Data analyst interview questions

Technical skills can be tested later with an exercise. The first round should show whether an analyst asks the right question before opening a spreadsheet, checks their data, and explains a finding so that someone actually acts on it.

10 questions for a data analyst first round

Pick three to five that fit your role, rather than all ten: a short first round gets more finished interviews. All ten together take about 22 minutes to record. The time limits suit a one-way video interview, where each answer is recorded once.

  1. 1

    Tell us about an analysis that changed a decision. What was the question, and what did you find?

    Listen for: A clear business question, a sound method and a decision that changed because of it.

    3 min to answer
  2. 2

    Someone asks you for “a report on sales”. What do you do before you start?

    Listen for: Asking what decision the report is for, who reads it and what they would do with it.

    2 min to answer
  3. 3

    Describe a time the data you were given was wrong or incomplete.

    Listen for: How they spotted it, how they checked and how they told people about the limits.

    3 min to answer
  4. 4

    How would you explain a statistical result to someone with no background in data?

    Listen for: Plain language, a picture or example and honesty about uncertainty.

    2 min to answer
  5. 5

    Tell us about a finding that people didn’t want to hear.

    Listen for: Confidence in the evidence, tact in presenting it and openness to being challenged.

    2 min to answer
  6. 6

    Which tools and languages do you use, and for what?

    Listen for: Practical skills matched to the role, and an example of choosing the simplest tool that works.

    2 min to answer
  7. 7

    How do you check your own work before sharing it?

    Listen for: Sense checks, reconciling to known totals and having someone review important work.

    2 min to answer
  8. 8

    Describe a dashboard or report you built. How did you know people used it?

    Listen for: Design around the user’s questions, and evidence of use or a change made after feedback.

    2 min to answer
  9. 9

    How do you decide when an analysis is good enough to share?

    Listen for: Matching the effort to the decision, and sharing early with clear caveats when speed matters.

    2 min to answer
  10. 10

    What question would you want to answer first with our data?

    Listen for: Curiosity about your business and a question tied to a real decision.

    2 min to answer
Scoring

Signs of a strong candidate

  • Asks what decision the analysis is for
  • Checks data before trusting it
  • Explains findings simply and honestly
  • Cares whether the work gets used

Agree what a 3 and a 5 look like for each question before anyone watches, and save your own rating before reading your colleagues’.

Use them

Run these as a video interview

  1. Save your chosen questions as a question set in AsyncView, with the minutes for each.
  2. Create an interview for the role, import the set and pick a deadline.
  3. Paste your candidates’ names and emails. Each gets a private link.
  4. Watch, rate and compare answers with your team, then shortlist.
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Send these questions to your data analyst candidates today.

Candidates record their answers in their own time; your team reviews together. The Free plan includes 5 interviews and needs no card.

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