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What to Expect in a Data Analyst Interview

My perspective as the interviewer vs. the interviewee

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Photo by Lukas from Pexels
Photo by Lukas from Pexels

There’s a wealth of information on how to prepare for Data analyst interviews but there’s little on what convinces an employer to hire you. Having been on both sides of the table as the interviewer for a data analyst job and as the interviewee trying to get a job I want to share what to expect in a data analyst interview and what makes a great candidate to increase your chances of getting the job.


HR interview

The first step after your resume passes the initial requirements screen is a call with HR. This call is typically with the recruiter for the position to get a sense of your job experience, provide you details about the position, gauge your interest, and ask about your salary expectations.

There are many guides on how to manage the salary expectation question but I’d like to point out in recent years some state laws now prohibit employers from asking your salary history. I’m not sure about other states but California law "also requires employers to provide candidates a pay range for a prospective job, upon request. The only question interviewers can ask about compensation is the candidate’s pay expectations for the role." Research salary ranges for the data analyst role you applied to and be prepared if you’re asked about salary expectations.

Hiring manager interview

After talking to HR, the next call is normally with the hiring manager. In companies like Facebook and LinkedIn, my second call was a technical interview because the manager is only decided after you’re hired and they decide which position you’re filling.

The hiring manager call is the time to ask details about the position and your responsibilities. I’ve had friends take positions that were described one way by hiring managers but turned out different once they were on the job. Make a list of questions beforehand to cover all the areas you have questions about.

The hiring manager asks two common questions to gauge if you’re a good fit for the position. I’ve also asked these questions when I was an interviewer so be prepared because you may be asked this multiple times.

  1. Tell me about your experience. – Don’t answer this question by going through every job on your resume and what you did at each one. The interviewer is trying to get a summary of your relevant job experience, how it applies to the current role, and what value you’ll add to the company if they hire you.
  2. Why are you interested in this position? – Always show enthusiasm for the company and the role. I’ve had interviewers vote "no" on a candidate because they sounded uninterested in the job. Research the company business and mention a couple of details on why it’s interesting to you. You can also comment on your past experience and how the position will help you grow in areas where you may be lacking experience. For example, I only had marketing experience when I was interviewing for a product analyst supporting mobile apps. I told the hiring manager I was very excited for the opportunity to support a product team and learn about a mobile business.

Technical screen

The third step of the interview process is a technical screen. This can be a technical interview with SQL and/or Python questions or a take home test. My take home tests usually took up to half a day to complete depending on the complexity. The tests were geared towards evaluating the ability to deal with data and presenting results in a clear manner. The deliverable was typically a summary of findings based on a set of data.

How I Used a Machine Learning Model to Generate Actionable Insights

On-site interview

This is the final step of the interview process. The interview panel consists of stakeholders you’ll be supporting, people you may work with in other groups, the hiring manager, and a wrap-up with HR. Since you passed the technical screen the on-site interview questions will focus on business acumen. I’ve had questions range from what KPIs I would use to track the business to how I would evaluate a business problem given limited data. It’s hard to practice for these type of questions but you can be more prepared by researching the company’s business, how they make money, strategy, and challenges to growth. Asking these type of questions during your interview can also demonstrate business acumen.

Waiting for an offer

In the wrap-up with HR they will normally give you a window of when you will hear a decision. After your interview the interview panel will meet with the hiring manager who will use the feedback to make a decision. I’ve seen cases where the vote was a unanimous "yes" to mixed votes and the candidate still got hired. The hiring manager has the final say but it’s important the stakeholders have a good impression of you because the hiring manager won’t hire you if all the stakeholders say "no". I’ve found that if the company feels you’re the right candidate you’ll get an offer within a couple of weeks. I’ve been ghosted by many companies before. Don’t waste your time following up because you’ll probably never hear from them again.


Job hunting is not easy but now that you have more insight into the interview process and what employers are looking I hope this brings you one step closer to landing you a data analyst job.


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