Data Analyst Interview Questions

As soon as you find a candidate for a Data Analyst job, it’s time to set an interview. Of course, all interviews are more or less the same. But there are some specific things to take into account particularly for this position. In other words, a good résumé is not enough to prove of applicant’s attainments.

So, what are the key questions to ask on the Data Analyst Interview? Here, we’ve compiled a list of general points which can be taken as a template. There are three blocks to go through—operational, behavioral, and role-specific interview questions.

Now, before you actually start bombarding your potential candidate with multiple where’s, what’s, and how’s, give it a thought and remind yourself of the specificity of a data analyst job. Data analysts are people who manage data from various sources, including financial figures and logistic costs. Basically, they deal with gazillions reports and provide a general picture of the company statistics, which then contributes to a crucial process of decision-making. Problem-solving attitude along with an academic background are the must-haves for this position. Plus, it is essentially important to make sure that a prospect you track has sufficient knowledge and experience in using the analysis tools and database software.

Now, bearing all the above in mind, we offer you a selection of interview questions for a data analyst job:

Operational points

• What duties do you perform daily on a position of data analyst?
• What process do you follow when dealing with a new project? Describe how do you start and analyze the given statistics.
• How do you model a data-driven solution for business? What do you focus on when handling a problem?
• When do you use a complex model and in which cases a simpler one is preferred?

Role-specific points

• What software did you previously use to analyze data?
• Do you have experience in using such analysis tools as SAS and SPSS?
• What steps do you take when forecasting the sales trends for each quarter? What models do you think work better for this?
• Do you have experience developing databases and mining algorithms?
• Define the term ‘data cleaning’. How do you determine that there is enough data collected for a model?
• When using data correlation, how do you insure accurate predictions? Give an example of the most efficient methods.
• Did you previously present findings and reports to senior management?
• Explain what a sensitivity analysis means. How is it used in the process of decision-making? Provide an example.

Behavioral points

• Did you face any difficulties with databases before? How did you manage them?
• Have you previously delivered solutions that reduced business costs?
• If you were to explain technical issues to a non-technical staff, how would you do this?