Econorthwest is the Pacific Northwest's largest economic consulting firm, offering substantial contributions in applied economic analysis and social/public policy analysis. The company currently has an opening for a full-time, non-exempt Data Analyst in a hybrid arrangement. Located in either the Portland, Oregon or Seattle, Washington office, this role is pivotal in supporting project managers and associates through tasks such as data cleaning and analysis, research assignments, and the creation of interactive visualizations or web applications. Ideal candidates should possess a knowledge of economic concepts, proficiency in math, and strong technical abilities. Explore the interview process for Econorthwest's Data Analyst position on Interview Query and gain insights to navigate your way into this dynamic role.

Submitting Your Application

The first step is to submit a compelling application that demonstrates your technical skills and keen interest in joining Econorthwest as a Data Analyst. Whether you were contacted by a recruiter or taking the initiative yourself, carefully review the job description and tailor your CV to meet the prerequisites.

Tailoring your CV may include identifying specific keywords that the hiring manager might use to filter resumes and crafting a targeted cover letter. Additionally, emphasize relevant skills and highlight your work experience.

Recruiter/Hiring Manager Call Screening

If your CV gets shortlisted, a recruiter from the Econorthwest Talent Acquisition Team will reach out to verify key details like your experience and skill level. Expect some behavioral questions as well.

Sometimes, the Econorthwest data analyst hiring manager might join the screening round to answer any questions you have regarding the role and the company. They may also engage in surface-level technical and behavioral discussions.

This recruiter call usually lasts about 30 minutes.

Technical Virtual Interview

If you pass the recruiter round, you will receive an invitation for the technical screening round. The technical screening for the Econorthwest Data Analyst role is conducted through virtual means, including video conferences and screen sharing. This 1-hour interview may focus on Econorthwest’s data systems, ETL pipelines, and SQL queries.

For data analyst roles, take-home assignments concerning product metrics, analytics, and data visualization may be included. Assessments on hypothesis testing, probability distributions, and machine learning fundamentals may also be a part of this round.

Depending on the seniority of the position, case studies and realistic scenario problems could be assigned.

Onsite Interview Rounds

After a follow-up call from the recruiter outlining the next steps, you’ll be invited to attend onsite interview loops. Multiple interview rounds, varying based on the role, will take place at the Econorthwest office. Your technical skills, such as programming and machine learning modeling capabilities, will be evaluated throughout these interviews.

If you were given take-home exercises, you might also need to present your solutions during the onsite interview for the Data Analyst role at Econorthwest.

Quick Tips For Econorthwest Data Analyst Interviews

Here are a few tips for acing your Econorthwest interview:

• Brush Up on Economic Concepts: Familiarize yourself with basic economic concepts and how they apply to public policy and applied economic analysis.
• Master Technical Skills: Ensure proficiency in Python and GIS/spatial analysis. Being familiar with web development and R will also be advantageous.
• Understand Data Sources: Have a good grasp of public data sources such as US Census Data, Bureau of Economic Analysis, and USDA Agricultural Statistics. Know their limitations and how they might affect your analysis.

Typically, interviews at Econorthwest vary by role and team, but commonly Data Analyst interviews follow a fairly standardized process across these question topics.

• How would you set up an A/B test for button color and position changes? A team wants to A/B test multiple changes in a sign-up funnel, such as changing a button from red to blue and/or moving it from the top to the bottom of the page. How would you set up this test?

• How would you forecast Facebook's revenue for the next year? You work on the revenue forecasting team at a company like Facebook. An executive asks you to forecast the company's revenue for the coming year. How would you approach this task?

• How would you determine if a redesigned email campaign led to an increase in conversion rates? An E-commerce store's new marketing manager redesigned the new-user email journey, and the conversion rate increased from 40% to 43%. However, the rate was 45% a few months prior. How would you investigate if the redesign caused the increase or if other factors were involved?

• How would you ensure data quality across different ETL platforms for PayPal's market research? PayPal partnered with a local survey platform for market research in Southern Africa, requiring data to be stored within each country's borders. How would you ensure data quality across various ETL pipelines, including those normalizing data through translation modules?

• How would you conduct an experiment to test Uber's new ETA range feature? A PM at Uber is considering displaying ETA as a range (e.g., 3-7 minutes) instead of a direct estimate (e.g., 5 minutes). How would you conduct this experiment and determine if the results are significant?

• Write a function min_distance to calculate the minimum absolute distance between two elements in an array and return all pairs with that difference. Given an array of integers, write a function min_distance to calculate the minimum absolute distance between two elements and return all pairs having that absolute difference. Ensure the pairs are returned in ascending order.

• Write a query to select the top five most expensive projects by budget to employee count ratio, accounting for duplicate rows. Given two tables, projects and employee_projects, write a query to select the top five most expensive projects by budget to employee count ratio. Account for duplicate rows in the employee_projects table.

• Write a function to simulate drawing balls from a jar. Write a function to simulate drawing balls from a jar. The colors of the balls are stored in a list named jar, with corresponding counts of the balls stored in the same index in a list called n_balls.

• Design three classes: text_editor, moving_text_editor, and smart_text_editor with specific functionalities. Design three classes: text_editor, moving_text_editor, and smart_text_editor. Each class should have specific functionalities such as writing, deleting, and special operations.

• Write a query to determine the top 5 actions performed during Thanksgiving week and rank them. Write a query to determine the top 5 actions performed during the week of Thanksgiving (11/22/2020 - 11/28/2020) and rank them based on the number of times performed. Include the action and their rank in ascending order.

• How would you explain what a p-value is to someone who is not technical? Explain the concept of a p-value in simple terms to a non-technical person, focusing on its role in determining the significance of results in statistical tests.

• What is the probability that it's actually raining in Seattle given your friends' responses? You call 3 friends in Seattle to ask if it's raining. Each has a 2/3 chance of telling the truth and a 1/3 chance of lying. All 3 say "Yes." Calculate the probability that it is actually raining.

• What is the probability of drawing three cards in increasing order from a shuffled deck of 500 cards? Imagine a deck of 500 cards numbered 1 to 500. If you pick three cards one at a time, calculate the probability that each subsequent card is larger than the previous one.

• How would you test if survey responses were filled at random by certain individuals? You have survey data from multiple-choice questions. Describe a method to test if some individuals filled out the survey randomly rather than truthfully.

• What is the probability of a biased coin landing heads exactly 5 times out of 6 tosses? Given a biased coin that lands heads 30% of the time, calculate the probability of getting heads exactly 5 times in 6 tosses.

• What kind of model did the co-worker develop for loan approval? Your co-worker developed a model that takes customer inputs and returns if a loan should be given or not. What kind of model is this?

• How would you compare two credit risk models for predicting loan defaults? Given that personal loans are monthly installments, how would you measure the difference between two credit risk models within a timeframe?

• What metrics would you track to measure the success of a new credit risk model? What metrics would you track to measure the success of a new model predicting loan defaults?

• When would you use a bagging algorithm versus a boosting algorithm? Compare two machine learning algorithms. In which case would you use a bagging algorithm versus a boosting algorithm? Provide an example of the tradeoffs between the two.

• How would you detect firearm listings on a marketplace? You are designing a marketplace where selling firearms is prohibited. How would you create a system to automatically detect if a listing is selling a gun?

• How would you design a model to map legal first names to nicknames? You need to generate a machine learning model that maps the legal first name of a person to likely nicknames. How would you design this model?

• How would you tackle multicollinearity in multiple linear regression? What steps would you take to address multicollinearity in multiple linear regression?

What is the average salary for a Data Analyst at Econorthwest?

Q: What is the role of a Data Analyst at ECONorthwest?

A: As a Data Analyst at ECONorthwest, you will support project managers and associates in tasks such as general and specific research assignments, data cleaning and analysis, creation of report components, and assisting with the creation of interactive visualizations or other web applications. Your responsibilities will include preparing sections of technical reports, conducting interviews, and summarizing information into tables and charts.

Q: What are the essential skills required for the Data Analyst position?

A: The required skills for the Data Analyst position include proficiency in Python and GIS/spatial analysis, knowledge of web development and R, and familiarity with public data sources like the U.S. Census data and Bureau of Economic Analysis. You should be able to write clearly about technical information and demonstrate strong analytical and research capabilities.

Q: What is the working environment and structure at ECONorthwest?

A: This position is a hybrid role based in either the Portland, Oregon or Seattle, Washington office. You will work in-person from Tuesday to Thursday and remotely on Monday and Friday. ECONorthwest provides a collaborative and respectful team environment, emphasizing high-quality analysis and effective project management.

Q: How can I prepare for the interview process at ECONorthwest?

A: To prepare for an interview at ECONorthwest, research the company's projects and values, practice common interview questions, and review technical skills relevant to the position. Utilizing resources like Interview Query can help you understand the types of questions and scenarios you may encounter during the interview process.

Q: What qualifications do I need to apply for the Data Analyst position?

A: You need a Bachelor's degree in economics, mathematics, computer science, planning, political science, environmental policy, or a related field. Strong writing and communication skills, and experience using quantitative, qualitative, or statistical methods are essential. An intellectual curiosity and a willingness to learn and adapt are also highly valued.

Are you ready to embark on a fulfilling career at Econorthwest, the Pacific Northwest's largest economic consulting firm? Dive deep into the world of applied economic analysis and social public policy as a Research Analyst. From data cleaning and analysis to creating interactive visualizations, the role promises a diverse array of tasks designed to hone your technical abilities and knowledge of economic concepts. This hybrid position, based in Portland or Seattle, offers the opportunity to work both remotely and in-person, fostering a balanced work environment.

If you're eager to make a meaningful impact and collaborate with a team dedicated to advancing equity through research and data justice, Econorthwest could be the perfect fit for you. For more insights about the company, check out our main Econorthwest Interview Guide, where we have covered many interview questions that could be asked. We’ve also created interview guides for other roles, such as software engineer and data analyst, where you can learn more about Econorthwest’s interview process for different positions.

At Interview Query, we empower you to unlock your interview prowess with a comprehensive toolkit, equipping you with the knowledge, confidence, and strategic guidance to tackle every Econorthwest Data Analyst interview question and challenge. You can check out all our company interview guides for better preparation, and if you have any questions, don’t hesitate to reach out to us.

Good luck with your interview!