Always Ask Good Questions

10 Interviewee Questions for Data Analysts, Data Scientists, Developers, and any other Knowledge Worker

Photo by Johanna Buguet on Unsplash

I’m not sure how many interviews I’ve done of candidates over my 20 years in the financial and technology space; probably a 100 or so. I would say only 20% of interviewees have the right questions about the role, leadership, or company. It would be best if you were asking the right questions at the interview. Assume you have the skills, you are the right person, and you are focused on ensuring this company is where you want to spend your time. The following are questions that every candidate should ask in the hiring process. Don’t ask all 10 of every interviewer but align the overall question to the person you believe can give the best insight. Ask one or two of these of each interviewer. If you get a job offer before asking these questions, ask them before sending your counter offer.

1) Can you tell me why the last person in this role left the firm? (Should be asked of the hiring manager for the position)

This question allows you to understand the transparency and self reflectiveness of the leadership. You are looking for the right answer about the person left for what was a better role, more responsibility, etc. Negative remarks about the person leaving or disparaging statements about the person (e.g., they were not the right ‘fit,’ they didn’t ‘get it’) is a bad sign. Not willing to answer is a red flag. Variations on this question: what made the last person successful?

2) Can you tell me the process to purchase a $25 book (or research article) that will help me do my role more effectively or efficiently?

In many companies, the ability get 5–10 people for an hour-long meeting with no actual outcome is easier (and much more expensive) than getting ‘approval’ to spend $25 on a book or pay-walled industry article related to achieving specific results. You are looking for the closest answer to “you purchase it and expense it.” I found this question from @patio11 on twitter [[ https://twitter.com/robinson\_es/status/1106191065806188544 ]]

3) Can you tell me the software I will have access to in the role

Assuming you use modern tools for analysis and you interview at a company that uses dated or older tools, you should expect serious challenges. For example, you love Tableau and the company only uses Business Objects or SAP solutions. You are unlikely to get them to invest in more modern solutions — UNLESS that is the role you are seeking. If you code in Python, R Java, definitely make sure they affirm what variants and IDE’s (e.g., anaconda, R-studio, etc) as well as other supporting tools like GIT utilization and CI requirements.

4) Can you tell me the process of getting new products or services that result in achieving my personal, department, division, and corporate objectives

You need to understand the overall ability to source tools from the desktop to the enterprise level. With this knowledge, you have insights on how the firm leverages the best tools to perform various critical tasks demanded of the knowledge worker.

5) Can you tell me about the use of Cloud at your firm? Will I have direct access to essential features and services of these providers like storage, compute, and query as my role depends upon those type of services?

Don’t waste your time working at firms that won’t give you access to the future computing framework of all knowledge-based working. Having access to infinite storage, infinite compute to answer questions, and an efficient ability to answer questions is critical to the knowledge workers success.

6)What time and where does the team do their best collaborative work?

This question is testing if the company is a traditional butt in seat shop by 9 am or a distributed collaborative engine supporting remote working and offsite working opportunities. Your preferred work model is personal taste, but you need to know their expectations before accepting any offer . Asked in this way also gives you some insights into the teams overall working model before you start.

7) How does your team share knowledge and collaborate?

Does the firm share knowledge tribally via meeting, written via confluence or wiki sites, or centralized team software like slack, hipchat or teams? Avoid firms that don’t have central collaborative platforms or don’t effectively use them. They will require you to ‘participate’ in many meetings to be successful. Where possible, probe for information about the use of Slack, Hip Chat, Teams, or other group chat solutions as well as next-generation office automation tools like Google Gsuite or Office 365.

8) What is the most significant threat to this firms future? On your latest earnings call, the covering analysts were interested in topic X, can you give your thoughts on topic X.

By showing that you researched the company, it demonstrates your interest in the company as well as critical thinking skills. Look for honest answers, no firm is perfect, and many have missteps. Leaders being frank about competitive threats is good company culture. The best leaders can demonstrate understanding, contextualize, and articulate the competitive landscape.

9) What is the most significant opportunity for this company in the industry? (Ideally, asked of your hiring manager or your expected leadership)

Hopefully, this question will give you insights on growth in the company relative to the industry. You will learn what is essential and on the mind of your potential leadership before you even start the role. If they can’t answer, beware! A leaders inability to speak about goals and their visions speak volumes . It indicates a lack of vision and goals for the team they lead and will become your primary challenge!

10) What is your policy on conference presentations, industry events, meetups, and other opportunities to build professional networks and credibility?

Let’s face it; most knowledge workers want to grow their street credibility. One way to accomplish that goal is to be a panel speaker, a meetup speaker, or a meetup host location. Companies that are active industry leaders often leverage key employees to represent them at a variety of industry events. For example, my leadership is in Chicago, so I usually get the opportunity to cover conferences in NYC. They often recommend me as a local qualified and available resource to host a panel, be on a panel, or present the latest and greatest products and services. Each of these opportunities grows my professional network and personal growth. A top tier knowledge worker should only consider firms that are active in the industry community and provide direct opportunities to grow in the industry.