Career development

 8h

Opinion: Stop asking your interviewer cliché questions


How to turn your job interview into a dynamic conversation that will make a memorable impression on hiring managers.

Most job search advice is cookie-cutter. The advice you're following is almost certainly the same advice other job seekers follow, making you just another candidate following the same script.

In today's hyper-competitive job market, standing out is critical, a challenge most... job seekers struggle with. Instead of relying on generic questions recommended by self-proclaimed career coaches, which often lead to a forgettable interview, ask unique, thought-provoking questions that'll spark engaging conversations and leave a lasting impression.

English philosopher Francis Bacon once said, "A prudent question is one half of wisdom."

The questions you ask convey the following:

Your level of interest in the company and the role. Contributing to your employer's success is essential. You desire a cultural fit.

Here are the top four questions experts recommend candidates ask; hence, they've become cliché questions you should avoid asking:

"What are the key responsibilities of this position?"

Most likely, the job description answers this question. Therefore, asking this question indicates you didn't read the job description. If you require clarification, ask, "How many outbound calls will I be required to make daily?" "What will be my monthly revenue target?"

"What does a typical day look like?"

Although it's important to understand day-to-day expectations, this question tends to elicit vague responses and rarely leads to a deeper conversation. Don't focus on what your day will look like; instead, focus on being clear on the results you need to deliver. Nobody I know has ever been fired for not following a "typical day." However, I know several people who were fired for failing to meet expectations. Before accepting a job offer, ensure you're capable of meeting the employer's expectations.

"How would you describe the company culture?"

Asking this question screams, "I read somewhere to ask this question." There are much better ways to research a company's culture, such as speaking to current and former employees and reading online reviews and news articles. Furthermore, since your interviewer works for the company, they're presumably comfortable with the culture. Do you expect your interviewer to give you the brutal truth? "Be careful of Craig; get on his bad side, and he'll make your life miserable." "Bob is close to retirement. I give him lots of slack, which the rest of the team needs to pick up."

Truism: No matter how much due diligence you do, only when you start working for the employer will you experience and, therefore, know their culture firsthand.

"What opportunities are there for professional development?"

When asked this question, I immediately think the candidate cares more about gaining than contributing, a showstopper. Managing your career is your responsibility, not your employer's.

Cliché questions don't impress hiring managers, nor will they differentiate you from your competition. To transform your interaction with your interviewer from a Q&A session into a dynamic discussion, ask unique, insightful questions.

Here are my four go-to questions - I have many more - to accomplish this:

"Describe your management style. How will you manage me?"

This question gives your interviewer the opportunity to talk about themselves, which we all love doing. As well, being in sync with my boss is extremely important to me. The management style of who'll be my boss is a determining factor in whether or not I'll accept the job.

"What is the one thing I should never do that'll piss you off and possibly damage our working relationship beyond repair?"

This question also allows me to determine whether I and my to-be boss would be in sync. Sometimes I ask, "What are your pet peeves?"

"When I join the team, what would be the most important contribution you'd want to see from me in the first six months?"

Setting myself up for failure is the last thing I want. How realistic are the expectations? It's never about the question; it's about what you want to know. It's important to know whether you'll be able to meet or even exceed your new boss's expectations.

"If I wanted to sell you on an idea or suggestion, what do you need to know?"

Years ago, a candidate asked me this question. I was impressed he wasn't looking just to put in time; he was looking for how he could be a contributing employee. Every time I ask this question, it leads to an in-depth discussion.

Other questions I've asked:

"What keeps you up at night?" "If you were to leave this company, who would follow?" "How do you handle an employee making a mistake?" "If you were to give a Ted Talk, what topic would you talk about?" "What are three highly valued skills at [company] that I should master to advance?" "What are the informal expectations of the role?" "What is one misconception people have about you [or the company]?"

Your questions reveal a great deal about your motivations, drive to make a meaningful impact on the business, and a chance to morph the questioning into a conversation. ClichĂ© questions don't lead to meaningful discussions, whereas unique, thought-provoking questions do and, in turn, make you memorable. more

Career development

 1d

The Best Ways to Answer 'What Are Your Salary Expectations?'


Try to delay discussing salary expectations with your potential employer until you've had a chance to learn more about the job.

Answering questions about your salary expectations in a job interview can be tricky. You don't want to risk scaring off a potential employer by throwing out an outrageously high number, but you also don't want to undersell yourself. How do you answer this question... confidently and find a sweet spot that works for both you and the employer? Here's everything you need to know about tackling the salary expectations question in a job interview.

Employers ask about your salary expectations to gauge whether your compensation expectations align with their budget for the position.

"Salary questions are often designed to screen candidates out," wrote Alisa Cohen, managing partner and principal executive coach with Close Cohen Career Consulting, in an email. "If you share overly specific compensation information too early, and it doesn't fit the employer's range (either too high or too low), you risk being eliminated as a candidate."

So, when the hiring manager or interviewer asks about your salary expectations, think before you speak rather than winging it. Because once you share your specific salary expectations, you immediately set the bar for your future negotiation.

Answering questions about salary expectations can feel awkward, but it doesn't have to be. Here are 10 ways to confidently discuss money in an interview and land a job that pays you what you're worth.

If you're still early in the interview process and don't know much about the job expectations, be honest and deflect questions about money until later. "Interviewers often ask salary expectations early on to pigeonhole you into a lower number. Don't fall for this trap. Instead, say that you need to learn more about the role first," Cohen said.

To delay answering the question, you could say:

If the interviewer continues to press you for a number, ask what the budget is for the role. "By doing so, you put the onus on them to come up with a number and can know upfront what range you are looking at without giving a number yourself," Cohen said.

Here are two responses:

If you're going back and forth with the interviewer and they're refusing to share their budget without hearing your salary expectations first, Cohen recommends giving them a range based on your market research that's on the higher end. But be sure to emphasize that you're flexible and open to negotiation. Otherwise, the interviewer may screen you out and consider you "too expensive" for the role.

Here are examples of what you could say:

One way to reinforce your value and make your salary expectations feel more grounded is by telling the interviewer your unique skills or achievements.

Here's what you could say:

While earning a competitive wage is important, you don't want to make the interviewer feel like you're only in it for the money. So, when discussing salary, show that you're also genuinely enthusiastic about the job.

You can say something like:

Your base salary isn't the only part of your compensation package. Make sure to also discuss other benefits like bonuses, health insurance, retirement plans and work-life balance perks. Sometimes, total compensation can also include other nonmonetary benefits, such as a company laptop or car.

Here's how to bring this up during the interview:

It's natural to feel nervous when discussing salary, even if you've practiced your answer. If you're feeling anxious before answering the question, ask the interviewer to give you a moment to collect your thoughts. It's better to take a minute than to rush your response and risk stumbling over your words or giving an answer that doesn't reflect your worth.

Here's what you could say:

Once you've shared your salary expectations, reaffirm your excitement for the position. This keeps the conversation positive and shows your genuine interest in the company.

Try saying:

Be ready to negotiate if the interviewer counters your salary expectations with their offer. You'll want to keep your bottom line in mind and know what you're willing to accept. Here are some examples of what your response could look like:

If the offer doesn't meet your expectations, it's perfectly fine to say no and walk away. While knowing your worth is empowering, you'll want to communicate your decision respectfully. Here's what you could say:

If you're not prepared, discussing your salary expectations in a job interview can make you stumble over your words. Here's how to discuss money like a pro.

Don't wait until you've received an offer to start negotiating your salary. Know your market value from the jump. Remember, interviewing for a job is a negotiation from the first conversation to the last. If you want to be paid what you're worth, you need to know your market value before stepping into the interview room.

So, before you start interviewing, do your research. "When you gather your market data, make sure to get it from multiple sources, such as salary databases, salary calculators, research reports, colleagues and more. The more data points you have, the more accurate your information will be," said Lauren Hasson, founder of DevelopHer, a platform that helps women in male-dominated industries take control of their careers, in an email.

By identifying your points of leverage in the interview process, such as how you can uniquely solve an employer's problem, you'll have the upper hand when negotiating your salary and locking in a premium offer. For example, if you know the employer is aiming to hire someone quickly to fill a role that requires specialized skills, or if the candidate pool is small, you'll have more leverage when negotiating.

This strategy has worked for Hasson. "I've negotiated a base salary up to $50,000 before because I realized they needed to hire someone immediately, they didn't have any backup candidates and my skills were unique," she said. "I've done this multiple times. Look for where you have leverage and dig into it to negotiate a premium salary."

Always defer compensation conversations to the latest stage possible when interviewing for a role. "You have the most leverage at the offer stage. You're in a powerful negotiating place when the employer has decided they want you," Cohen said.

Remember, job interviews should be treated as a negotiation, not a one-sided conversation. Don't feel obligated to share your salary expectations early in the interview process when the timing isn't right.

There's power in walking away and turning down an offer when the company is unwilling to give you what you need. Doing so shows you value your worth and will not settle for less. Plus, if you aren't willing to say no to a bad offer, you may miss out on better opportunities down the road.

To make it easier to say no, Hasson recommends lining up other offers so you have multiple options to consider and saving in an emergency fund so you have the flexibility to keep job searching.

Before heading into the interview, practice your answer so you feel confident when the time comes. Rehearse your answer in front of a mirror, with a friend or by recording yourself, and pay attention to your tone and body language. You'll want to come across as calm, self-assured and someone who knows their worth. more

Career development

 1d

Forget mom and dad -- Gen Z, millennial mothers are bringing babies...


It's a parenting trend that gives "mommy-and-me" a whole new meaning.

Millennial and Gen Z mothers are bringing their babies to job interviews in an effort to combat the soaring costs of of child care -- insisting that any company that doesn't value or understand their role as a mother doesn't deserve them.

"It takes hours of planning," says Melissa Riling, 35, a jobseeking mom of one from the... Hudson Valley, who totes her tiny tagalong to appointments with would-be bosses.

"I feed him, dress him in an outfit that matches mine, set up his activity center or find something to watch for screen time. It's intense."

She's pitched herself for a number of positions since the top of the year, meeting with potential employers, both in-person and via Zoom, while her 11-month-old son plays, coos or catches a snooze nearby. Each time, she's made hiring managers aware that her tot would be in tow.

"Childcare is too expensive to get every time I interview for a job that's not guaranteed," Riling tells The Post.

As a multi-hyphenate mama who specializes in event designer, floral care and modeling, Riling is just one of many cost-conscious mamas pulling double duty these days.

While child-free Gen Zs -- newcomers to the corporate world ranging in age from 18 to 27 -- are asking their parents to join them on job interviews for support, new mommies within the demographic (and a few who are in their thirties, like Riling) are bringing their babies along.

The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services regards child care affordability as a cost that does not exceed seven percent of a family's income, according to a recent study by Robin Hood and Columbia University.

The researchers found that in New York City, the average annual cost of sitter services -- support provided either at home or at a child-friendly center -- is around $12,900.

Unfortunately, the eye-popping price makes proper child care unaffordable for 52% of NYC families, including both high-income and low-income earners, per the report.

Investigators, too, determined that 70% of Gotham's youngest, infants under the age one to toddlers up to age 4, live in "child care deserts," or neighborhoods without a sufficient number of licensed child care providers.

But the struggle isn't limited to residents of the Big Apple.

A September survey commissioned by BabyCenter, an online parenting hub, polled 2,000 mothers nationwide to find that average cost of child care can exceed $14,608 a year.

It's a strain on 76% of family budgets in the US, says the data, which also shows that 14% of parents spend more on child care than on their rent or mortgage.

More shocking, moms and dads with broods of two can shell out upwards of $30,000 on kiddie care each year, according to a 2023 study on the excessive expense.

But for Riling, whose partner works full-time and whose parents live over 90 minutes away, the steep fees aren't worth the fuss -- especially considering the uncertainty of interviews.

So far, the brunette hasn't landed the position of her dreams. But she's not giving up her mother-and-child interview style.

"I don't want a job that doesn't want to hire parents," said Riling. "I wouldn't want to insert myself into a company structure that isn't made for parents."

"If I really wanted to get a job, I'm going to bring my daughter with me," said the 22-year-old from Jacksonville, Florida.

"Us young moms are growing up with our kids," added Ramos, a professional sports coach, who's currently expecting her second baby. "And [jobs] that don't respect that are just something we're not interested in."

Ramos' military husband, Gabriel, is often traveling for work. So, she's taken their two-year-old daughter, Eliana, with her on job interviews since the tike was three-months-old.

For the money-making mom, who's held positions as a college admission outreach coordinator and a early education gym teacher -- and landed both jobs with Eliana on her hip -- juggling motherhood and job-hunting is like second nature.

"I've had to change dirty diapers, attend to her if she woke up from a nap," said Ramos. "I just make it work."

Mom Marjorie Merida, 28, too, makes it work with her 18-month-old son Santiago at her side.

"It's almost never explicitly stated that you can't bring your kids to an interview," said Merida, a married social worker from Baltimore.

Rather than grimace, she says most prospective bosses go googly-eyed over her bouncing bundle of joy.

"They're usually really lenient about it," said the career-minded mommy, who recently ended her job search after becoming pregnant with twins girls. "[Santiago's] usually only my lap or walking around the conference room."

"No one seems to mind," she chuckled. "People really love babies."

And a love for little kids is a requirement for any company hoping to recruit Merida on its team.

"You either get me [with my child]," she said, "or you won't get me at all." more

Career development

 1d

How to take a proactive approach to finding your next job


Jobless claims came in just below expectations, with the data supporting a strong labor market, though sentiment among workers may not reflect this strength. Yahoo Finance's Alexandra Canal takes to the streets of Manhattan where people tell her their read on the current job market. Wealth! Host Brad Smith sits down with Eliana Goldstein Coaching founder Eliana Goldstein to discuss tips for those... searching for a job.

"There's a lot of mixed sentiments out there that there's despair, there's frustration, there's burnout, but there's also hope," Goldstein says, adding job searching is different across industries. "And it really depends on where you are applying. So we have to be thoughtful about that and strategic."

She says, "We're in a time right now where there aren't as many jobs getting posted [so] we need to focus on a proactive strategy as opposed to a reactive strategy. Reactive job searching is waiting for a job to be posted and then applying for it, right? But proactive job searching is focusing on 'Okay, what are my target companies? Where do I want to work? How do I proactively establish relationships there before anything even gets posted?' Because number one, so often, jobs don't even get posted in the first place. And at the very least, as soon as it is posted, at least I have the relationship there. Who can help me out and refer me in? So that is what we really want to be focusing on right now."

Watch the video above for more on how to take a proactive approach to job searching. more

Career development

 1d

New math club plans to offer collaboration and competition


As students head into a busy and stressful November, starting new clubs is not on the forefront of everyone's mind, let alone spending one's free time wrestling with difficult math problems. But for Lucas Waite '28, competitive mathematics represents a much-needed respite from schoolwork, rather than a tedious commitment on a résumé.

In an Oct. 28 all-student email, Waite urged hardcore... mathematics majors and casual hobbyists alike to join his newly assembled competitive mathematics club. A day later, math enthusiasts gathered in Hayes Hall 311 to tackle the "Problem of the Week," a biweekly series of challenges provided by the Department of Mathematics for which students have seven days to come up with a creative solution. The meeting went on for nearly three hours until 11 p.m., with several attendees noting that the problem was particularly difficult that week, as it drew on concepts from number theory -- a topic foreign to most non-math-oriented underclassmen.

According to Waite, despite not yet being an official student organization, the club has received support from the Department of Mathematics. "A [number] of professors approached me ... and offered to provide us with books and other resources," Waite said in an interview with the Collegian. "I am interested in turning this into an official student org, though."

When asked about his motivations for founding the club, Waite said, "My high school had a really strong competitive math club and I had a lot of fun. I hope to share the experience with other people." He also added that while a basic knowledge of algebra would be helpful, one doesn't need a robust background in college mathematics to join the club. "If you have any interest in math, stop by on one of the Friday nights," he said.

Currently, future plans for the group include traveling to various competitions such as a four-college math contest or the William Lowell Putnam Mathematical Competition, a prestigious event for undergraduates in the United States and Canada. Still, Waite emphasized that he is also considering different options based on group interest, including participating in conferences at other colleges and hosting some of its own.

The next meeting will be held Friday at 8 p.m. in Hayes 311. All students are welcome to attend, whether they are already part of the Kenyon mathematics community or not. more

Career development

 1d

'nobody knew him': job interview candidate gets caught in lie about prior job experience when he interviews with the wrong person


This job interviewer is used to seeing people with padded resumes, but even they were caught off guard by this candidate's blatant lie. It's one thing to lie about small stuff, like maybe you claim to have more experience with Excel than you actually do, or perhaps you fudge your daily responsibilities to make it seem like you were a big shot at your old job.

Maybe this works for some people, and... for others it totally backfires. It depends on how well HR is willing to vet their candidates. It also depends on how comfortable the person is with spinning a web of half-truths! If they get caught and immediately freeze up, it's going to be a quick giveaway to that hiring manager.

You can check out this person's wild story of what happened during one of their scheduled phone screenings that went completely wrong. As they explained, they doubted themself for a moment and started wondering if they were misremembering. It was certainly a lesson learned for both parties... but who knows if the candidate will keep trying that trick again during his next interview!

Up next, these people shared the immediate red flags they saw upon walking into someone's house for the first time, like one person who dislikes seeing bare mattresses on the floor. more

Career development

 1d

Preparing for the Data Science Job Interview - Dataquest


Once your application materials are all squared away, it's time to start thinking about the next stage in the data science job application process: job interviews.

(This article is a part of our in-depth Data Science Career Guide. To read the other articles, please refer to the table of contents or the links that follow this post.)

What If You're Not Getting Data Science Job Interviews?

If... you've got the technical skills needed for the roles to which you're applying and you've done a good job preparing your application materials, eventually you're going to start hearing back from employers interested in interviewing you.

Don't be discouraged if this takes a while or if you have a low response rate. That's quite common when applying to entry-level jobs. There's a lot of competition for these positions, and the job hiring process can be fairly arbitrary. Stick with it!

If you're applying to hundreds of jobs and not getting any interviews, though, there's a good chance that something is wrong.

It could be that you're not qualified for the jobs you're applying to, or it could be that something in your application materials is bothering recruiters. Either way, it might be worth consulting with someone knowledgeable who can assess your application and give you some idea of what's going wrong.

Dataquest Premium subscribers can get personalized career advice (including interview prep and portfolio and résumé reviews) from our trained Career Services community moderators. You can also ask friends or contacts in your data science network to help you figure out what's going wrong.

Once you do start getting interviews, though, you're going to want to be prepared for them. Your application materials have given you a shot, but the interview process is where you seal the deal and confirm to potential employers that you are the right person for the job.

What to Expect, and How to Prepare

Let's start with the bad news: data science interview formats and questions are quite varied, which makes them difficult to prepare for.

"Honestly, the interview process varies so widely," says SharpestMinds co-founder Edouard Harris. "Every company thinks they've found the light, and they have the one true way of interviewing people, so once you've made it to the interview, there's a ton of variance in interview questions. You'll get the IBM interview process which from what we've heard is really high level questions like, 'describe how a decision tree works. Describe how this works or that works.' And then on the other hand there is Google, which is excruciating whiteboard coding sessions with engineers."

"Some companies just steal the questions on Leetcode," he says. "There are so many differences. There are virtually no standards in the industry. It's a huge mess. Not enough companies really interview at scale for these roles to be able to collect meaningful amounts of data about whether their hiring process is effective. So interviews are just this voodoo ritual that nobody knows how to do."

That's the bad news. The good news is that even if you might not know exactly what to expect when you walk through the door, there are still lots of things you can do to prepare yourself to ace a data science job interview (and plenty of free job interview resources out there to help)!

Although every interview is different, hiring managers and recruiters are typically looking to learn three main things about you during the interview process:

If you can leave the hiring manager and other team members feeling satisfied about all three of these things at the end of your interviews, your chances of getting a job offer are quite good.

Although every company approaches its data science job interviews differently, let's take a look at some sample interview processes.

What follows are real interview processes for entry-level data analyst positions at a few different companies, based on interviewee reports on Glassdoor from the past few years, our own interviews with recruiters, and Dataquest students we've spoken with about their experiences.

We've removed the company names because companies change their processes frequently and we don't want to mislead anyone about exactly what they'll be facing, and because we can't always confirm the accuracy of what interviewees report.

Reading about these processes should still give you an accurate idea of the different kinds of processes you may experience during your job search, though.

Major Tech Company #1, US Office: Two phone interviews, one technical with a data scientist, and one more focused on soft skills and culture with a hiring manager. Four onsite interviews focused on different aspects of the job (like technical skills, communication, etc.). The entire process took about three weeks.

Major Tech Company #2, India Office: An introductory screening round, and then two rounds of online testing focused on job-related technical skills, followed by a final personal interview round. The entire process took a couple weeks.

Major Tech Company #2, Singapore Office: One phone screening with the hiring manager, followed by three onsite interview rounds, mostly focused on technical skills and challenges. The entire process took about three weeks and the candidate called it "slightly exhausting."

Startup #1, US Office:: Phone screening followed by a take-home project doing some data analysis and handing in a Jupyter Notebook file for the company to assess. This was then followed by two additional interviews, a technical interview and a final personal interview. The process took about three weeks.

Major Telecom Company, US Office: Two interviews (either phone or onsite depending on candidate's location), one focused on personal questions and one focused on technical questions. Interviews were "relaxed" and short; the entire process took about one week.

Major Finance Company, US Office: A quick phone screening and then two one-on-one onsite interviews, with a surprisingly high focus on personal and behavioral questions rather than technical questions. The entire process took about two weeks.

Medium-Sized Data Firm, US Office: Technical screening by phone, followed by a more in-depth interview that's focused on relevant work experience and solving technical challenges related to the company's business. The third and final interview is more focused on personal and behavioral topics. The entire process took around three weeks.

Medium-Sized Software Company, US Office: Initial phone screening followed by a few rounds of onsite interviews that include both solving a work-related problem solo and working on real projects with the company's team for most of a day. The process took a few weeks.

Major Tech Company #3, US Office: Screening conversations with the hiring manager and one of his employees, then two short interviews with employees in HR, and then an onsite interview loop that included five separate interviews. The entire process took more than a month.

As you can see, the experience varies a lot, but there are some common threads:

Note, also, that it's very possible you'll be able to find specific information about the interview processes at the companies you have applied to online. Glassdoor is an excellent resource for this. Click on the "interviews" tab and then search for the company name.

Once you're on the company's "Interviews" page you can filter for your job title in the lower search bar and then click "Find Interviews" to read about interviewee experiences associated with that job title.

This is an incredibly useful resource as long as you keep in mind a few caveats:

Unfortunately, the smaller the company you've applied to, the less likely you are to find helpful reports on Glassdoor. For many companies (including most startups) there's a good chance you'll find nothing at all.

Either way, though, don't worry! You're going to be prepared. Here's how:

We'll get to specific sample questions you should study a bit later in this article, but first, let's talk about general interview preparation.

You should think about the interview process as being similar to an important test at school: if you walk into it without putting in the study time beforehand, you're probably going to be in trouble.

Specifically, before every interview, you should review:

Writing down outlines for your answers is a good idea, but it helps to practice actually speaking them out loud, too.

Compile a list of "mock interview" questions and ask a friend or family member to help you prep. Even if they don't know anything about data science, you are likely to realize if there are technical concepts you still need to brush up on.

Plus, nontechnical friends will still be able to offer useful feedback on the "soft" aspects of the interview, like how confident you sounded and how convincing your answers to the personal questions were.

Recording yourself on video answering mock interview questions is also a helpful (and sometimes painful) exercise. Set your phone down somewhere where it captures your entire body and then record yourself responding to different interview questions.

You may be surprised by what you find!

Before we dive into sample questions, there's one other aspect of data science job interview preparation that we need to cover: presenting yourself.

Like it or not, this matters; how you present yourself affects the first impression interviewers get upon meeting you (whether it's in person or via video chat), and first impressions are important.

In fact, it's a little scary how important first impressions are. Some studies suggest that people make important, hard-to-change judgments about you within the first two seconds.

It's very important to know your stuff going into a data science job interview, but it's arguably just as important that you're presenting yourself well.

So what does that mean?

Clothing: You should wear clothing that is clean and that is appropriate for whatever workplace you're interviewing in. It varies by industry; at a tech company, you'd likely be fine with casual wear, but for a finance interview you may need a suit.

If you're not sure about the company's general dress practice, it's totally okay to ask about this before the interview. When in doubt, err on the side of caution. It's definitely better to feel a little overdressed than it is to show up in flip-flops and shorts and discover that everyone else is wearing suits.

Grooming: You need to look professional. That can mean all sorts of things to all sorts of people, and to some extent, it varies by industry. But in general, you probably want your hair to be neat (and away from your face). You want clean and trimmed fingernails. Et cetera.

Hygiene: This, too, is pretty straightforward: you shouldn't smell bad or appear to be unclean. It's probably a good idea to be sure you've showered and brushed your teeth before an interview. Having a few mints on hand to keep your breath fresh never hurts, either.

Additional considerations for video interviews: If you're doing a video interview rather than an on-site interview, give some thought to what your interviewer will be seeing. Here are some things to consider:

Answering Interview Questions

Now that you're all prepped, it's time to talk about the actual experience of the interview, take a look at some of the questions you're likely to be facing, and discuss a crucial aspect of the interviewee's role: listening.

What's key to nailing a data science job interview? "Just being a good listener" can really help in a job interview, says Data Mining Cookbook author and OliviaGroup CEO Olivia Parr-Rud.

"In fact, listening and then maybe even repeating back to the person to say, 'Okay, just want to make sure I understand what you're looking for,' and then maybe take it a little further so that they feel heard, is huge."

"It's amazing to me how many people don't feel heard, and how just the act of listening can really connect you," she says. "It would, to me, give a huge advantage, even on an unconscious level, to somebody who's in an interview."

There's some real science behind Parr-Rud's recommendation that you listen and then repeat back the question. The takeaway is this: study after study has confirmed that simply repeating a person's question verbatim tends to give them a better impression of you and produces better results.

In various studies, simply listening and repeating has increased sales numbers for salespeople, tips hauls for waitresses, and even donations to charity.

You don't have to restate every question verbatim, of course. And you still need to know how to answer them correctly. But a simple exchange like this can, the science suggests, be surprisingly powerful:

Interviewer: Could you explain a decision tree algorithm?You: OK, here's how I would explain a decision tree algorithm...

Restating the question with the interviewer's own phrasing (or something similar to it) demonstrates that you're listening actively to what they're saying.

It could be helpful for you, too -- it forces you to think about the question you're answering and gives you a little bit of time to think about what you'd like to say.

So although your answers to questions are crucially important, remember that listening is quite important, too.

When answering any interview question, you should have three goals in mind:

Mastering the first, be clear, is mostly about preparation. You can only explain something clearly when you know what you're talking about.

Mastering the second, be concise, is about carefully listening to and answering the question, but not more. Avoid getting into minute details or going off on tangents and give direct answers to questions as they're asked, offering more detail if it's desired.

If you're curious about why, this article offers some great insight, but the short version is that offering too much detail can be off-putting and undermine your credibility.

You can say that you'd be happy to go into more detail if the interviewer would like, and you can also ask an interviewer to specify how in-depth they'd like your answer to be.

But when in doubt, keep it relatively simple. "Why did you choose this algorithm?" should prompt a 1-2 minute answer about what the algorithm does and why that's useful for your purposes, not a 20 minute lecture on its every intricacy and every possible application.

Mastering the third, answer appropriately for your audience, just requires you keep in mind who you're talking to.

Are you speaking to a data scientist with 15 years of experience? Get as technical and use as much jargon as you want! Are you speaking to an HR rep who hires for every team at this company? You may need to give bigger-picture answers and explain-like-I'm-five some of the more complex technical stuff if it comes up.

You'll also want to avoid using jargon like "data munging" -- instead say something like "I cleaned up the data," that anyone, regardless of their programming background, can probably understand.

If you don't have much work experience, you should expect to be asked about some or all of the projects you've showcased on your resume, in your application, and on your GitHub.

Here are some sample questions you can run through for each project to be sure you've got good answers:

Depending on what's in your project, you might be asked other specific questions about the programming challenges, the data, and the statistical approach you took in your analysis.

Beyond just being able to answer the questions above, you should review all of your projects to be sure you understand what your own code is doing, and that you can can clearly explain why you made all of the decisions you made.

The technical questions you face in a job interview are going to vary a lot based on the role you're applying for, the company you're applying to, and random chance.

If it's any consolation, the technical questions might not be as important as you think -- when we asked, most of the recruiters and hiring managers we spoke to said that personal questions and questions about projects typically offered them more insight into whether a candidate was "right" or not.

But of course, that doesn't mean you'll get offered a job if you answer all the technical questions wrong!

Below, we've listed some sample technical questions you might face for data analyst and data scientist positions, but it varies a lot.

What we have here is just a tiny sample of some of the possibilities, so below this list we've also linked to more resources where you can find many more practice questions.

Data Analyst:

Data Scientist:

One interview question deserves special mention here: "What is your current salary?" or "What is your expected salary for this position?"

These questions typically come towards the end of the interview process, when the company is thinking about whether or not to make an offer, and they can be very challenging to answer.

Generally, though, you should try to avoid providing your current salary. Asking for this is actually illegal in some US states, but even if the question is legal where you live, it's best to politely dodge it.

Saying something like "I'm not comfortable disclosing my current salary, but here's the salary range I'm expecting based on my experience," should be fine.

The key, of course, is that you need to know a salary range that is reasonable given the job description, your skills and experience, and the local market.

We'll go into a bit more depth about this -- knowing your market value -- in our chapter on offer negotiation, but the short version is this:

If you're asked this question early in the interview process and haven't done the research yet, it may be best to simply deflect it entirely with something like: "I'm looking forward to discussing compensation once I've learned more about the position."

Most interviewers will end each interview by giving you an opportunity to ask questions, and you should not pass it up.

This is a valuable chance for you to learn more about the company and to further impress the person you're speaking with.

Most of the recruiters and hiring managers we spoke with for this guide agreed that their impression of a candidate was influenced by the questions they asked, and that asking the right questions could help a candidate.

Among the types of questions they recommend asking:

Detailed questions about doing the job: The key here is detailed; don't just ask what you'll be doing day to day. Ask specific questions that show you're already thinking about how you would function most effectively in the position, like questions about specific tools or workflows you'll be using or specific business questions you'll be addressing.

For example, you might ask about a company's flexibility towards using a tool or package/library that isn't included in their tech stack, but that you think might be helpful in the role you're applying for.

"I'll get questions like, 'oh have you tried this? Do you work with this type of data? I'd imagine you do this or that,'" says G2 Crowd Data Science and Analytics Manager Michael Hupp. "And we haven't gone down that road, but just the fact that they're thinking about that really stands out."

Detailed questions about the business problems you'll be solving in the position: As above, the idea behind asking this kind of question is to demonstrate that you're already mentally engaged with solving this company's business problems.

"The questions that really stick out as good are ones that demonstrate that they have done their homework and are interested in Kitware specifically," says Kitware HR Director Jeff Hall.

Outlier.ai CTO Mike Kim agrees: "The questions I can think of that stand out as, 'Wow, these were impressive questions,' are the ones that really demonstrated that the candidate understood our problem, what they were working on, what we are working on, and how they fit into that."

This is a sentiment that was echoed by many of the other recruiters and hiring managers we spoke with for this guide.

This technique is particularly helpful when interviewing at smaller companies, Edouard Harris says. "Almost always the best question to ask is: 'What's the biggest bottleneck for you at the moment? What is the one thing that's blocking you as a company the most?' What that question does is tell the interviewer: this person, right out of the gate, wants to know how they can be as helpful as possible."

That particular question is also a valuable information-gathering tool, Edouard says. "If the company is 20 people or less, virtually everyone in the company should be able to answer that question. If not, there's some kind of communication problem, which is itself a red flag."

Questions about growth opportunities and training: These questions demonstrate that you're interested in continually improving your skills and learning, which is something most employers want to see.

(And of course, it's also valuable information for you to have later when you're assessing offers; a company with a lower salary offer could still be the better choice if it can also offer great training opportunities that'll be better for your career in the long term).

Questions about collaboration with other departments: Data science teams typically have to work in collaboration with a lot of other departments.

Questions along these lines show you're interested in that aspect of the position, and the answer will probably give you some idea of what the company's culture is like, and how efficient the collaborative workflow is likely to be.

Questions about long-term plans and projects you'll be working on: "Those are the questions that I look for," says CiBo Technologies Talent Acquisition Manager Jamieson Vazquez, "folks that want to know what the long-term future is, want to know where we are building but want to know how they can really impact those future plans too."

Asking no questions at all: This demonstrates to an interviewer that you're not engaged at all, and you haven't spent much time thinking about the role. You should always have at least a few questions ready.

Asking about compensation, paid time off, etc.: The appropriate time for these kinds of negotiations is at the end of the interview process, after you've received a job offer.

If you ask about this before then, especially if you ask about it repeatedly, interviewers will get the impression that you're just in it for the paycheck and not genuinely interested in the work.

Asking questions with easy-to-find answers: If you ask about something that's clearly answered on the company's website, for example, it just shows the interviewer that you haven't bothered to do your research prior to the interview, and that suggests you don't really care about the job.

Your questions need to show that you're actively thinking about the ways you can help this company from this role, and they need to demonstrate that you've done your homework when it comes to the company's business.

They need to be specific to the company you're interviewing with; there's no cheat-sheet list of questions that you can use in each interview and still make a good impression.

"What really separates the best from the rest," says Mike Kim, "is the depth to which they go with their questions. And I don't mean nitty-gritty technical questions. I mean questions that show that they see the foundations for what they are, and understand how things connect. That's really what's impressive."

That means that prior to the interview, you need to spend some real time studying the company and its business, and thinking about the ways that your role can impact it.

Following-up After the Interview

During the interview, you may or may not have been given some kind of timeline for the next steps in the process.

Waiting and watching your email can be agony when you're hoping to hear back about a job offer or the next stage of the interview process -- especially if you were told you'd hear back by Monday, and it's already Tuesday!

So when should you reach out and touch base after an interview?

First, it can be a good idea to send the interviewer a very brief email message the day after your interview.

The purpose of this message, though, should just be to thank them for their time and reiterate your interest. It could be something like:

Thanks so much for taking the time to speak with me yesterday about doing data science at [Company]. I really enjoyed meeting the team, and I'm excited by the prospect of working on [specific business problem related to the job]. Please let me know if there's anything else I can provide to assist you in assessing my candidacy. I look forward to hearing from you,

After that, you should sit back and wait until a reasonable amount of time has passed before contacting the company again.

If you were told you'd hear back by a specific time (i.e. "You should hear back from us about next steps sometime next week."), you should wait at least at two business days after that deadline before getting in touch.

And you shouldn't panic -- it's common for things to get pushed back a couple of days.

If you weren't given a specific deadline, you should wait at least a week (five business days) before reaching out again.

Either way, this message should be similar to the previous one: short, friendly, and eager but not impatient.

It's also good to end with a question (that's more likely to prompt a response), but you should make sure that your question is offering something rather than demanding something

"Is there any additional information I can provide?" is better than "When can I expect to hear back?"

Consider a message like:

Thank you again for your time last week! I just wanted to reach out to reaffirm my enthusiasm for this position. I'm confident I can bring a lot of value to [Company] and I'm eager for a chance to prove it. I look forward to hearing about next steps. Is there any additional information I can provide to help move my application forward?

After sending a follow-up message like the above, wait another week. If you still haven't heard anything back, it's probably best to assume you haven't gotten the position.

Don't burn any bridges -- sometimes companies get behind or something gets lost in the shuffle, so you still might end up getting another interview or an offer. Your humble author once got an interview six months after filing the initial job application.

Still, don't count on hearing back -- it may be best to refocus your time and energy on applications with other companies.

If a company isn't keeping in touch with you in a timely fashion during the interview process, that may be a sign that it's not going to be a great place to work anyway.

If you do hear back with a rejection, it's important not to lose heart.

Remember, the fact that you got an interview in the first place means that you're doing something right, and the company saw something they liked in your application materials. More interviews will come.

It's also important that you see rejection as an opportunity for growth.

Reflecting on your own performance can be helpful. Were there any questions you struggled with in the interview? Figure out how to answer them better next time.

It's also okay to ask your interviewer for some insight. They don't owe you a response (and you won't always get one).

But if you politely reply to a rejection message with something like this, you'll often get valuable feedback you can use to make sure the next interview goes better:

Thank you for letting me know, and for taking the time to consider my application. I'm always looking to improve, so I'm wondering: what do you think I should work on to make myself a stronger candidate next time?

If you do hear back, your reply should be a simple "Thank you!" or something to that effect.

Do not push back or argue, and do not try to convince a hiring manager that they made the wrong decision. This will never work. It's a waste of your time, and can hurt your chances of getting other jobs if you annoy the hiring manager enough that they start to complain about you.

Don't be offended if you don't hear back. Some companies have HR policies that forbid giving this kind of feedback.

When you hear good news after an interview (for example, being told you'll be getting a job offer), you're bound to be excited. But it's worth keeping in mind the old adage: "It ain't over 'till it's over."

A verbal promise that you'll be getting an offer doesn't necessarily mean you'll really get one. Something could go wrong financially at the company, or the interviewer could have spoken out of turn about a decision they can't make by themselves.

These situations are uncommon (if you're told you're getting an offer, you're almost certainly getting an offer).

But it's still wise to wait until the ink is on the contract before taking major steps like withdrawing your other job applications.

Celebrate your victory, of course, but keep your options open until you've officially accepted an offer. And don't accept an offer without negotiating! See our offer negotiations chapter for more details).

This article is part of our in-depth Data Science Career Guide. more

Career development

 3d

Boss uses 'salt and pepper' job interview test and refuses to hire anyone who fails


As if job interviews aren't stressful enough, there are now secret tests to worry about

Job hunting can feel like a full-time position in itself, from searching up roles to filling out countless applications.

Then there's the nerve-wracking wait to see if you've impressed bosses enough to make it through the interview stage.

And if you have, it's a double-edged sword as the next phase of... research and preparation begins.

As if first impressions weren't stressful enough, candidates at one interview were put up to a secret task that determined whether they were given the position or not.

If you thought having a great resume, loads of experience and being qualified for the job was enough to get you the role... guess not if this Reddit story is anything to go by.

One user has said his old boss used to have a 'salt and pepper' test that he would spring on candidates without their knowledge.

The thought of eating lunch in front of someone else mid-interview is terrifying enough if you ask me.

You'd be forgiven for thinking how you treat the staff might be something interviewees are focusing on in this scenario.

But no - this test is far more ridiculous and nonsensical.

The Reddit user claimed the boss felt this test helped show a person's character.

On a post, the social media user wrote: "A company I used to work for does all-day interviews with multiple people, and one of them is always a lunch interview.

"I heard about a guy who would base his entire decision on one thing - whether or not the person he was interviewing tried their food before reaching for salt, pepper, hot sauce, etc.

"If you didn't try your food first, you didn't get a pass from him."

It seems it doesn't matter if you know you like your dish an extra bit salty or flaming hot, if you add before you fail, simple as.

The Reddit user added they were glad they didn't have to interview him because they definitely would fail based on how much pepper they add to their food.

It's not the only sneaky task bosses have failed candidates for over the years.

Businessman Trent Innes, who works as the chief growth officer at SiteMinder and was the former managing director of accounting platform Xeno, explained the coffee cup test he uses.

Speaking on the business podcast The Venture, he said: "I will always take you for a walk down to one of our kitchens and somehow you always end up walking away with a drink.

"Then we take that back, have our interview, and one of the things I'm always looking for at the end of the interview is, does the person doing the interview want to take that empty cup back to the kitchen?"

And the crux of the test is, if you don't take the cup back to kitchen, then you're not the right fit for the company. more
1   

  • Susan Ooko

    1
    1d

    I have put the coffee cup scenario to colleagues and some say they would out rightly fail the test. Others say depends on how the interview goes. If... they tensed then the only thing in their mind would be dashing out at the end of the interview, not some cup that needs to be taken back.  more

  • Elizabeth Essiene

    5
    2d

    I think the focus of such interview is to know whether you take attention to details

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Career development

 2d

How to Manage Stress While Job Hunting


Job hunting is a uniquely challenging time. For many professionals, it can come with an added layer of stress in identifying the right role for you. It's natural to feel stressed, frustrated, or overwhelmed, but remember you're not alone. Here's how to effectively manage job search stress so you can stay focused, energised, and optimistic.

1. Set Clear, Achievable Goals

The job search can... feel like an endless process. Break it down into manageable steps to avoid feeling overwhelmed:

2. Structure Your Day with a Routine

It's easy to feel lost when undertaking job searches, but structuring your day can give you control over the process:

3. Prioritise Self-Care and Physical Wellbeing

Stress takes a toll on both the mind and body, and a well-rounded self-care routine is essential to managing it.

4. Reframe Negative Thoughts and Focus on Positivity

Job searching can sometimes breed self-doubt. A positive mindset is key to maintaining motivation.

5. Enhance Your Skills and Knowledge During the Search

Many job seekers that expand their skills not only enhance their CV, but also boost their confidence.

6. Focus on What You Can Control

There are elements of the job search process you can control, like the quality of your application materials, your skillset, and your approach. Try to detach from factors you can't control, such as the timeline of employers' decisions.

7. Maintain Perspective and Patience

Remember, the job search is often a marathon, not a sprint. Although the process can take time, each step brings you closer to the right opportunity. Remind yourself of your end goals, stay grounded, and know that with persistence and a positive mindset, you'll find a role that aligns with your career vision.

Final Thoughts

The job search can be challenging, but with the right approach, it's also an opportunity to learn, grow, and build resilience. By taking care of your mental and physical wellbeing, building connections, and staying engaged with your industry, you'll not only reduce stress but also maximise your chances of landing a role that's perfect for you. more
1   

Mary Muriithi
Career development 4d
Currently out of job on retirement from government service. Any advice on jobs available for this group is welcome.