Top Five Data Science Interview Preparation Tips

Data science interview preparation includes a lot more than Googling a list of common interview tips. You have to have great knowledge, the right answers to data science interview questions and make a great impression. In this blog, I am sharing my top 5 secrets to a successful data science interview.

I'll be focusing these data science interview preparation tips on:

What employers are looking for

What will make you stand out

What skills you're expected to have

This blog is focusing these data science interview preparation tips for those with little to no experience in data science.

Let's get started!

Here are the top 5 tips on how to prepare for data science interview:

1. In order to be competitive, you need to have solid technical training

This could be from a university, a boot camp or an online program from a university. Many of which are free these days. So, the point is to have a solid technical foundation where the quality of your education meets a perceived standard.

2. Build out a portfolio with real data science projects

These can include Kaggle contests or even diving into some entry-level projects on freelance websites like Upwork. Save these projects on your GitHub and put them on your resume. Having actual real work experience beyond your technical training will set you apart especially for those that are just starting out.

3. Have a good understanding of how data behaves

You'll actually be using this tip on the interview but you'll get the skill from experience. So, take a look at tip number two again. On the interview and on the job, you will be expected to understand and articulate how data behaves based off of how you define metrics as well as the techniques you use to analyze the data. So, being able to eloquently articulate this and understand how data behaves is crucial not only for the data science interview but for the position as a data scientist itself.

4. Being able to connect your work to business impact.

Most new data scientists out there always talk about the techniques that they use to analyze their data. But they fall short in terms of trying to articulate their work to business value or to any value in particular. So, don't be those data scientists. Be able to articulate how your work actually provided value to the business.

5. Proactively reach out to as many recruiters as possible on LinkedIn and other websites

Don't leave it up to chance and don't wait for them to contact you because it may never happen. Once you get that interview – practice.. practice.. and practice.. as many mock interviews as you can. With repeated persistence and adequate practice, you’ll be able to land a data science job in no time!

The above are my five tips on how to prepare and land a data science interview. Hopefully, this article has given you some useful tips for data science interview preparation.

Good luck on your journey!