In Silicon Valley, one thing is certain: the people who work for a startup have a lot to do with how well it does. I didn’t realize this when I started my first company, Shazam, in late 1999. The twenty people who made up our first team were mostly hired from within our network. I would describe them as top performers, and many of them have since gone on to start their own businesses. The next set of hires at Shazam came through traditional recruiting and interviewing. But this method didn’t let us tell the difference between the A players and the A players, which was important. One A software engineer, for example, can easily do the work of three A-level engineers, which I have seen for myself. After about six months on the job, we could tell if someone was “the best” or “great.” People who were just “good” would not be hired, and the outcome seemed like a random draw.
I put in for a job at Google in early 2005 after leaving my operational role at Shazam. I vividly remember being grilled by Susan Wojcicki, Sukhinder Singh, and Joan Braddi on their meteoric rise during the hiring process. There were also fifteen interviews and, most importantly, a huge amount of homework. I was asked to make a pitch deck for Google Video even though I didn’t know anything about the product or any of its plans. e. Google Video had yet to launch). I spent 30 hours putting it all together, but it was well worth it: I got the job, and funny enough, I had my pitch perfected before I even met with my first potential partner. Joining Google was beyond refreshing: every single one of my colleagues was smarter than me. I thought of myself as a marathon runner who had just joined an 8-minute/mile team. I had a lot of doubts about my abilities in the first three months. Google hires incredibly well, and this has been well-published over the last decade (e. g. everyone in the hiring team must be supportive, resumes get screened at the highest level, etc. ). For me, the big difference in how Google hires people was the homework assignment and how it was shown to the hiring team. It is hands down the best way to separate the best from the great. So, Github’s move into hiring isn’t a surprise: being able to read someone’s code is a roundabout way to grade their (home)work.
Here’s what makes a homework assignment superior to other interviewing techniques (including a few recent Tatari examples):
Ever since I left Google, I have religiously instilled homework in the interviewing process. First I worked at TrueCar as the third employee, and everyone since then has liked the homework. Then I worked at Rockmelt, where most of the team was already together, and now I’m at Tatari. It’s that easy! In just one year, Tatari went from having no customers to having more than twenty. The company has been profitable the whole time and is setting the standard for how people will buy and measure TV for decades to come. Our new hires may not have much experience with TV ads, but they more than make up for it with their intelligence and desire to learn. Most importantly, they are taking over more and more of my work, and they do it with more skill and surprise than I could have ever managed on my own.
Having said that, I will say that homework assignments have a flaw: they don’t work well with hiring. At Tatari, for example, we need to fill twenty roles at the company this year. That’s a lot of homework. To that extent, we recently started using a platform called interviewing. io for engineering hires. Candidates on interviewing. io are not screened based on resumes, but through practice, assignments, and interviews, all of it anonymous. It is a scalable, objective and reliable approach to identifying the top performers. I first got to know Aline, founder and CEO of interviewing. io, when I was trying to hire the best recruiter in the Silicon Valley. Since then, she has truly productized my preferred hiring process and the use of homework assignment. You can apply directly to Tatari or find them after the interviews if you want to work for the best company in the world. She has a great blog. io (and get some interviewing practice in at the same time).
Landing a job at Tatari is no easy feat. As a leading data-driven TV advertising platform Tatari only hires the best of the best. Their interview process is notoriously rigorous, with multiple rounds of technical and behavioral interviews.
But going in prepared can give you a huge advantage In this article, we’ll cover the top 15 Tatari interview questions you’re likely to encounter, along with tips on how to ace your responses With the right preparation, you’ll be ready to impress the hiring managers and join the Tatari team.
Overview of Tatari’s Hiring Process
Let’s start by understanding what to expect during the overall interview process at Tatari:
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Screening Call: 30-45 minute introductory video call with a recruiter or hiring manager. This is your chance to share your background, skills, and interest in the role.
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Technical Interview: 1-2 hour technical interview, often conducted in a pair programming format. Be ready to write SQL queries, Python code, analyze data sets, etc.
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Take-Home Assignment: A time-intensive assignment involving data analysis and coding, typically taking 10-12 hours. You’ll present your findings afterwards.
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Final Interviews: 2-3 rounds of 60-90 minute interviews with various team members, covering both technical and behavioral topics.
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Decision: The process ends with a final decision delivered 1-2 weeks after the final interview.
Now let’s dive into the 15 most common questions from across these interview stages.
15 Top Tatari Interview Questions
1. Walk me through your experience with TV advertising analytics and measurement.
Tatari wants to know you have relevant experience in TV analytics. Discuss past projects focused on performance tracking, optimization, and data-driven insights. Highlight any experience with multi-touch attribution and measurement methodologies. Conclude with the business impact you drove through analytics.
2. What do you find most interesting about our data-driven approach to TV advertising?
Show your passion for Tatari’s mission. Share why you find their use of data analytics to optimize TV ads compelling. Discuss any specific aspects that excite you, like attribution models or the ability to adjust campaigns in real-time.
3. How would you analyze audience viewing patterns to improve media buying?
Demonstrate analytical skills and strategic thinking. Explain how you’d leverage viewership data to gain audience insights. Discuss methods to segment audiences and identify high-value placements and timing strategies. Share examples of data-driven optimizations you’ve made in the past.
4. How have you used statistical models or algorithms in past projects?
Highlight your technical abilities, especially with statistics and machine learning. Share examples of developing predictive models, using clustering algorithms, etc. Explain your process of selecting the right techniques for each problem and translating models into business insights.
5. Tell me about a time you translated complex data into an impactful visualization.
Prove you can turn complex data into clear, actionable visuals for stakeholders. Discuss your process for determining the right visualization types based on the goal and audience. Share a specific example and the business impact it enabled.
6. If you could build any analytics tool to help optimize TV ads, what would you build?
Demonstrate creative thinking and knowledge of impactful analytics. Share an innovative idea for a tool that would provide unique optimization insights, like enhanced audience segmentation and targeting capabilities. Outline your logic and the potential business value it could drive.
7. How would you A/B test different TV ad campaigns?
Show strategic rigor by outlining an A/B testing framework for TV ads. Cover establishing hypotheses, selecting test variables, setting up test and control groups, tracking metrics, determining statistical significance, and iterating based on results.
8. How do you stay on top of the latest trends and technologies in digital media and advertising?
Prove you’re passionate about continuous learning in an evolving landscape. Share resources and activities to stay updated, like online courses, blogs, conferences, and experimenting with new tools. Give examples of recently implementing new knowledge at work.
9. Tell me about a time you faced a challenging client request. How did you handle it?
Demonstrate people skills critical for client-focused work. Outline a situation dealing with a difficult client need, balancing empathy, communication, expectations management, and upholding quality standards. Share the positive resolution.
10. Have you ever made a mistake that taught you something valuable?
Show honesty, accountability, and a growth mindset. Share a past mistake, the lesson you learned, and how you improved after. Keep it professional and focus on the learning rather than the mistake itself.
11. Why do you want to work at Tatari specifically?
Convey genuine passion for the company. Share aspects of their mission and culture that resonate with you. Highlight work you’ve done that aligns with their principles and the value you could add. Show you’ve done your research on them.
12. Where do you see your career in 5 years?
Demonstrate ambition and fit with the role and company trajectory. Share your vision for professional growth at Tatari. Highlight relevant skills you want to develop in the role and projects that excite you. Convey your commitment to the company’s success.
13. How do you approach working with team members with different skill sets or backgrounds?
Show people skills critical for a data science role. Discuss embracing diversity of thought and skill sets. Share examples of successfully collaborating across disciplines to drive better outcomes. Highlight adaptability in communication and collaborative styles.
14. How do you stay motivated when facing challenges on complex projects?
Convey resilience when tackling ambiguity and obstacles. Share tactics like focusing on users/clients, celebrating small wins, embracing failures as learning opportunities, and leveraging colleagues for new perspectives.
15. Do you have any questions for me about the role or Tatari?
Ask thoughtful questions that show preparation and interest. Inquire about the team structure, challenges of the role, Tatari’s biggest priorities this year, culture, professional development opportunities, etc. Avoid questions found on their website.
Final Tips for Tatari Interview Success
With preparation and practice, you’ll be ready to take on Tatari’s rigorous interview process. Here are a few final tips:
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Thoroughly research Tatari’s products, mission, culture, and team.
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Brush up on your technical skills with statistics, SQL, Python, data visualization, experiment design, etc.
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Prepare examples and stories that showcase your relevant experience and soft skills.
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Practice aloud to polish your responses and communication skills.
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Ask clarifying questions if you don’t understand a question. Show your thinking process.
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Convey passion for the space and working at an innovative company like Tatari.
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Send thank you notes to interviewers after the process.
By mastering these high-probability Tatari interview questions, highlighting the right experiences, and demonstrating your fit, you’ll be one step closer to joining this exciting, fast-paced team. With rigorous preparation, you can rise to the challenge and stand out from the competition. Best of luck with your Tatari interview!
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Top 10+ Data Engineer Interview Questions and Answers
FAQ
What is the selection process of Tata Technologies?
