5 Tips for Preparing for a Data Science Interview

Congratulations on getting called back for that great data scientist position you’ve applied to! Now you’re just a few interviews away from your dream job. Here are a few tips for acing those interviews:

1. Be prepared to talk about the data science project that you are most proud of. Bonus points if it involves machine learning and/or deep learning.
2. Review basic probability and statistics (e.g. what is the probability of getting two heads out of three coin tosses?)
3. Brush up on your SQL skills (try refreshing your knowledge in e.g. KhanAcademy or practise some SQL problems)
4. Make sure that you can confidently solve a basic to intermediate programming problem in a language of your choice (e.g. Python)
5. Study the basics of machine learning: supervised vs unsupervised learning, feature generation and feature engineering, model selection, etc.

Besides these, remember to stay connected with the interviewer during the whole conversation. You can do this by articulating clearly what your thought process is (much better than silence!). Also, be honest about the limitations and strengths of your solution.

Photo by ev on Unsplash

Finally, remember to just relax and be well-rested so that you can find yourself at your best. Interviews are, after all, simply conversations between two interested parties with one goal in mind: to get you hired!