I joined The Data School on 25th November as part of the Cohort 27 program (DSAU27). Today, I will describe my Data School journey from the application to the first week.
Application: Create a dashboard.
I found The Data School on Seek one week before the application deadline. I researched the program and received good feedback from a friend who was part of the previous cohort.
To start my application, I had to quickly create and send my dashboard. Although I did not have prior experience with Tableau, I was able to find tutorials and finish the dashboard. The Data School Team replied rejecting my dashboard 4 days before the deadline, indicating some suggestions. Given that time was not on my side, I spent hours working on my second dashboard, submitting it on the last day.
Tips: Choose a dataset that you are familiar with and use feedback on your favor.
First Interview: Online interview and presentation.
A few days later, I received an email from The Data School inviting me to the first interview. It was an online meeting, in which I was asked to present the dashboard and answer some questions. I spent hours studying and training for it, this was my opportunity to show my interest and efforts to be part of the team!
The interview lasted about 30 minutes, and in the first 10 minutes I presented my dashboard. I believe the preparation helped me a lot, I was confident and all over the data. After the presentation, The Data School staff asked some questions and made some suggestions. In the last 15 minutes, they asked formal HR questions, for example, how did you find The Data School and tell me more about yourself. In this phase, I tried to be myself and answer the questions as calmly as I could.
Tips: Prepare yourself for the presentation, become familiar with the app you will be using.
Second Interview: Dataset, Dashboard Creation, and Presentation and Formal Interview.
In this phase, I received a dataset about boats accidents, something that I was not familiar with. Therefore, I dedicated two full weekends plus weeknights working on the dashboard. I had to study the topic to create a good flow in my dashboard, which means create a story that made sense for the audience. In addition, produce charts able to bring some good insights.
Be prepared for a long interview, it lasted for about 1 hour. It was divided into two:
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First part (30 min):
I had to present my dashboard for about 10 minutes and the remaining 20 minutes answered some questions. I was in a room presenting it to 3 Data Schools seniors’ staff members and felt very confident about the presentation. Once again, I have spent a lot of time preparing for it.
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Second part (30 min):
This was a formal interview, with 3 HR related staff members. I answered questions about my background, and different situations. I tried to be myself and answer the questions by relating my previous experiences with the questions, showing how my background and experience could be of value for the company.
Tips: Spend hours on it, study the dataset, create a story that makes sense and prepare well for the presentation.
My first week: First week at Data School.
My first week at Data School was awesome.
We had classes every day, learning everything about Data best practices and Tableau, with exercises to reinforce what we had learned. What I liked most was the interaction among everyone in the classroom, which made it more enjoyable. Also, all the staff in the office are nice and willing to help.
I cannot wait for the upcoming weeks.
Tips: Be open-minded and ready to work hard.
Links: The Data School Application
That is a bit of my start at The Data School, I hope you enjoyed reading it. Feel free to contact me if you have any questions about the process. See you next time.