Data Architect

Data Architect qualifications to look for

Data Architects design, implement and maintain systems to gather and store information effectively and securely. They analyze user and database system requirements and create data models that provide functional solutions.

Your top candidate will have a solid technical background and hold a Data Science or relevant IT degree. 

It’s best to use a written assignment to better assess candidates’ skills in SQL, Python and any other programming languages that you use.

Keep an eye out for candidates who are:

• Problem solvers
• Excellent collaborators
• Team-forward thinkers 
• Analytically-minded
  

Top tip: Hire candidates willing to grow by making sure their personal career goals align with your company's mission.

Problem-solving interview questions

• We need a model to forecast quarterly and annual sales trends. What do you suggest and why?
• Walk me through creating a model to describe our sales process. What elements would you add for a distributed sales team?
• You need to gather user requirements for a new project. What is your process?
• You are asked to review an existing database to identify potential improvements. What is your first step?
  

Role-specific interview questions

• What database software have you previously used? What are your favorite features? 
• What is your experience using statistical analysis tools like SPSS and SAS?
• What visualization tools are you comfortable using?
• Walk me through the difference between OLTP and OLAP and where you use each of them. 
• What is snowflake schema? Have you used it? 
• Explain the difference between a dimensional model and a third normal form data model.
• Explain software design patterns. What patterns are you familiar with?
  

Behavioral interview questions

• Have you presented models directly to senior managers in your previous positions? How did you ensure they understood the technical details?
• Do you join in meetups or seminars to network and learn from your community? If so, name a few of your favorites.
• Describe a difficult database problem you’ve faced and how you handled it.
• What project are you most proud of? What was your specific contribution and how did you collaborate with your team?