Thread by @jessica_xls

Data Interview Tips:

When asked in an interview if you are familiar with a certain software, programming language or skill, DO NOT just say “Yes I can use Excel very well” or “I’m proficient in Python”. Provide context with examples. Details below ⤵️

2/ Interviewer: On a scale of 1-10, rate your Excel skill for me.

You: I would give my self a 9 because I consider myself an advanced user. I can use stats, logic & lookup functions in Excel. I also use Pivot tables to summarize large datasets to get insights. In my previous

3/ … job, I created an automated Excel sheet using VBA that helped with collating and analysis of man-hours from different contractors and generated weekly reports for my manager.

4/ Interviewer: Are you familiar with SQL?

You: Oh yes, I have a lot of experience spanning 3 years creating SQL queries (or 1 year for newbies). When generating reports, I use it to pull data from our database (one - MySQL, Azure, Google Cloud). I am able to clean the data,

5/ …identify inconsistencies, join tables if need be, write sub-queries and familiar with Window functions. I also know how to optimize my queries to ensure good response time and lower memory usage.

6/ There are different ways to approach this. The main thing is to always give more information, provide examples using past work experiences or personal projects and sell your skills.