1. Self Introduction
Education, Experience, Future goal, Personal hobbies
I graduated from Dalian University of Technology in 2018 with a Bachelor’s degree in Cyber Engineering. After that, I joined a small startup as a data analyst, conducting company research using third-party data and delivering results through tableau.
Two years later, in October 2020, I moved to Shanghai and joined a venture capital firm as a data analyst, mining valuable investment companies by integrating multiple data sources, and building dashboards with Superset.
Now, I want to master the analysis of first-hand data, and I believe that Company X fits my goals. In the next three years, I think my career will thrive when I combine experience with first-party and third-party data.
Also, I study analytics on Coursera, which helps me reach my goal early.
2. Why did you leave your last company?
The main reason is that I didn’t advance any skills from the job. And I believe skills progression is the most important thing in my early career.
Secondly, I want to explore first-party data, which is a good way to understand business and the world. At my last job, there was no first-party data, so I quit my job to teach myself the skills.
3. What is your greatest strength?
Based on my experience and people’s evaluation, my strength is adaptability. I adapt well to different roles, new tech stacks, and unfamiliar environments.
I once took over a project from a departing colleague within a week. It happened in 2018 when a colleague had to leave quickly because of a conflict with management. A core project is to track and estimate the income of a livestreaming company. I spent a week reading his code, learning new tech stacks, and optimizing the code to make the program more stable and faster.
Something similar happened again in 2019. It took me two weeks to take over a data project from a colleague. Since then, I had been responsible for all technical matters of third-party data.
Another piece of evidence from my immediate supervisor. A week after I joined my second company, she praised me for acting like senior staff, working well with the team, and producing high-quality output.
So, I’m adaptable and adjust well to changing factors and conditions.
4. What is your greatest weakness?
Identify your areas for improvement, and explain how you’re working to overcome your shortcomings.
My greatest weakness is that I get nervous and anxious when projects run past the deadline. I’m a stickler for due dates and feel uncomfortable when work isn’t done on time. To avoid this, I prioritize tasks in terms of importance and urgency, give stakeholders reasonable expectations, and regularly confirm progress to ensure that projects can be completed on time.
5. Why do you want to work with us?
- Show your knowledge of the company, their mission/products, work culture, and be optimistic about the industry/company’s future.
- Skills match this position, hard and soft skills.
- What do you want from this company? Your future career goal.
You know, I learn about Company X from the official website, annual reports and news. I smile on your mission/products that makes the world xxx. And the work culture in Company X impresses me very much, especially xx and xx, is the work climate I have been pursuing. In my opinion, Company X has xx strengths, and a good future. I expect to develop my career in such a company.
Secondly, I feel my skills match this position. I have three years of analysis experience, master sql and python, and visualizated data with tools. Adaptable and get along well with different teams. Learn fast and be able to face a fast-paced environment.
Thirdly, I want to acquire the skills to analyze a variety of data, not limited to third-party data. Company X has all kinds of data and is a great place for my career goal.
6. Why should we hire you?
Paraphrasing what they want, matching experience/skills and achievements, something to prove passion/enthusiasm
Based on the job description, I think that you need someone with SQL skills to help the business grow. My resume tells you that I have three years of experience in data analysis. During this time, I led a number of data analysis projects. However, my resume doesn’t include other roles I’ve held. From scraping data to presenting results, I have acquired knowledge of every important step of working with data. In addition, I study a lot of customer analysis and business analysis courses on Coursera. I believe my experience, combined with my studious and hard work, make me the best fit for this job.
7. How do you handle stress?
For me, communication and planning are the keys to handle stress. I encountered to test the availability of two data vendors in different cities. It was urgent because it cost 10k RMB each day. I asked a colleague to assist me, but he had no similar experience. I broke the project into smaller tasks and made a daily plan. Synchronized the progress with the colleague every day and confirmed the following to-do items. After that, I passed the information to our leader, ensuring everyone was on the same page. As a result, we both completed the usability testing in two weeks.
8. How do you handle conflict in the workplace?
Key is communication. Use STAR method to show you can stay calm and understand the other person’s point of view.
In the last job, our data team had to report investable startups to the investment team. I was assigned to visualize and present. I planed to list startups simply But he wanted to present these companies’ competitors. I politely asked him why, and understood that he wanted to show the target company’s status in the industry. Ultimately, I listened to him and listed investable startups at the beginning of the report, followed by a detailed look at each company’s competitors. The report was rewarded by the investment team, who said they could see the conclusion at a glance and have detailed information to track.
9. Where do you see yourself in 5 years?
As a data analyst, I want to be an expert in the field of data application. For the next five years, I want to know how to use first-hand data. I want to better combine data analytics and business knowledge. Therefore, my long-term goal is to become an influential data expert within your company. If possible, I’d like to train or mentor others.
10. Do you have any questions for me?
As an engineer, interviews usually have 4 rounds. Facing HR, technicians, leaders, HR in turn. I ask them different questions to deeper understand the job, the team and the company. Here are details: Questions I Often Ask Interviewers.