If you’re looking for your first data analyst job or looking to advance your career, use this guide to prepare for the interview, practice some data analyst interview questions, and land your dream job.
On average, there are up to 100,000 job postings for data analysts worldwide, with demand in major industries such as finance, healthcare, and entertainment. If you want to break into this coveted career or climb the career ladder, you’ll need to prepare for the process, including how to answer data analyst interview questions. This article has everything you need to succeed.
If you’re looking for information on how to start your career, you can learn how to become a data analyst in another article.
Typical data analyst interview process
Table of Contents
The data analyst interview process typically involves the following steps:
- HR Interview : Your first step will often be a pre-screening call with a recruiter to get an idea of your experience, interests, and salary expectations, as well as to provide you with details about the position.
- Interview with the hiring manager : The next call is usually with the hiring manager. They may ask you more about your direct experience, as well as why you’re interested in the position.
- Technical Interview : This section is specific to data analyst roles. The technical interview may consist of questions about SQL and Python or a take-home exam.
- On-site interview : The final step usually focuses on your business acumen.
Once you’ve made it through these key parts of the interview process, you may have to wait for an offer. Whether you get the job or not, you may have the opportunity to receive feedback, which can be helpful for your career.
Data Analyst Interview Questions and Answers
Let’s take a look at some of the questions the interviewer may ask you during the interview process for a data analyst position. Preparing your answers in advance can help you feel more comfortable during the interview and also means you can adjust your responses relatively easily depending on the questions you’re asked.
General interview questions for a data analyst
These are some of the questions you might encounter early in the interview process, typically during the HR interview. These are typically the behavioral data analyst interview questions used to determine what type of professional you are and how much you know about the position and the company:
1. Tell me about yourself
Despite being a relatively simple question, it can be difficult for many people to answer. Basically, the interviewer is looking for a relatively concise and focused answer about what brought you to the field of data analysis and what interests you about this position.
You should focus on why data analytics is important to you, what excites you about this particular position, and what you hope to gain from it.
2. What makes you the best candidate for the position?
Although this may be a broad question , remember that the interviewer wants to know about you as a data analyst. So consider your background in data analysis , what initially interested you, your previous experience, and why you’re applying for this particular position.
2. What makes you the best candidate for the position?
Although this may be a broad question , remember that the interviewer wants to know about you as a data analyst. So consider your background in data analysis , what initially interested you, your previous experience, and why you’re applying for this particular position.
3. Tell me how you tackled a hard
data analysis project.
Here, the interviewer is essentially asking you how you overcome challenges, giving you the opportunity to highlight your strengths in action. Be sure to mention some of your strengths and the weaknesses you’re working to improve.
Be honest about what went wrong or what you found difficult, and try to highlight any skills listed in the job requirements for this position. Again, be sure to give an answer that ends on a positive note and showcases the lessons/skills you learned to help you face similar challenges in the future.
The interviewer may ask you to talk about a successful project, but your approach should be the same in both cases. Give a specific example, highlight what went well and what was challenging, and mention the lessons you learned.
4. What type of data have you worked with?
This question asks you to be as specific as possible. Focus on the size and type of data you’ve worked with, whether from previous work experience or from your own projects and programs. Many hiring managers will look at whether you can handle large and complex data.
Here you can find all kinds of examples, whether they’re related to your career, part of a personal project, or an online course.
Interview questions about the data analysis process
In your day-to-day work as a data analyst, you’ll spend a lot of time working on various tasks and processes. During your interview with the hiring manager, you’ll likely be asked questions about processing, such as:
5. What is data cleansing and how is it done?
Data cleansing (also known as data preparation or data scrubbing) takes up a large portion of your work hours as a data analyst. When you answer this question, you’ll be able to show the interviewer how you handle the process. You’ll need to explain how you handle missing data, duplicates, outliers, and so on. Be sure to explain why it’s important and how you’ve addressed it in previous projects.
6. How do you explain technical concepts to a non-technical audience?
Much of data analysis involves organizing your findings into a narrative and explaining it clearly to both technical and non-technical audiences. This is where your soft skills—communication and storytelling—come into play. Provide examples of how you’ve extracted insights from the data and communicated them to the audience. These could be presentations to shareholders or written communications within your portfolio.
7. How would you measure the performance of our company?
When an interviewer asks a question about the company, it’s an opportunity to showcase your research into their work and how you align with them. Consider how your analytical skills can provide insights specific to this particular company, considering its challenges and goals.
8. How would you estimate…?
You may be asked a situational question here, asking how you would approach a task from start to finish. This question will test your analytical skills, as well as your ability to think on your feet. You should discuss your approach with the interviewer and rely on your knowledge and skills to guide you.
Technical interview questions for data analysts
9. What data analysis software are you familiar with?
This is a great opportunity to showcase the data analyst tools you’ve used before and any data certifications you hold (like our highly regarded Data Analyst Certification ). You can talk about how long you’ve been working with these types of tools and software.
This question helps the interviewer assess your level of experience and how much training you might need for the position in question.
You can prepare by including any software you’ve worked with listed in the job description, mentioning the software solutions and how you’ve used them in the various stages of the data analysis process. Be sure to include relevant terminology to stay on track.
For data analyst positions, we should mention R, Python, Tableau, and Microsoft Excel. Be sure to try additional data analyst training if you’re not proficient in any of these programs.
10. What are your statistical skills for data analysis?
This question typically asks if you have basic knowledge of statistics and how you’ve used it in your previous data analysis work.
If you are a beginner and unfamiliar with statistical methods, be sure to research the following concepts:
- Standard deviation
- Deviation
- Regression
- Sample size
- Descriptive and inferential statistics
- Average
If you have some knowledge, be specific about how statistical analysis links to business objectives. List the types of statistical calculations you’ve used in the past and what business insights they’ve provided.
11. Can you define these terms?
With this question, the interviewer is trying to gauge your depth of knowledge. They may ask about some of the following terms and their relevance to data analysis:
- Normal distribution
- Data dispute
- KNN imputation method
- Group
- Atypical
- N-grams
- Statistical model
12. Can you explain the difference between these terms?
Like the last question, this one is designed to test your knowledge. The interviewer may give you some different terms to help you identify the differences and when to use each one. Some concepts you should prepare are:
- Quantitative vs. Qualitative Data
- Data profiling vs. data mining
- Join vs. Blend in Tableau
- Variance vs. covariance
SQL Interview Questions for Data Analysts
SQL is one of the most in-demand skills for data analysts , so your technical interview may test your knowledge of SQL and databases. It’s worth preparing for some of the essentials of SQL for data analyst roles .
13. Define an SQL term
Again, your interviewer might try to test your understanding of SQL principles by asking you about specific SQL queries and terms, and their function. It’s worth preparing your knowledge of terms like
- Clustered Index vs. non-clustered index
- Restrictions
- Cursor
- DBMS vs RDMBS
- ETL
- Index
There are many other terms to cover, and you can check out our Exploratory Data Analysis in SQL course to refresh any knowledge you might be missing.
14. Write a query
Since this is the technical part of the data analyst interview questions, you’ll likely need to demonstrate your skills to some extent. The interviewer may give you a problem or a selection of data, and you’ll need to write queries to store, edit, retrieve, or delete data accordingly. The difficulty of this task often depends on the position you’re applying for and its seniority.
Questions for a data analyst interview
Once you’ve successfully completed all of the interviewer’s questions, they’ll likely ask if you have any questions for them. You should have some prepared. Asking thoughtful and insightful questions shows that you’re interested in the position and the company, that you can think for yourself, and that you’ve prepared in advance.
It’s a good idea to prepare some questions beforehand. However, the interviewer may omit them during the interview, so be sure to pay attention and make a mental note of anything that comes up during the interview.
Below, we’ve outlined some questions you might want to ask the interviewer:
- What is the company culture like?
- What data analysis tools does the team currently use?
- What kind of projects will I be able to work on?
- Is there any possibility of mentoring or personal development?
- What are my expectations for my first week/month/quarter on the job?
- What objectives or metrics will I be evaluated on?
- What do you like most about working for the company?
Tips for preparing for your data analyst interview
Here are Data Camp’s top tips to help you prepare for these questions and your data analyst interviews:
Investigate the business
Find out what the company’s problems or potential problems are. For example, what might its current data challenges be? Who are its target audiences? With this research, plan how you could solve these problems using your expertise.
Research the interview format
At the beginning of the process, take the opportunity to ask the recruiter for guidance. Look for interview experiences and guides using sources like Blinds or discussion forums.
Identify your best skills
Throughout the interview process, some meetings will focus on certain attributes more than others. For example, in a technical interview, you need to demonstrate your experience with database languages like SQL. Think about your combined and separate skills. Be prepared to discuss technical skills, analysis and visualization, as well as business acumen and interpersonal skills.
You can read more about data analyst skills for career success in another article.
Study and practice interview questions
Take advantage of this article and the Data Camp platform to put your technical knowledge to work, gain project experience, and expand your portfolio. You can also work on a variety of business and analytics case studies.
Some key things to remember before, during, and after the interview
- Before : Do as much research and practice as you can to align yourself, your skills, and your experience with the company and the position they offer. Consider whether the interview will be in person, and be sure to do technical checks with video and sound if the meeting takes place online.
- During : Pay attention to the questions you’re asked. Interviewers may ask general questions like “Tell me about yourself,” but remember that all questions lead to data analysis. You should also ask some of your own questions about the position, the company, and your goals.
- Afterward : Follow up on your interviews with thank-you emails to recruiters and hiring managers. Take the opportunity to reach out to them after the interview to ask for their feedback or any questions you missed during the meeting.
Frequently Asked Questions
What are some common questions in data analyst interviews?
Common data analyst interview questions include your experience with data analysis software, your statistical knowledge, how you communicate technical concepts to non-technical audiences, and how you would measure a company’s performance.
How can I prepare for a data analyst interview?
What technical skills should I focus on for a data analyst interview?
ow can I communicate technical concepts to a non-technical audience during a data analyst interview?
What questions should I ask during a data analyst interview?
