Zayo Group offers communications infrastructure services, including high-capacity dark fiber, wavelength, and IP services and a suite of colocation and cloud infrastructure solutions. Headquartered in Boulder, Colorado, Zayo Group has a significant presence in North America and Europe, supporting a diverse range of customers from enterprises to global telecommunications carriers.

Joining Zayo Group as a Data Engineer entails leveraging your skills in data integration, ETL processes, database management, and data analytics to support the company’s initiatives in network infrastructure and data services. This role is crucial to maintaining and optimizing the company’s data architecture, ensuring efficiency and scalability.

This guide, brought to you by Interview Query, will walk you through the interview process for the Data Engineer position at Zayo Group. We will cover common interview questions, expected technical challenges, and tips to help you succeed. Let's dive in!

Submitting Your Application

The first step is to submit a compelling application that reflects your technical skills and interest in joining Zayo Group as a Data Engineer. Whether you were contacted by a Zayo recruiter or have taken the initiative yourself, carefully review the job description and tailor your CV according to 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. Furthermore, don’t forget to highlight relevant skills and mention your work experiences.

Recruiter/Hiring Manager Call Screening

If your CV happens to be among the shortlisted few, a recruiter from the Zayo Talent Acquisition Team will make contact and verify key details like your experiences and skill level. Behavioral questions may also be a part of the screening process.

In some cases, the Zayo data engineer hiring manager stays present during the screening round to answer your queries about the role and the company itself. They may also indulge in surface-level technical and behavioral discussions.

The whole recruiter call should take about 30 minutes.

Technical Virtual Interview

Successfully navigating the recruiter round will present you with an invitation for the technical screening round. Technical screening for the Zayo data engineer role usually is conducted through virtual means, including video conference and screen sharing. Questions in this 1-hour long interview stage may revolve around Zayo’s data systems, ETL pipelines, and SQL queries.

In the case of data engineer roles, take-home assignments regarding data pipeline design, data warehousing, and data integration tasks are incorporated. Apart from these, your proficiency against programming in Python or Scala, as well as your understanding of big data technologies like Apache Spark, may also be assessed during the round.

Depending on the seniority of the position, case studies and similar real-scenario problems may also be assigned.

Onsite Interview Rounds

Followed by a second recruiter call outlining the next stage, you’ll be invited to attend the onsite interview loop. Multiple interview rounds, varying with the role, will be conducted during your day at the Zayo office. Your technical prowess, including programming and data integration capabilities, will be evaluated against the finalized candidates throughout these interviews.

If you were assigned take-home exercises, a presentation round may also await you during the onsite interview for the data engineer role at Zayo.

Quick Tips For Zayo Data Engineer Interviews

• Be Proficient in Big Data Technologies: Make sure you are well-versed with technologies such as Apache Spark, Hadoop, and data warehousing solutions, as technical questions will likely cover these areas.
• Emphasize ETL and Data Engineering Skills: Showcase your experiences with building and maintaining ETL pipelines, and how you have optimized data processes.
• Understand Zayo’s Business Model: Familiarize yourself with Zayo’s core services and how data engineering plays a role in their business. This will help you better align your answers to the company’s needs and objectives.

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

• How would you use data to convince a fast-food franchise to purchase another custom Snapchat filter? Snapchat partnered with a fast-food franchise to create a custom filter available for a week. How would you use data from this campaign to persuade the franchise to buy another custom filter this year?

• Write a function missing_number to find the missing number in an array of integers. You have an array of integers, nums of length n spanning 0 to n with one missing. Write a function missing_number that returns the missing number in the array.

• Create a function first_uniq_char to find the first non-repeating character in a string and return its index. Given a string, find the first non-repeating character in it and return its index. If it doesn't exist, return -1.

• Develop a function inject_frequency to add the frequency of each character in a string after each character. Given a string sentence, return the same string with an addendum after each character of the number of occurrences a character appeared in the sentence. Do not treat spaces as characters and exclude characters in the discard_list.

• Create a query to find the number of rows resulting from different joins between ads and top_ads. Allstate is running N online ads. Create a subquery or common table expression named top_ads containing the top 3 ads by popularity and return the number of rows resulting from INNER JOIN, LEFT JOIN, RIGHT JOIN, and CROSS JOIN operations.

• 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 someone without a technical background.

• What is the difference between Logistic and Linear Regression? When would you use one instead of the other in practice? Describe the differences between Logistic and Linear Regression and provide practical examples of when to use each method.

• How would you build a fraud detection model with a text messaging service for transaction approval? You work at a bank that wants to detect fraud on its platform. The bank also wants to implement a text messaging service that will notify customers when a fraudulent transaction is detected, allowing them to approve or deny the transaction via text response. How would you build this model?

• What is the difference between Logistic and Linear Regression, and when would you use each? Explain the differences between Logistic Regression and Linear Regression. Describe scenarios where one would be more appropriate to use than the other in practice.

• What does the backpropagation algorithm do in neural networks, and what is its intuition? Describe the role of the backpropagation algorithm in neural networks. Provide an informal intuition behind the algorithm and discuss some drawbacks compared to other optimization methods. Bonus: Formally derive the backpropagation algorithm and prove its claims.

What is the average salary for a Data Engineer at Zayo Group?

Q: What is the interview process like at Zayo Group for a Data Engineer position?

A: The interview process at Zayo Group typically includes an initial phone screening with HR, followed by one or more technical interviews. These may involve coding challenges, data engineering problems, and discussions about your past project experiences. The final stage often involves an onsite interview to assess both technical skills and cultural fit.

Q: What skills are required for a Data Engineer role at Zayo Group?

A: You will need a strong foundation in SQL, ETL processes, data warehousing, and experience with tools like Hadoop and Spark. Proficiency in programming languages such as Python or Java, as well as familiarity with cloud platforms like AWS, is highly desirable. Strong problem-solving abilities and the ability to work well in a team are also essential.

Q: How is the company culture at Zayo Group?

A: Zayo Group fosters a collaborative and innovative company culture. There is a strong emphasis on continuous learning, work-life balance, and inclusivity. Employees are encouraged to take initiatives and contribute to both individual and team success.

Q: What types of projects do Data Engineers work on at Zayo Group?

A: Data Engineers at Zayo Group work on a variety of projects ranging from optimizing data pipelines to managing large-scale data warehouses. They are involved in building scalable data solutions, integrating data from various sources, and supporting different business units with their data needs.

Q: How can I prepare for an interview at Zayo Group for a Data Engineer position?

A: To prepare for an interview at Zayo Group, you should thoroughly review your technical skills, especially in SQL, ETL processes, and data warehousing. Practicing coding problems on Interview Query can be extremely beneficial. Be ready to discuss your previous work experiences and how they relate to the role you're applying for at Zayo Group.

Ready to take the leap and become a part of Zayo Group as a Data Engineer? Comprehensive preparation is your key to success! Start by diving into our Zayo Group Interview Guide, where we've meticulously compiled a variety of interview questions that you might encounter. Additionally, explore other roles such as software engineer and data analyst to get a holistic understanding of Zayo Group's interview process.

At Interview Query, we lay the foundation for your interview journey, providing you with the ultimate toolkit to excel. Equip yourself with the knowledge, confidence, and strategic insight needed to face any data engineering interview challenge at Zayo Group.

Discover more by checking out all our company interview guides to prepare better, and feel free to reach out to us with any questions.

Good luck with your interview!