This is part two of our four part series on how to land your first data analyst job. In this section we will talk about what we call the “Viable Candidate Phase”. We will talk about what it is, key considerations of employers during this phase, and how to get through the phase to the interview. If you would like to read about the other phases please see the links below.
Viable Candidate Phase – See Below
What It Is
This is an optional step in which a hiring manger or another designated party (not HR as they are generally in the screening phase) from the hiring org talks to the candidate to assess whether they are a viable candidate worthy of an interview. In some cases this step may be skipped and you may go straight to the interview phase. More and more companies are torn between moving faster to not lose out on candidates and screening them so that they aren’t spending precious time interviewing candidates who aren’t viable to begin with.
The person you talk to will assess the candidate for technical skills, relevant experience, and likely cultural fit. The employer should also give a more in depth overview of the role though this doesn’t always happen. This phase is usually a short phone or zoom call, no more than an hour. This is also a great chance for you as the candidate to ask questions to determine fit, keeping in mind it is just as important that you like the company, the people, and the role as it is that they like you.
Key Considerations
Below are a few of the high level things that the employer will consider before putting you through to the interview. Keep in mind that each place is unique and will have their own things they’ll be considering. If you want a more thorough overview of possible questions and how to handle them I recommend you check out our interview guide <Link Coming Soon>. Also note that there aren’t really right or wrong answers on some of these things. The key is to show that you are versatile and can handle lots of different scenarios, but it is also important to be honest. If for example you interview for a government job that might move at a little bit slower pace don’t say that you prefer that when you really don’t. In some cases the employer is doing you a favor if they decide not to move you forward because the fit isn’t there.
Technical Skills and Experience: Likely the first thing the hiring manager will ask is for you to walk them through your background and resume. This is your chance to add color and dig in on a project or two that you are most proud of. This is also the time to start peppering in more of your technical experience to highlight your skillset. The important thing isn’t to show that you touched or used the technology nor is it the time to get too technical, the important thing is to show the result you were able to achieve by using it. It’s better to be too high level than too low, they can always ask you to go more in depth if they desire that. Again don’t worry if the work you want to highlight isn’t necessarily the thing you spent the most time on. The important thing is to demonstrate technical ability in some capacity to the hiring manager.
Cultural Fit: This term is another one that tends to get thrown around a lot and therefore has a loose meaning at best. Rather than wordsmith a definition I will go through a few of the components that I think are widely considered under the umbrella. It is important for you to take some time and give real though to these things before you do a call or interview so that you are prepared to speak to these and give clear and crisp answers.
Coworker Interactions – This is one that people actually mess up a lot, especially for data analyst roles. First, but less common, you get the candidates that basically admit they are a pain to work with but are so bright and get so much done that their employers tolerate and in many cases still reward it. While you might find a desperate hiring manager that is willing to take the tradeoff they are generally the exception. If you fit this description I would suggest dialing it back a bit for your own good. The second and much more common approach is the one where you claim you get along with everyone and will avoid conflict if needed. While you might think this will seem like a good thing to a hiring manager (they won’t have employee relations issues) it actually isn’t. Disagreement with respect is fine and actually healthy. You need to be brave enough to stand up and speak your mind (in a respectful way), especially when it is hard to do so. If not you could easily get bullied into doing bad analytics that at the end of the day will hurt the company and your reputation. Show that you can get along and can address conflict, not run from it.
Work Pace – This can vary so much place to place that there isn’t really a right answer, it’s more about showing that you can work across a good portion of the pace spectrum. There will be places where each day is different. You can walk into work expecting to work on project A only to find within 10 minutes of being there that you need to drop everything and start fire drill Z which is needed before lunch. This can be both exciting but also exhausting. Other places truly are methodical. You start a project and do little else for weeks or even months. You don’t have the stress of unexpected emergencies but it can also get a bit stale for some people. Most places will be in the middle somewhere but will have both. To give yourself the best chance it’s best if you can show examples where you’ve worked each way. During your conversation pay close attention so that you can get a sense for what the day to day is like as it will make a huge difference in your quality of life.
Individual or Collaboration – Do you prefer to work alone or on a team? Similar to work pace it is best if you can show you’ve done, and excelled at, both. No matter where you go you will likely have some flavor of both but this really can be dramatically different place to place. If you go somewhere that does end to end development you’ll need to be comfortable working, and figuring things out, mostly on your own. If you go somewhere that uses teams for each project you’ll need to be comfortable working at the team’s pace and doing your role within the team. On a team you’ll be going deeper but not nearly as broad in what you learn. Show the hiring manager you can do either but really give some thought to what you like best.
Well Defined vs Ambiguous – Do you like your job well defined or with some ambiguity? Most people would probably say well defined, but most analytics jobs are probably more ambiguous than well defined. The answers that I generally thought were best talked about having well defined results or outcomes “what do we need to solve from a business perspective?” but were ambiguous on how to get there “what are we allowed to do and who should be doing it?”. People who take action, solve problems, and in general just figure it out are the ones who excel as analysts. The ones who can’t will struggle more until they find their niche. Show you are the analyst who solves problems.
Your Interest in the Role: This one is pretty straight forward but many people fail to truly do it. By the end of your call or meeting it should be abundantly clear that you are interested in the role. You can demonstrate this by asking questions, talking about how the work relates to things you’ve done and enjoyed in the past, and in many cases just explicitly saying that you are interested and give a few points about why. If you really understand the role you should be able to do this, if by the end you still don’t know the role well enough to do this then you should be asking more questions.
How to Get Through
Do your research about the company. You aren’t expected to be an expert and know the ins and out of their business but you better at least visit their website and read the “about” page. Not doing so can be an automatic disqualifier.
Build upon and stay consistent with your resume. Assume the hiring manager hasn’t read or has barely read the thing (because that is likely the case). As you give your walkthrough make sure you stay consistent with what you have on there while building upon it. I was always hesitant to put people through to the interview phase if my call felt much different than what was on their resume. Not because what they told me was bad but because it made me think they weren’t a strong communicator.
Have questions ready and be prepared to ask about the role. Even if you get a pretty good overview from the hiring manager it shows you are truly interest and following along if you can ask good questions. Canned ones are a fine starting point but it is much better if you can take those canned ones and tailor them based on the context the hiring manager has given you.
Come prepared but don’t sweat it too much. You should prepare the best that you can but ultimately need to keep in mind that it isn’t your one shot for a job. Even if you don’t get move forward to the interview phase it is still a great opportunity to practice for the next time.
While this phase might seem like a formality I can assure you it is not. Many people who look great on paper do not make it through this phase. Do your preparation and put your best foot forward. If you aren’t sure how to do that I would suggest reading more content on this and other sites and taking advantage of our free tools and services. They don’t cost you anything, are no obligation, and if nothing else might make you just a bit more prepared for when you do get your shot.