data point that behaves in an unexpected way that varies from a distinct pattern.”
What’s the difference between data mining and data analysis? One final inquisition into your familiarity with the field of data analysis. The answer to this specific question is that data mining brings forth raw information and patterns, while data analysis provides meaning for these findings through critical thinking.
Example Answer:
“Data mining is the process of collecting crude data that doesn’t inherently mean anything on its own until it’s interpreted through analysis. In short, data mining is a technique that data analysts use, while data analysis involves finding something meaningful in the raw information.”
What do you think some of the best tools for data analysis are? Once a hiring manager has gathered an understanding of your experience level, they’ll start asking about your preferences in the data analysis world. Since tools and software are so heavily relied on, they’ll likely ask about your favorites.
Example Answer:
“My favorite tools for data analysis are Microsoft Power BI, Metabase, and Mode. While they’re all a little different, they provide a clean interface for inquiring about data.”
What gets you up in the morning? The underlying purpose of this question is to determine your motivations for doing the things you do. Give a little information about your professional goals, but also touch on your life outside of work. Adding a personal touch when answering this interview question makes you more memorable.
Example Answer:
“What gets me up in the morning is the need to feel like I’ve accomplished something. Whether it’s a big or small task, I get a thrill out of that sense of achievement in completion. I think that’s why I enjoy data analysis so much. It’s a series of solving challenges and completing tasks.”
Tell me about a time you failed to meet a deadline. Many applicants go into a job interview thinking that it’ll be all about their accomplishments. In reality, an interviewer also wants to know about how you’ve handled setbacks and responses to the times you’ve failed.
In a profession like data analysis that usually has project deadlines, a hiring manager often asks about a time they didn’t meet it to see how they’ll talk about a time their performance fell short.
Example Answer:
“When I was working in my last position, I was given a project to work on at the last minute. I didn’t feel like I had the mental space to handle any additional work, but I didn’t want to seem like an unreliable employee, so, I accepted it. I ended up not meeting the deadline and looking like an even worse employee. I learned to be open about my capacities at work and discuss concerns with my supervisors.”
What do you consider to be your greatest accomplishment? That’s not to say that an interviewer isn’t interested in all the great things you’ve done. They’ll probably ask a few questions about your top achievements as well. Answer with an accomplishment that’s relevant to the role you’re interviewing for.
Example Answer:
“I believe my greatest accomplishment was graduating from college with a 3.8 GPA. I was the first person in my immediate family to attend University and it felt like an achievement for all of us. Additionally, my studies in statistics and analysis led me down a rewarding career path into data analytics.”
What is your ideal work environment? Each employer has a particular way of doing things that establishes their type of work environment. They ask potential hires about their ideal work environment to see how well they’ll fit with their company culture.
Example Answer:
“My ideal work environment is being allowed the independence to complete my own work on time. I appreciate collaboration, but I don’t like being micromanaged. I think my best work comes from being given the space to excel.”
Do you work well under stress? The field of data analysis has the potential to be very stressful because there are a lot of people relying on you to come back with results and meet deadlines. An interviewer asks about a candidate’s ability to thrive under pressure to see if they’ll be able to handle the stress of a data analysis job.
Example Answer:
“I believe I work well under stress. I’ve worked as a junior data analyst for a government office. The job had very particular ways of doing things and it put a lot of stress on me to rise to the occasion. While other colleagues of mine felt stunted by the intense work environment, I think it helped me perform to the best of my abilities.”
What’s your process to begin a new project? Every employee has their unique process for approaching a new project. The responsibilities of a data analyst often take place on a project-by-project basis, and an employer wants to know if your process jives with theirs.
Example Answer:
“The first thing I do when I’m presented with a new project is evaluating the duties at hand and formulating a plan. Before beginning any data mining or work with software, I think it’s important to gather a firm understanding of what the project expects of me. Once I’m clear on this, I can start checking items off the list of my action plan.”
What do you know about our company? In almost every job interview, this question arises. It helps an interviewer to understand how prepared the candidate is and their familiarity level with the company. Having at least some insider knowledge about their organization’s values and history helps in answering this question.
Example Answer:
“I know that your company’s primary goal is to deliver value to the client. As a retail company, customer satisfaction is paramount. I believe you’re looking for an individual to fill the data analyst position who can put this goal first.”
How do you keep yourself organized at work? Data analysts need to be even more organized than the average employee at work because they’re handling masses of information daily. Hiring managers searching to fill this kind of role ask candidates about their organizational skills and processes to evaluate how they’ll handle it on the job.
Example Answer:
“I organize myself at work by being tidy virtually through my computer systems and databases, but also in my physical office. I think keeping my office organized is equally as important as my files because otherwise my space and mind feel cluttered.”
Tell me about a data result that surprised you and what you learned from it. Data analysis doesn’t always end up exactly as planned, and the interviewer knows this.
They’ll ask an applicant about a result that surprised them to see how they used this information to broaden their knowledge. Answer by referring to a previous data experience that had an impact on the way you did your work after.
Example Answer:
“I was once working as a data analyst for a social media manager who wanted to gain insight on their website’s functioning because their hits had plummeted. After evaluation, I found that a small error in the coding had been denying outside access to the server’s page. This was one of the most shocking discoveries I made while working because it seemed so obvious afterward. It taught me to always start with the simplest root cause, and work my way through to the more outlandish reasons for issues.”
When can you start? While it’s a good sign that an interviewer is asking about your availability, it doesn’t necessarily mean you’ve landed the job just yet. Hiring managers ask about a candidate’s availability to refine their schedule.
Evaluate your readiness to begin the new position, and give them an honest answer about when you can start if hired.
Example Answer:
“I would be available to start this position in two weeks. The first day I could begin working is February 8th.”