Sitting for a Data Scientist or a data analyst interview, you can afford to miss this post!

So you have decided to save the world by finding insights from the data which are otherwise not visible to the  naive world out there So if you are not sure of what data scientists are doing and how it is impacting the world then we advise you to follow our facebook page by clicking here

So I hope that you have already liked our page and have clicked on 'Following' by now. So now its time to get your hands on to some interview questions that may helpful while sitting in any interview.

Our friend who is working for an analytic firm has been generous enough to provide these questions and answers to us. If you find these of any use we would appreciate if you could leave a thank you note in the comment box below.

Question 1. Can you outline the various steps in an analytics project?

Broadly speaking these are the steps. Of course these may vary slightly depending on the type of problem, data, tools available etc.

1. Problem definition – The first step is to of course understand the business problem. What is the problem you are trying to solve – what is the business context? Very often however your client may also just give you a whole lot of data and ask you to do something with it. In such a case you would need to take a more exploratory look at the data. Nevertheless if the client has a specific problem that needs to be tackled, then then first step is to clearly define and understand the problem. You will then need to convert the business problem into an analytics problem. I other words you need to understand exactly what you are going to predict with the model you build. There is no point in building a fabulous model, only to realise later that what it is predicting is not exactly what the business needs.

2. Data Exploration – Once you have the problem defined, the next step is to explore the data and become more familiar with it. This is especially important when dealing with a completely new data set.

3. Data Preparation – Now that you have a good understanding of the data, you will need to prepare it for modelling. You will identify and treat missing values, detect outliers, transform variables, create binary variables if required and so on. This stage is very influenced by the modelling technique you will use at the next stage.  For example, regression involves a fair amount of data preparation, but decision trees may need less prep whereas clustering requires a whole different kind of prep as compared to other techniques.

4. Modelling – Once the data is prepared, you can begin modelling. This is usually an iterative process where you run a model, evaluate the results, tweak your approach, run another model, evaluate the results, re-tweak and so on….. You go on doing this until you come up with a model you are satisfied with or what you feel is the best possible result with the given data.

5. Validation – The final model (or maybe the best 2-3 models) should then be put through the validation process. In this process, you test the model using completely new data set i.e. data that was not used to build the model. This process ensures that your model is a good model in general and not just a very good model for the specific data earlier used (Technically, this is called avoiding over fitting)

6. Implementation and tracking – The final model is chosen after the validation. Then you start implementing the model and tracking the results. You need to track results to see the performance of the model over time. In general, the accuracy of a model goes down over time. How much time will really depend on the variables – how dynamic or static they are, and the general environment – how static or dynamic that is.

Question 2.   What do you do in data exploration?

Data exploration is done to become familiar with the data. This step is especially important when dealing with new data. There are a number of things you will want to do in this step –

a.        What is there in the data – look at the list of all the variables in the data set. Understand the meaning of each variable using the data dictionary. Go back to the business for more information in case of any confusion.

b.        How much data is there – look at the volume of the data (how many records), look at the time frame of the data (last 3 months, last 6 months etc.)

c.         Quality of the data – how much missing information, quality of data in each variable. Are all fields usable? If a field has data for only 10% of the observations, then maybe that field is not usable etc.

d.        You will also identify some important variables and may do a deeper investigation of these. Like looking at averages, min and max values, maybe 10th and 90th percentile as well…

e.        You may also identify fields that you need to transform in the data prep stage.

Question 3: What do you do in data preparation?

In data preparation, you will prepare the data for the next stage i.e. the modelling stage. What you do here is influenced by the choice of technique you use in the next stage.

But some things are done in most cases – example identifying missing values and treating them, identifying outlier values (unusual values) and treating them, transforming variables, creating binary variables if required etc,

This is the stage where you will partition the data as well. i.e create training data (to do modelling) and validation (to do validation).

Question 4: How will you treat missing values?

The first step is to identify variables with missing values. Assess the extent of missing values. Is there a pattern in missing values? If yes, try and identify the pattern. It may lead to interesting insights.

If no pattern, then we can either ignore missing values (SAS will not use any observation with missing data) or impute the missing values.

Simple imputation – substitute with mean or median values

OR

Case wise imputation –for example, if we have missing values in the income field.

Question 5: How will you treat outlier values?

You can identify outliers using graphical analysis and univariate analysis. If there are only a few outliers, you can assess them individually. If there are many, you may want to substitute the outlier values with the 1stpercentile or the 99th percentile values.

If there is a lot of data, you may decide to ignore records with outliers.

Not all extreme values are outliers. Not all outliers are extreme values.

Question 6: How do you assess the results of a logistic regression analysis?

You can use different methods to assess how good a logistic model is.

a. Concordance – This tells you about the ability of the model to discriminate between the event happening and not happening.

b. Lift – It helps you assess how much better the model is compared to random selection.

c. Classification matrix – helps you look at the false positives and true negatives.

Some other general questions you will most likely be asked:

• What have you done to improve your data analytics knowledge in the past year?
• What are your career goals?
• Why do you want a career in data analytics?

If you are following our page on facebook we can assure you that you will know the answer to the last question atleast by now.  

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All you need to know about Six Sigma

Most of the companies nowadays ask for 6 sigma certified people or atleast they demand that the candidates must have atleast prelimnary knowledge of six sigma. At Expertmasterji we have created a jist of what six sigma is and how it is used in the industry. Hope it helps you in your interviews. For more material on interviews please click here.

Question: - What is Six Sigma?
Answer: - Six Sigma (Six Standard Deviations from mean) is a methodology to enhance the efficiency and minimize the errors in any given process through some special tools & techniques.

It was applied for the first time in the manufacturing division of the Motorola Company, where this process was and infact has been rigorously used for minimizing the errors in the processes of producing several millions of different parts. However under Jack Welch Six Sigma was adopted by GE and its concerned companies and it was so rigorously used there that Six Sigma became more related with GE then with Motorola .Although Six Sigma was primarily designed to reduce errors in manufacturing domain with time however its application widened with the inclusion of non-manufacturing processes too. Today It has spread to such a level that its use can be witnessed in the fields as different as call centers, medical processes and insurance processes etc.

The impetus Six Sigma lays on quality can be gauged by the very fact that six sigma allows only 3.4 defects per million of transactions. It uses statistical techniques for reducing the error and measuring the quality of the final process or product.

Question: - What is the methodology used by Six Sigma? 

Answer: - Six Sigma helps in improving the process via constant revisions and alterations.Business process improvement is done in SIx sigma using the novel methodology called DMAIC (Define opportunities, Measure performance, Analyze opportunity, Improve performance, Control performance).

Besides process improvement Six Sigma can also be used for new product development(NPD), however for NPD it uses the process known as DFSS (Design for Six Sigma).

Some of the important elements for the improvement of process by Six Sigma are: continuous improvement, metrics & measures, customer requirements, employee involvement and design quality.

Question: - What is the meaning of Green Belt and Black belt in six sigma?

Answer: - 

Question: - What are the 3 core elements of Six Sigma ?

Answer: - The 3 core elements of Six Sigma are :-

i) Customer satisfaction:

ii)Defining processes & metrics and measures

iii) Involvement of employees and team building

The Six Sigma is very strict towards the customer satisfaction. Under the Six Sigma methodology, it is ensured that the satisfaction of the customers is never compromised with.

This element Of Six Sigma defines the usefulness and the understanding of data & systems as well as sets the goals for improvements.

Under Six Sigma, it is imperative to involve all the employees by the company and to provide the employees with proper incentives and opportunities. This way the employees can be motivated to do their work more sincerely. Besides, Six Sigma also ensures that each of the employees has a defined role in the company and there is no scope of ambiguity, at all.

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Approach for behavioral interview - HR interviews

Before you approach any interview you should remember that the most potent way of cracking any behavioral interview is practice , but the question is what to practice and how to put your points in a framework such that your answer just flows out in front of the interviewer and that it seems as if the answer is prompt, however to make it sound so it is imperative that you do lots of practice. We interviewed a couple of students last week and formulated a framework which you can put to use and be successful in the next interview you attend.
The framework is simple : its a STAR

S - Situation: - Any situation or incident in your life which can explain the interviewers question
T- Task: - Any Situation which is similar to the task mentioned.
A- Action: - Course of action you opted to resolve the situation/task
R- Result: - Mention the results of your actions and the outcomes of the same, interviewer will highly appreciate if you can quantify the results and give him some figures which resulted out of your course of action.

Every answer you give to the interviewer should have these attributes and should address them in entirety. Follow this simple framework and prepare your answers based on the this framework for the questions written below.


Question : Tell me something about yourself ?

Answer :- This approach to this question should be a simple reverse chronological approach an example :

Sir I am xxx pursuing my marketing majors from yyyy institute of management. Prior to coming here I was working at zzz consulting helping pharma and healthcare industries to increase their customer footfall and increase their profitability via better customer segmentation. I have key interest in (something related to the job profile and a one liner for your achievement in that field) . Apart from that my hobbies are playing ping pong and chess(Achievements if any). I was born and brought up in Punjab and that's the place where I have spent most of my life. However I am open to travel anywhere, in fact I love traveling and public speaking I believe they help me in learning more about myself.


Question:- Why this particular industry?
Answer: - What ever may be the industry you are applying to, i strongly advise that you use the following keywords. Trust me it helps :
1. Variety in job.
2. Steep learning curve

The following questions are perfect for the STAR framework for an HR interview. Streamline your answer on the lines of star framework. Remember that for each attribute of this framework you should prepare a one liner ie a line for situation , a line for task, a line for Action and so on ..

Question: - Tell me of a time when you were a team player?
Question: - Tell me of a time when you persuaded a group?
Question: - Tell me of a recent crises you handled?
Question: -  Your biggest failure

There can be innumerable questions which can be answered using this framework.

Question: - What do you know about our company?
Answer :- The main intention behind asking this question is to know how serious you are for that company or for that job and whether or not you have done your homework. To answer this question you should know the promoters /founders of the company. Revenue and last year profits. It is advisable that you know about the domain which brings most revenues for the firm and which other fields is the company looking to foray into.
For this info it is advisable that you read atleat one of the whitepapers of the company. Read its last year's balanced sheet and if you can find out some insights the better carry it to the interview panel and present your findings by highlighting them.

Question: - Which other industries are you looking into?
Answer: - Look for the related or like- industries to answer this question. For instance if you are sitting for a bank you may answer : Other industries which excite me are Insurance and capital markets, although banking would be first priority but if not banking then ill try to get into these industries.

Question: - If you go back to your previous organisation what would be the changes you would bring to it?
Answer: - Talk in terms of improving the employee engagement and if you have insights about operation of that industry and its best practices than it would be fruitful to bring it out here.

Question: - Tell me something about your previous boss? What you like and what you dislike about him?
Answer: - The person who is taking your interview today may be your x-boss some day and so I would say that no matter how horrible your stay have been with your previous boss talk only about his positives and the impact he had on your career progression.

Last but not the least be cheerful while replying to the interviewers question, show some vitality and if possible subtle humor, everyone prefers having people with cheerful disposition in their team.

All the very best. Have a happy job hunting.

If you need any help then feel free to comment us below. We assure to write back to you in 24 hours.
Also if you have some material which may be useful for other fellas who are preparing for interview, please share it with us at expertmasterji@gmail.com

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How to crack a GD -- Tips and tricks for Group discussion

How to do Well In a GD-I

This is the question that haunts every CAT/MBA aspirant before and after the initial written exam. Honestly speaking ,  there is no definite answer to this question as well. One can't define a fixed procedure by following which , one would be able to succeed in any GD.  A GD has so many aspects to it , that no fixed solution can guarantee success.

Now here comes a "BUT" , nothing in this world can be termed as impossible. Solution might be difficult , but if done step-by-step , success can be achieved. Cracking a GD of any good B-School is a great achievement , and it is said that "No great thing is achieved by impulse , but by a series of small things."  Here in this article , we would look into all the aspects , a GD comprises of . Also,  I would expose a lot of aspects that go un-noticed and un-touched by a student , and in the end affects the final outcome.  "How to do well in a GD" has three parts , and i will deal with each and every aspect , one-by-one , in subsequential parts.

This part majorly covers -

1.)   Overview of a GD.

2.)   Types of GD

WHY DO COLLEGES CONDUCT GD?

Beginning the first part , the first and most important question about a GD is why do B-Schools conduct a GD. What do they want to test in a candidate by making him/her sit with a group of 12 or 13 and discuss. Do they expect a real concrete solution after the discussion if they give a topic like "Should Kashmir be handed over to Pakistan"?. or "Should RBI switch to CPI for calculating inflation".  Well the answer to this question is a big "NO". They do not expect you to be an expert on the topic and come up with a solution in 15 minutes .If they would really want a concrete solution they would invite people from home ministry and RBI to have a discussion and not a slighlty nervous candidate like you.  It would be completely imparactical if they started having such expectations .Then ,  What does a B-School really want out of a GD?

The result of any group discussion should be a conclusion. But ,  it is not necessary for you and your group in a B-School GD to actually come up with a conclusion . If you actually are able to come up with a solution in just 15 minutes on such sensitive and broad topics . It would give the GD Panel , an impression , that you do not have enough content to discuss . You cannot think on this topic multi-dimensionally . The discussion must go on and on and on until the alotted time is over. Discussing more and more would give the GD panel an impression that you are well aware of the topic and can think and assess both the positives and negatives of the topic given. Also , candidates should keep in mind that not coming to a conclusion and keeping the discussion going dosen't mean speaking anything and speaking all the time. You should speak max 4 to 5 times in a GD of 15 minutes , and what you are speaking should be solid content. We will discuss more about what and how much to speak later.

WHAT a GD LOOKS LIKE ?

A GD would normally have 8-12 candidates in a panel , with candidates sitting in a circular or a semi circular arrangement. Different colleges conduct group discussions for different durations , but , GD normally lasts for 20- 30 minutes apart from a few colleges like IIFT . IIFT is famous for extending its  GD to even an hour. But most of the colleges keep a GD to a maximum of 30 minutes .  A GD may or may not  have a moderator. A moderator is someone who conducts/looks after/ analyses the GD and the group. A moderator might observe you being sitting in front of the group , he might observe you by being somewhere else through a cctv camera or whichever way. The moderator’s role is not of great importance. He might come and  tell you the topic and say start. He might point out somebody and ask him/her to start. He might give you a fixed time say you all have 20 mins to discuss on the given topic , start. Or he might just stop you without any prior time limit.  

When a moderator is present during a GD , one basic rule is “ Never look at the moderator during the GD”. You are speaking or you are not speaking , you are not supposed to look at the moderator. You are supposed to address the group all the time during the GD. Also If someone is speaking , your complete attention should be on the speaker and nowhere else. If you look at the moderator , it would not give a good impression. The moderator might feel you are not concentrating on the GD. This might affect the chances of your selection.

Once in a GD , there are other small details too ,  that should be taken care of . We will look at them in the later parts of this document. Let us now see what type of GDs can  we come across.

 TYPES OF GD

GDs are mostly of three types

1.)   Fact Based

2.)   Abstract

3.)   Case Studies.

1.)  Fact Based .

Fact Based Gds would have topics that involve incidents recently happened or some issues which keep moving  in and out of news. These topics can fall under any category . They can be from Sports , Poilitics , Defence , International Issues  etc .Basically anything that comes under the sun and has been in the  news recently ,  has the potential to become a GD topic .

Now our approach should be based on what a college is looking for in a candidate. If a college has given you a fact based GD , what do they want to test? What are they looking for.?  The first answer to these questions is obviously your awareness level. A topic  ,  which involves facts from a recently happened incident or event can only be discussed if one knows about the topic. You cannot discuss on a topic like  “Should AFSPA be repealed from J&K?” without knowing what is AFSPA? Why was it imposed? What are the reasons that lead to the question of its revoking? Would it be practical to do so? And many other qsns. So the first thing such a GD would test , would  be your General Knowledge and not only knowing about a certain issue would do , for discussing it , you should know enough about the issue so that you can speak ,  both in favour  of and against the statement.

Now to speak in both , favour and against the statement,  leads us to another very important notion that must be addressed. A lot of candidates feel , it is always good to take a side ,  if the GD topic  is a question asked , such as ,the one mentioned above.

Candidates can even ask a question : Wouldn’t it be an unwise thing to do , to speak both in favour and against the statement. It would give an impression that we are not sure of our opinion. We do not have enough confidence to take a stand.

Well , let us see it this way .  Among  the qualities that a manager should have and that a bschool looks for in a  candidate ,  pragmatism and flexibility tops the chart. If you take a stand i.e if you only speak in  either favour or against  the topic given . It might not show you in bad light (unless you act like a fanatic and a diehard supporter who is not ready to accept anyone uttering a word against him/herself)  but it will definetly block the qualities like pragmatism and  flexibility , that can be highlighted , if you speak in both favour and  against.

Speaking in both favour and against , would first of all , give an impression that you are well aware of the topic.

Also , if someone is speaking in both favour and against a statement , it would give an impression that the person is mature , practical and flexible enough to look at all the perspectives surrounding the statement. It would show that one can take views of different perspectives for reaching  a conclusion. And obviously a person who is capable of thinking on a problem from different perspectives would  make a better manager than someone who is seeing only one side of the problem. So it is always better to speak in both favour and against the statement.

2.) Abstract GD

The name itself explains the nature of the topic given under this GD. Abstract means which does not have a defined form. It exists in a thought , but not in any physical form. The topics coming under this GD also have a similar nature. They can mean anything. I should rather say , they can mean anything that you want them to mean.

An example would make things more clear , say a statement “ Deep blue is not blue enough”.

What does this mean? For different perspectives , it can mean different things.

Someone who is looking for a deep  blue shirt , he comes across a shirt which has a tag that says  the color of this shirt is deep blue.

But it wasn’t blue enough for the person , he wanted an  even deeper shade of blue.

Hence , Deep blue is not blue enough.

Let’s say one fine day , someone from ISRO looks at the sky and feels , we have not explored the sky enough. We do not know much about it. We just know it is deep blue in color and it is not enough knowledge. We should know more and thus he plans for a space exploration mission Mangalyaan.

Here also , deep blue was not blue enough .

Similarly , we can relate this statement to many other things.

Indian cricket team inspite of an excellent batting display could not win the match. As the color of their jersey is deep blue. Deep blue was no blue enough to win a game.

Ocean is really vast. It hides a lot of mysteries under it. But , inspite of so many hardships and difficulties involved. Oceanographers still manage to go under the sea and conduct research and what not. Ocean’s deep blue color is not blue enough to hide its little secrets.

If you observe , an abstract topic is all about how well you can relate different fields to blue color. And the best part , you can never be wrong about an abstract relation. You just have to let your mind wander and find an analogy for you.

Abstract GD is all about how well you can imagine , how fast you can think and relate the happenings around you with the given statement. But for those who are already  feeling comfortable with this type , there is a bad news. Now a days , not a lot of colleges would give you abstract topics. It is a rare site for anybody to encounter an abstract topic for his/her GD. But since it cannot be counted off as a possibility , one should prepare oneself for this type too.

3.) Case Study based GD

The third and final type is a group discussion based on a case study. In this , you would be given a scenario or a situation in certain organization or a place where the problem should be dealt practically , and you would be asked to discuss on how to handle the situation.

A lot of colleges now a days are having GDs based on case study. There is an increase in the trend of having Case Study GDs.

Why would a college conduct a GD based on a case study? What do they want to test in a candidate by giving him/her a case study? Well the answer is very simple. Once you start your MBA course , you would spend most of the time dealing with case studies , similar to the one you would encounter in the GD. But the idea would be the same. To make you sit in a group and analyse and solve a situation.

The colleges want to see , which candidate is better suited to such an environment .

Now the question comes , what is the way to handle such a GD. The best way to handle such a GD is , think as professionally and ethically as you can and practice by being part of  as much mock GDs as possible that involve case studies.  

Till now , you know how a GD is conducted , what does a group discussion for a b-school looks like and what are the different types of GD. You also now have become aware of a few approaches that should be kept in mind before attacking a GD topic. In the next part you would come across the different approaches that one can take to handle different type of GDs. Some of these approaches would be type specifc but most of them can be used in any type of GD. 

Hope you excel in your GD.

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Best Interview answers .

While preparing for interviews students mug up books like - HR INTERVIEW FOR DUMMIES , ignoring the fact that the publishers way of presenting the book is actually condescending as he mocks all his readers to be dummies . Anyways the point we are keeping today is that more than mugging the expired pills (books ) for interview exams better focus on being innovative. Think out of the box.

Most of the interviewers sellect candidates who are witty and who can answer the toughest questions in the most simplistic way. Find below some answers to the interview questions asked in the IAS interview exam.

By far means these are the best interview answers we ever came through.

SO FOLKS, THINK DIFFERENT!! THINK OUT OF THE BLUE!!

Q. How can you drop a raw egg onto a concrete floor without cracking it?

A. Concrete floors are very hard to crack! (UPSC Topper)

Q. If it took eight men ten hours to build a wall, how long would it take

four men to build it?

A. No time at all it is already built. (UPSC 23 Rank Opted for IFS)

Q. If you had three apples and four oranges in one hand and four apples

and three oranges in the other hand, what would you have?

A. Very large hands. (Good one) (UPSC 11 Rank Opted for IPS)

Q. How can you lift an elephant with one hand?

A. It is not a problem, since you will never find an elephant with one
hand.

(UPSC Rank 14 Opted for IES)

Q. How can a man go eight days without sleep?

A. No Probs , He sleeps at night. (UPSC IAS Rank 98)

Q. If you throw a red stone into the blue sea what it will become?

A. It will Wet or Sink as simple as that. (UPSC IAS Rank 2)

Q. What looks like half apple ?

A: The other half. (UPSC - IAS Topper )

Q. What can you never eat for breakfast ?

A: Dinner.

Q. What happened when wheel was invented ?

A: It caused a revolution.

Q. Bay of Bengal is in which state?

A: Liquid (UPSC 33Rank )

Below are the Interview Questions, which were asked in HR Round.....

No one will GET second chance to impress....

Very very Impressive Questions and Answers..... ...



Question 1:

You are driving along in your car on a wild, stormy night,

it's raining heavily, when suddenly you pass by a bus stop, and you see

three people waiting for a bus:

An old lady who looks as if she is about to die.

An old friend who once saved your life.

The perfect partner you have been dreaming about.

Which one would you choose to offer a ride to, knowing very well that

there could only be one passenger in your car?

This is a moral/ethical dilem ma that was once actually used as part of a


job application.

* You could pick up the old lady, because she is going to die, and thus

you should save her first;

* or you could take the old friend because he once saved your life, and

this would be the perfect chance to! pay him back.

* However, you may never be able to find your perfect mate again.

The candidate who was hired (out of 200 applicants) had no trouble coming

up with his answer. Guess what was his answer?

He simply answered:

"I would give the car keys to my Old friend and let him take the lady to

the hospital. I would stay behind and wait for the bus with the partner

of my dreams."

Sometimes, we gain more if we are able to give up our stubborn thought

limitations. Never forget to "Think Outside of the Box."


Question 2:

What will you do if I run away with your sister?"

The candidate who was selected answered " I will not get a better match

for my sister than you sir"


Question 3:

Interviewer (to a student girl candidate) - What is one morning you woke

up & found that you were pregnant.

Girl - I will be very excited and take an off, to celebrate with my
husband.

Normally an unmarried girl will be shocked to hear this, but she managed

it well. Why I should think it in the wrong way, she said later when asked


Question 4:

Interviewer: He ordered a cup of coffee for the candidate. Coffee arrived

kept before the candidate, then he asked what is before you?

Candidate: Instantly replied "Tea"

He got selected.

You know how and why did he say "TEA" when he knows very well that coffee

was kept before.

(Answer: The question was "What is before you (U - alphabet) Reply was

"TEA" ( T - alphabet)

Alphabet "T" was before Alphabet "U"


Question 5:

Where Lord Rama would have celebrated his "First Diwali"?

People will start thinking of Ayodya, Mitila [Janaki's place], Lanka

etc...

But the logic is, Diwali was a celebrated as a mark of Lord Krishna

Killing Narakasura. In Dusavataar, Krishnavathaar comes after

Raamavathaar.

So, Lord Rama would not have celebrated the Diwali At all!


Question 6:

The interviewer asked to the candidate "This is your last question of the

interview. Please tell me the exact position of the center of this table

where u have kept your files."

Candidate confidently put one of his finger at some point at the table

and told that this was the central point at the table.

Interviewer asked how did u get to know that this being the central point

of this table, then he answers quickly that

"sir u r not likely to ask any more question, as it was the last question

that u promised to ask....."

And hence, he was selected as because of his quick-wittedness. .......

This is What Interviewer expects from the Interviewee. ...

"THINK OUT OF BOX" 

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