Preparing for Your First Statistics Job Interview? We’re Here to Help.
May 21, 2019
You spent long, sleepless nights studying for exams, reading textbooks cover to cover and finally earning your statistics degree – congratulations, you graduated! Now, it’s time to start the job hunt and nail your interviews.
Wherever your search starts, This is Statistics is here to help. While it’s impossible to know exactly what will transpire during your interviews with prospective employers, you can expect to be asked basic questions about p-values, modeling, and statistical analysis software, along with specific questions about the organization and the field you hope to enter. Also, be ready to explain your approach to problem-solving, communicating statistical information to non-statisticians, and sharing examples of past successes to demonstrate your statistical, analytical and critical thinking abilities.
There are numerous online resources describing the types of questions future statisticians can expect to face during job interviews. Here are a few of our favorites:
Job Interview Questions: Statistician Interview Questions
Springboard: 109 Commonly Asked Data Science Interview Questions
Quora: How Should I Prepare For Statistics Questions For a Data Science Interview?
Simplilearn: 20 Most Popular Data Science Interview Questions
Glassdoor: Statistician Interview Questions
Glassdoor: Google Statistician Interview Questions
Remember, employers are looking for candidates who not only have technical skills but perspectives on how those skills translate to the specific work being done in their organizations. And don’t forget the so-called “soft skills” of communication, organization, teamwork, and creativity. Employers value those, too!
Additional Resources:
Careers in 2018: Tips from a Top Analytics Recruiter
Interview advice from Vanguard
Career Advice from Physics Today
Considering a graduate degree in statistics? Visit our graduate studies page for more information.
Related Posts
Fall Data Challenge 2020: Congratulations to our Winners!
In this year’s Fall Data Challenge, Get Out the Vote, 56 teams of 66 high school and 61 undergraduate students submitted their recommendations on how to increase voter-turnout using voting behavior data from the Census Bureau and Bureau of Labor Statistics, provided by the IPUMS organization. Students recommended a variety of impressive voter-turnout strategies to implement for future elections. Overwhelmingly, their statistical assessment of the dataset led them to a correlation between increased education and increased voter…
Video: How Statistics is Making an Impact in Mental Health
Statistics improves our lives—including our mental health! In our newest This is Statistics video, learn how data from research and trials can lead to insights that not only improve our understanding of mental health, but also make it more personalized to individuals’ unique needs. This video features Samprit Banerjee, Ph.D., M. Stat. Associate Professor of Biostatistics,…