Interview Questions - Core Flashcards
Can you tell me a bit about yourself? (2:50)
- I consider myself as someone who is very hardworking ; reflected by uni top graded degrees ; grades.
- I’m someone who is intrinsically motivated which means I get genuine satisfaction from continuous growth ; for examples (daily word, gaining daily streaks on my coding app, touch type for long-term efficiency, completing data analysis certificates) ; completed a 3-month data analysis bootcamp.
- Having read the role description I’m confident my skills and values allign perfectly with the requirements : my motivational qualities and willingness to learn encourage my drive to continuously learn ; my values also align with BTs values of Personal, Simple, and Brilliant which I adopted throughout university to form relationships, reduce stress, and consistently perform well.
Why do you want to work at BT? (2:00)
- For many reasons, my personal values resonate with BTs values of Personal, Simple, Brilliant.
- Personal ; BT employees come across as human ; treat others with respect and will be willing to teach me their expertise in data analysis to fulfil my potential.
- Simple ; intrigues me because throughout university, I learned that this is often the best approach. I adopted the same systematic approach to each assignment which included a research plan, structure plan, and a final review which lead to consistent top grades throughout.
- Brilliant ; BT take pride in their work and push for highest standards ; I will be challenged in the role which appeals to me as a person who looks for continuous growth.
What are your strengths? (3:30)
- I believe I have many strengths, but the one that stands out is my genuine passion for learning ; intrinsic motivation means I naturally adopt a proactive to learning ; in university you’d often find me in the library consolidating my knowledge or researching.
- Fast and adaptable learner ; evidenced by recently passing the four projects on the data analysis bootcamp (talk about modules) despite many of the tools such as Tableau and programming languages such as Python and SQL being new to me. ; Also SES is a diverse field ranging from biomechanics to physiology & nutrition but I consisted achieved first class grades in means of different assessment such as presentations to written reports to exams.
- I also pride myself on time management and organisation, I learned the importance of these throughout university ; I would often create GANTT charts to manage timeframes of projects ; in my personal life, I now use daily to do lists ranked in order of importance, I believe good organisation is key to mitigating stress and boosting productivity.
What can you bring to the company? (2:50)
- I would bring to the role someone who already shares BTs values, personal, simple, and brilliant ; personal suggests treat others with respect and I am someone who is helpful by nature and personable, I showed this throughout university by helping international students.
- I also learned the value of adopting a simple approach, and for me, that was utilising the same effective systematic approach to handling assignments.
- The value brilliant resides in me as I am someone who always strives for proficiency and efficiency in all tasks.
- To summarise, I will bring the role someone who has an unmatchable drive and willingness to learn ; I am also someone who learns quickly as evidenced by my recent success in the data analysis bootcamp and sport and exercise science degrees ; I am also someone who has an analytical mindset and the ability to approach problems from different angles.
- Key achievements of mine which outline my strengths are being the first in my family to not only go to university, but achieve two top grades degrees despite my difficult upbringing, I believe this shows resilience ; another achievement is my final project in my masters which is expected to be published in a medical journal, I believe this shows brilliance.
Do you have any final remarks and questions for us? (2:00)
- I would like to reiterate how my skills and motivational qualities align perfectly with the data analyst apprenticeship role; I am someone who is intrinsically motivated to continuously develop as a professional and a person.
- To fulfil my potential at BT where our values of personal, simple, and brilliant align perfectly is an amazing opportunity.
- I have some questions:
- Can you tell me more about the day-to-day responsibilities of this role?
- Can you describe the working culture of BT?
- What does the development cycle look like for an apprentice at BT, say across 6 month timeframes?
- How to BT go above and beyond for their apprentices?
Can you give an example of when you worked well in a team? (2:30)
S - Internship AWRC with another, older student ; Our main responsibilities were to handle large multi-site, confidential data, data entry, and assisting lab sessions.
T - We were spontaneously asked to prepare a presentation to present to a handful of researcher the biomechanical, physiological, and nutritional implications of uphill and downhill running.
A - I suggested we discuss and strengths and weaknesses then delicate tasks based on them, as I was wary for our 2 hour time frame. I also suggested we confer with each other before the presentation to provide an opportunity for additional information.
R - It turned out my partner was a physio outside of university, therefore, she focused on the biomechanical aspects whereas I concentrated on the physiology & nutrition. We gathered interesting research and the researchers were impressed by our efficiency and teamwork.
Can you give an example of when you worked well under pressure? (3:00)
S - During my masters degree, I participated in a staff-led research project which meant it was essential to complete my tasks on time so that I didn’t hold the professor back on her tasks ; However, I also had to juggle four other large modules which contribute to my final grade.
T - I had many responsibilities for the staff-led projected including designing a google questionnaire for participants, create and organised extensive spreadsheet to contain participant details, communicate back and forth with participants, and create an extensive literature review; I also had to create a website, attend my internship, write a position statement, and prepare for a statistics exam and create a supporting presentation.
A - Lot of work to balance ; I ensured I met deadlines by creating a GANTT chart for the year ; I also assessed my confidence in each module as this may effect the time to complete.
R - My organisation skills allowed me to visualise my deadlines, improve productivity, and mitigate stress. ; I managed to achieve the highest grade classification in all modules including my internship reflective portfolio and statistics exam; The research manuscript with the professor is also expected to be published in a medical journal where I will be a co-author.
Where do you see yourself in 5 years time? (2:00)
- I hope to be an established member of BTs data team and a respected data analyst.
- I aim to capitalise on this current opportunity due to researching BTs strong apprenticeship support system.
- BTs values also make it an enticing company to grow with ; Personal suggests I will be treated with respect and helpfulness ; Simple suggests BT make complex situations simple which I believe will encourage learning ; Brilliant suggests I will always be pushed and challenged which is something that appeals to me as a person.
Can you give an example of when you have had to deal with conflict? (2:40)
S - When I was the floor supervisor at a busy bar, there would be a quick turnover of staff due to the fast-paced environment and late nights not being for everybody.
T - A new member of staff was not picking up their weight and came across as lazy which deteriorated team morale ; This member of staff also seemed to think they know best and resisted my instructions.
A - I called a team meeting to discuss the matter ; I enforced my authority but also saw this as an opportunity to create a collaborative environment and take suggestions to make the team to make them feel more like a valuable member of the team; I allowed a trial of his suggestion for an hour of the night to see how it played out.
R - Our original method was more efficient but importantly, the team member who previously displayed laziness and a lack of motivation felt like a more valuable member of the team; Conflict can be seen as an opportunity to see from the other person’s perspective.
Can you tell us a time when you overcome a difficult challenge? (2:50min)
S - Difficult and personal challenge I had to overcome happened recently ; I made the decision to make a career change even though I spend 5 years of my life studying sport and exercise science across two degrees.
T - Took courage and honesty with myself when considering my long-term career plan ; I enjoy the analysis and statistics modules which led to to pursue a data analysis career.
A - This was a stressful experience ; I bounced back using my organisation skills and creating an action plan ; I signed up for a 3 month data bootcamp, gained certificates, complete daily tasks to better myself, and research more about the life of a data analyst to get to the position I am in today.
R - I have learnt many new skills and qualities useful for being a data analyst ; this role has also taught me about myself and proved my resilience and drive to improve as a professional.
