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
How Statisticians Are Fighting to Cure Cancer
Statisticians make important contributions to many fields, and one where they make a huge impact is in cancer research. We asked Dr. Sujata Patil, Associate Attending Biostatistician at Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center, and Ruth Pfeiffer, Senior Investigator at the National Cancer Institute, about their research, the impact their work has and why they choose…
Announcing the Fall Data Challenge: Help Solve Homelessness
The Fall Data Challenge is back! This year, teams of two to five students will dive deep into datasets available from the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development and identify areas to reduce and resolve the homelessness crisis. This challenge focuses on the three cities with the highest populations of people experiencing homelessness in the…