Re:Data Science Interview Questions
by dahart on Sunday March 01, 2020 @11:02AM
(#22457392)
I like your suggestion about understanding data and where it came from. You are right that there are more interesting and complex questions than knowledge base questions, and I have no doubt that many people here agree with you. Knowledge questions in interviews seem to be a popular punching bag these days.
Let me offer a few thoughts to maybe soften the extreme point of view that knowledge questions are any kind of negative signal.
First, please don’t assume that the existence of knowledge questions means that the interview process of the author is based on them or primarily about them. Most, if not all, companies have multiple interview modalities, and basic knowledge questions is just one of them.
Given that there are multiple phases for an interview, the most important thing a candidate should do is avoid being rejected for something simple. It’s a gauntlet, and if you only think about the boss stage and forget to do really basic things like spell check your resume or choke on how to summarize what gradient descent is, you might not even make it to the hard interview questions.
From experience, it certainly is tempting to think that because you can look up knowlegde questions that people will just game it and ace them, but that’s not what happens in practice at all. In reality, people who don’t have a background in the subject might be able to recite something they’re heard or read, but have a very hard time answering any followup questions, dealing with terminology they haven’t heard, or connecting topics together. It’s very easy as an interviewer to detect BS by asking very straightforward followup questions, by having a conversation. Plus there’s a much bigger risk in trying to memorize answers to things you don’t know; when it’s quickly discovered you were trying to fake it, that is grounds for being quickly rejected.
Knowledge is part of the background you need to get to the interview, and while it might seem like you don’t use it directly on the job, it’s part of a foundation of exposure to the topics that connect the pieces together. There’s nothing wrong with exploring bounds of a candidate’s knowledge to get a sense of how much they covered in school, how much they exercised during internships or other jobs, how much they’ve thought about it on their own.
It’s perfectly okay for there to be easy interview questions (you’d be surprised how many get answered incorrectly!), and for there to be questions that are broader in scope than things you’ll do day-to-day. Keep in mind, it’s a conversation where you’re trying to convince the employer that you’re already trained in the subject, and also well-rounded and have the potential to grow.
Let me offer a few thoughts to maybe soften the extreme point of view that knowledge questions are any kind of negative signal.
First, please don’t assume that the existence of knowledge questions means that the interview process of the author is based on them or primarily about them. Most, if not all, companies have multiple interview modalities, and basic knowledge questions is just one of them.
Given that there are multiple phases for an interview, the most important thing a candidate should do is avoid being rejected for something simple. It’s a gauntlet, and if you only think about the boss stage and forget to do really basic things like spell check your resume or choke on how to summarize what gradient descent is, you might not even make it to the hard interview questions.
From experience, it certainly is tempting to think that because you can look up knowlegde questions that people will just game it and ace them, but that’s not what happens in practice at all. In reality, people who don’t have a background in the subject might be able to recite something they’re heard or read, but have a very hard time answering any followup questions, dealing with terminology they haven’t heard, or connecting topics together. It’s very easy as an interviewer to detect BS by asking very straightforward followup questions, by having a conversation. Plus there’s a much bigger risk in trying to memorize answers to things you don’t know; when it’s quickly discovered you were trying to fake it, that is grounds for being quickly rejected.
Knowledge is part of the background you need to get to the interview, and while it might seem like you don’t use it directly on the job, it’s part of a foundation of exposure to the topics that connect the pieces together. There’s nothing wrong with exploring bounds of a candidate’s knowledge to get a sense of how much they covered in school, how much they exercised during internships or other jobs, how much they’ve thought about it on their own.
It’s perfectly okay for there to be easy interview questions (you’d be surprised how many get answered incorrectly!), and for there to be questions that are broader in scope than things you’ll do day-to-day. Keep in mind, it’s a conversation where you’re trying to convince the employer that you’re already trained in the subject, and also well-rounded and have the potential to grow.