I recently went through a nerve-wracking experience – an interview for a data analyst role. As a complete fresher, I was determined to make a good impression. But, as I reflect on the interview, I realized that it was a valuable learning experience, despite not being perfect.
The interview started with two SQL questions. The first one was a breeze – finding the top 2 salaries per department. But the second one, finding the top 2 increment salaries per department percentage-wise, had me stumped. I took a lot of time to understand the question, and even then, I needed a bit of help from the interviewer to solve it.
What struck me was how I, despite having solved similar questions before, struggled under pressure. It just goes to show that practice is not enough; we need to work on our mental preparation and composure in high-stress situations.
The interviewer then asked me some basic statistical questions, which I wasn’t prepared for. I managed to answer only 1.5 out of 4 questions correctly. It was a wake-up call – I need to brush up on my statistical concepts.
The final question was a classic – explaining different types of joins with the same 5-row table. Unfortunately, I got it wrong, which was frustrating because I knew the answer. It just goes to show that even when we know the concepts, we can still make mistakes under pressure.
What I appreciate, though, is the interviewer’s feedback. He was kind and honest, pointing out areas where I can improve. It’s a great reminder that we should focus on learning from our mistakes rather than getting discouraged by them.
So, even if I don’t make it to the next round, I’ll keep practicing and learning. After all, as they say, ‘we keep trying!’