Following-up from my last interview - I passed the Skype interview (post #1610)!!
Two days after the Skype call, the recruiter scheduled me for an in-person interview with the company founders, CTO and (potential) team leader. Started today at 10AM and lasted approximately an hour and a half.
The first part of the interview involved only the
CTO and team leader. Some of the questions they asked were repetitive of what I was asked during the Skype call since they weren't involved in the first interview. Some questions (couldn't remember them all, sorry!):
- We want to look at why some people ignore jobs that are offered to them through our platform. With all the data we have, what would you consider for analysis and how?
- In the US, users tend to indicate that they are willing to travel up to 30 miles for work. What do you think the actual median is? (surprisingly, it was 3.5 miles!!!)
- We do not expect you to have any programming/database background as a maths/stats grad. Would you enlighten us as to whether or not you have any intentions of learning how to program?
- As a statistician, would you prefer to work solely on the analysis of data, or does 50% programming + 50% statistics sound like something you would consider? Which would you prefer? (Interviewer says that it's okay to choose the former, but the 'right' answer is the latter!!!)
- Please describe to us, if any, a situation where you have been unable to meet a dateline. What was your response? How did you feel about it?
- Why did you choose to apply for our company?
- Why have you withdrawn from some of your subjects?
- (Note: I am learning Python on my own) How/Which website do you use for your Python self-study? Did you find it difficult?
- What was your favourite subject?
- This role involves a lot of team work, as well as going off on your own to do even more work. Describe to me how you function in a team setting.
- How was your commute? Do you drive? Did you catch the train or the bus?
I asked the following questions:
1. Since I still have a few months before graduating, are there any external skills I should start working on before jumping into employment? (Note this excludes subjects that I have already/am currently undertaking at university - they gave me a list of programming languages and packages to look up, and encouraged me to prioritize learning SQL)
2. Could you describe to me what a typical work day would be like for an employee in the data team?
3. What makes your company stand out from the rest of your competitors in the same market, and why?
I met with the
company founders for a short 15 minutes chat:
- Have you applied for any other companies? If yes, which ones? Westpac banking? The Big 4?
- What made you apply to us in the first place?
- What do you want to be eventually at the top of your career? A teacher? A manager?
- Would you prefer to work solely on the analysis of data, or does 50% programming + 50% statistics sound like something you would consider? Which would you prefer? (Note here that I've been asked this question before! In fact, one of the founders mentioned the importance of self-resilience after my response - a.k.a. not relying on others to do the work for you.)
- I see that you are from Malaysia, has Australian education been more difficult or easier in your opinion?
- Since coming to Australia, what differences have you noticed from our education system compared to Malaysia?
- In Malaysia, would you consider yourself to be in the Top 1%? Top 10%? Top 25%? Where do you think you stand?
- If we give your thesis supervisor a call, how would he/she describe you?
Phew! Honestly, I was extremely nervous before the interview that I could not sleep the night before! The recruiter from my Skype interview met up with me, reassuring me that the people I spoke to were some of the nicest people and that conversation would be casual (NOT!!!). In all honesty, this interview has been extremely eye-opening and thought provoking.
Hopefully, this would help someone looking for a fresh grad position in the field of maths/stats/data.
P.S. They are looking to hire software and/or database developers (valid Australian working rights only)! Hit me up if you're interested