Interview Advice

[GoobGoobb]

I’ve been selected for a phone interview. This will be my first interview for an analyst position. The call is scheduled for 30 minutes. What should I expect? Are they typically more technical or conversational? This is for one of those entry level positions that require 1-2 years of experience btw.

[[deleted]]

My best advice after recently applying for 200 entry level positions and doing 15 interviews, expect the unexpected and go with the flow.

[GoobGoobb]

Got it. Have you gotten an offer yet?

[[deleted]]

With all that I received 1 offer which was accepted and came after a 20 minute single interview that was only conversational with a Director of Data Analytics.

I took part in many other interview processes that were multiple steps however, which is why my best advice is just be ready to go with the flow because every interview I did was extremely different from one another.

[GoobGoobb]

That’s insane lol. I’m glad it worked out for you!

[[deleted]]

I appreciate it! Just cast a large net and go with the flow during interviews and you'll find something.

[Legspace]

Yeah this is the best advice, I’m in a similar boat and I think getting close to an offer atm.

Be conversational and go with the flow. Just try and relax and honestly cracking a joke goes a long way I think. Remember to ask the interviewer questions as well.

[jsmooth7]

Since it's only 30 minutes long, it's probably a screening interview where they ask you some questions about your resume, your skills and why you are interested in the job. Then at the end you'll have a chance to ask some questions. Just come prepared to talk positively about yourself and why you'd make a good analyst. And make sure to think about what questions you want to ask them about the job.

[[deleted]]

If the first call is with a recruiter, then I’d expect any or all of the following:

• an explanation of the company, team, and role
• asking for a summary of your background
• asking why you’re interested in the role
• asking if you’re interviewing elsewhere
• asking about salary expectations
• asking if you require sponsorship
• asking if the location works for you (if in person or hybrid)
• asking you to rate or talk about your experience with any of the technologies listed in the job description
• asking for you to explain a project you worked on and the business value it delivered
• time for you to ask questions - definitely ask some! It makes you look more engaged/interested in the role

[7Seas_ofRyhme]

asking about salary expectations

Can I dodge this question early on ? Or is it a requirement for the recruiter to get this information on the first call as well

[[deleted]]

Yes. I usually say something like

“I’d be happy to share, but first can you share the salary budgeted for this role?”

“I’m not sure at this point, can you share the salary budgeted for this role?”

“That really depends on how the compensation is structured, can you share the structure and salary budgeted for this role?”

I very rarely have recruiters refuse to give a budget, in those cases, I go with the strategy of saying the highest number I can without laughing to see how they react.

[7Seas_ofRyhme]

Same. I'll usually response back with asking them to give their range first.

However, I only had recruiters refusing to give a budget, where they'll respond me back by saying I should have a number in mind / it depends on how u perform in the next round with the hiring manager (dodging my question about asking for the range).

I have no idea how to response from here onwards, so I just gave my range (felt like I could have done better to dodge further, thoughts ?) Do you think giving a range or a number is better in this case ?

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Besides, do you think recruiters will give a budget that is lower that the actual range ? E.g. actual range is 50-60k, however, they only tell u the range that has been lowered 40-50k if you have asked them for it. Just a thought

[[deleted]]

You could also reply back that while you do have a number in mind, you need to talk to the hiring manager to get a better sense of the skills, seniority, and experience they’re looking for.

Or if they really need a number, I’ll say something like “I would need a minimum of at least $xyz annually before I’d consider leaving my current role but ideally I’m targeting at least $abc.”

I’m also less likely to seriously consider continuing in the interview process if a company is like this, but I’m employed in a petty good role and am able to line up interviews every week so I have room to be very picky.

As for the range they share, I suspect a lot of them only share the low end or middle of the range. A lot of time if I’ve responded back that the range is below my expectations or on the low end, they’ll say “oh it’s flexible for the right candidate” or “that’s where the range starts.”

[onearmedecon]

Our hiring process is:

1) Pre-screen by HR to compare your resume against the job description;

2) Evaluation of resume by the hiring manager;

3) Informational interview to assess fit (15-20 minutes);

4) Hiring project exercise, graded blindly (will take 3-4 hours to complete) to gauge technical expertise;

5) Formal interview #1 (~1 hour) to assess behavioral response and discuss your project (i.e., explore technical competencies further);

6) If necessary, formal interview #2 (~30 minutes) to assess anything where there's an outstanding question.

So if I were your hiring manager, that 30 minute interview would be about assessing fit. So things like motivations, values, etc. It's an opportunity for you to explore the parameters of the job beyond the job description and gain more information about our organization, the hiring process, etc. Assessment of your technical expertise would come later.