- 28 minutes ago
Learn what hiring managers look for at every stage of the interview process, from the first resume scan to the final conversation. A former analytics manager explains how recruiters screen candidates, why matching your resume to the job description matters, and how to present relevant SQL, Excel, Python, and other data analyst skills.
The discussion follows the hiring journey from recruiter calls and experience checks to interviews focused on technical qualifications, domain knowledge, communication, motivation, and team fit. You’ll also hear why researching the company and preparing thoughtful questions can strengthen your interview.
This career advice and interview preparation guide is for aspiring data analysts, career changers, and job seekers preparing for recruiter screenings or hiring manager interviews. Find practical guidance on data analyst resumes, interview questions, soft skills, and how to improve your chances in the analytics job search.
The discussion follows the hiring journey from recruiter calls and experience checks to interviews focused on technical qualifications, domain knowledge, communication, motivation, and team fit. You’ll also hear why researching the company and preparing thoughtful questions can strengthen your interview.
This career advice and interview preparation guide is for aspiring data analysts, career changers, and job seekers preparing for recruiter screenings or hiring manager interviews. Find practical guidance on data analyst resumes, interview questions, soft skills, and how to improve your chances in the analytics job search.
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00:00What's going on, everybody?
00:01Welcome back to another video.
00:02Today, we're gonna be talking about
00:04what hiring managers are actually looking for.
00:12Now, we're gonna be covering a lot in this video,
00:14basically the entire interview process,
00:16but mostly from the hiring manager's perspective.
00:18Back when I was an analytics manager,
00:20I was the hiring manager myself,
00:21but even before that, I was on a hiring team.
00:24And so I was the one who conducted the technical interview.
00:27So I was actually, you know, asking the person, you know,
00:29here's some questions on SQL, tell us what you know,
00:31kind of digging in to see if their technical skills
00:34were good enough to be on our team.
00:36All that being said, I have a pretty good understanding
00:37of how this entire process works.
00:39And I wanna share with you from a hiring manager's perspective
00:42exactly what they're looking for.
00:43So let's start at the very beginning of the process
00:45when a candidate sends in their resume to try to get a job.
00:49Now, to give you a little bit of context to how this works
00:51before I get into what a hiring manager is looking for,
00:54usually a larger company or even a mid-sized company
00:57is gonna use a recruiting service
00:58in order to filter through a lot of those jobs.
01:01Now, it doesn't happen everywhere.
01:03I used to work for a nonprofit where we did not do that.
01:05We would just actually sift through all the resumes ourself.
01:08But for most of these companies,
01:09they are using a recruiting service
01:11that uses some type of automated system
01:13to filter through a lot of these resumes
01:15and applications that they get,
01:17just to make sure that they have the basic requirements
01:19of what they're looking for.
01:20That just means that they scan your resume,
01:22they look for specific keywords or parameters
01:24that the client or the hiring manager is looking for.
01:27If you have that, you go into the next stage.
01:29And if you don't, they usually just kick your resume out.
01:31So what are some of these keywords and parameters
01:33that hiring managers are looking for?
01:35Well, it's gonna be very dependent on the actual job itself.
01:39A really big tip to you is to go and look
01:41at the job description.
01:42See exactly what they're wanting.
01:44Are they wanting SQL, Excel, Power BI, some cloud platform?
01:47You know, what is it that they want?
01:49And so those are typically the things
01:51that they're gonna be searching for
01:52when they actually scan that resume.
01:54Now, up till now, a hiring manager typically
01:56has not looked at your resume
01:57and they also have not talked to you yet.
01:59So you've just applied, it's kind of scanned through,
02:01you've gone on to the next round
02:02with your actual just resume or application.
02:05And now most likely a recruiter is going to call you
02:08to do a vetting process.
02:09When I was a hiring manager
02:11and working with a recruiting company,
02:12I would tell them exactly what I need
02:14for a minimum qualification.
02:16And typically that's what the recruiter's gonna ask you.
02:18They're gonna say, okay,
02:19do you at least have some experience in this domain?
02:21Do you know SQL?
02:22Do you know this or that?
02:23And then if you do know those things,
02:25then they're gonna send your resume over
02:27to the hiring manager.
02:28Now, I know this whole video
02:29is what a hiring manager is looking for,
02:31and I'm gonna get to a ton of that in just a little bit,
02:33but to give you a little bit more context
02:35about the application process,
02:37the recruiting call is actually pretty important.
02:39The recruiter usually works directly
02:40with the hiring manager,
02:41so there is some type of relationship there.
02:43And if the recruiter gets a really good feeling
02:45or vibe from a certain applicant,
02:47they're gonna tell that to the hiring manager.
02:49So knowing what that recruiter's gonna ask
02:50and what they're looking for is really important
02:52because that may get back
02:53to the hiring manager as well.
02:55So with that first call with the recruiter,
02:57they're gonna do many things.
02:58The first thing is they're just gonna tell you
02:59about the position.
03:00They're gonna explain more about it
03:02and just make sure that that is what you're looking for.
03:04Otherwise, they don't wanna waste the next 30 minutes
03:06talking to you more about a position
03:07that isn't a good fit for you in the first place.
03:10Then they're gonna ask you more about your qualifications
03:12and your experience.
03:13And typically they'll have your resume
03:14right there in front of them and they'll say,
03:16I see that you work for this company now.
03:18Can you tell me more about that?
03:19This is when they're kind of trying to dig in
03:21just a little bit more.
03:22Is this person actually a good fit?
03:24Do they have the experience that we're looking for?
03:26Does this person have the bare minimum requirements
03:28that my client or the hiring manager wants?
03:31And then lastly, they may also ask you some questions
03:34about what kind of culture you like.
03:35Do you like a fast paced environment?
03:37Do you like working from home?
03:39Do you mind being in person?
03:40You know, these types of things
03:42that are pretty important for you.
03:44And so that's the time for you to say,
03:46no, I don't mind working in person or nope.
03:48I absolutely want a remote position.
03:51These are the things that you should talk
03:52to the recruiter about because if you want
03:54a fully remote position and this job is only in person,
03:57that's not gonna be a good fit.
03:58And so again, they're just trying to vet you out,
04:01make sure that you're a good fit overall
04:03for all the things that the hiring manager wants.
04:05Now, if you pass all these things,
04:07that's when they're gonna hand your resume off
04:09to the hiring manager, give them some feedback
04:11and some initial thoughts from that initial call.
04:14And then they can determine if they wanna bring you in
04:17for an interview.
04:18So now we're gonna really dig into what the hiring manager
04:20themselves are looking for.
04:22And this is when they actually have your resume in hand
04:24or on a computer and they can look at it.
04:27So what do they actually want to see?
04:29Now it is dependent on the level of role
04:30they are hiring for.
04:31Is it an entry-level job, a mid-level, senior or lead?
04:34It's very dependent because if it's just an entry-level job,
04:38typically they're just looking for a few key skills
04:40and they're not looking for a lot of experience.
04:42You could be right out of college even.
04:44But if they're hiring for a mid or a senior level role,
04:47they're gonna be looking for at least two years of experience
04:49or more, and then a few years of experience
04:51in that domain that they have.
04:53So for the sake of being very specific
04:55and not talking in generalities,
04:57I wanna pretend that I'm the hiring manager
04:58and I have your resume in front of me
05:00and you've taken my data analyst bootcamp.
05:02So you have all the skills in the bootcamp
05:04and you don't have any experience.
05:05And I'm hiring for an entry-level role
05:07as a data analyst at our company.
05:09Now our company or our fake company,
05:12we use SQL, we use Azure, we use Databricks,
05:15we use a little bit of Power BI,
05:16but we have other roles that use it more.
05:18And then we use Excel.
05:19So a lot of Microsoft applications,
05:21as well as a few others like Python and a few other things.
05:24Now we've put all of these things in the job description.
05:27So we want somebody who has all of these things,
05:29but realistically we understand
05:31that not everybody's gonna have all of them.
05:33The ones that are really important for us
05:35is somebody who has really good SQL experience,
05:37who just understands databases,
05:39and then someone who's really good at Excel.
05:41For all those other skills,
05:42most likely we'll just train them
05:44because things like Azure,
05:45most beginner level people won't have used.
05:47So when I'm looking at your resume,
05:49I'm also looking at seven to 10 other resumes,
05:52determining which ones I wanna bring in for in-person
05:54or over the phone interviews.
05:56So when I'm looking at your resume,
05:58I'm looking for just the key characteristics
05:59of what I'm looking for before I bring you in.
06:01So I'm gonna take a look at this resume.
06:03I'm gonna say, okay, yep.
06:04Looks like they have experience in SQL.
06:06Looks like they have some Python knowledge.
06:08That's great.
06:09Oh, Tableau project.
06:10That's really cool.
06:11They don't have any experience,
06:12but they did some internships and that makes sense
06:14because they just graduated college.
06:16And it looks like they have some projects and a portfolio.
06:19All of those things looked really good.
06:20I got good feedback from the recruiter.
06:21So we're gonna bring that person in
06:23and I'm gonna talk to them myself.
06:24Now that was just for an entry level role.
06:26And they might also look for a specific degree as well.
06:29So if you're in healthcare,
06:30they might want somebody who has a healthcare background.
06:33So those are some things to just be aware of,
06:36but that was just for an entry level role.
06:38What about a mid-level or a senior level role?
06:40Well, what I will say is that typically,
06:42they're gonna be a little bit more difficult
06:44on those resumes.
06:46They're gonna really look at them and say, okay,
06:47do they have domain experience in this domain?
06:50Do they have at least three to five years experience
06:53in this skill?
06:54This is because they don't wanna hire an entry level analyst
06:56or the skills of an entry level analyst
06:58when they need a senior level analyst.
07:00It's completely different.
07:01So that's mainly what they're gonna look at in your resume.
07:04They just wanna make sure that you have the experience
07:06that you need, if any,
07:07and that you have the skills that they need as well.
07:10Let's say you have most of what the hiring manager
07:11is looking for.
07:12The hiring manager is gonna tell the recruiter,
07:14they're gonna say, hey, I really like this person.
07:16I wanna get them in for an interview.
07:18Can you schedule a call?
07:19Here's my schedule.
07:20You know, just book the 30-minute slot
07:22any time that I have 30 minutes available.
07:24Up until now, it's been mostly about hard skills
07:26and experience, but the in-person interviews,
07:29the hiring manager is gonna look a lot
07:31at these soft skills as well.
07:32Now, the hiring manager is typically gonna bring in
07:34anywhere from three to five applicants,
07:36and it's just gonna talk with them,
07:38get to know a little bit more about them,
07:40assess their experience, their skills,
07:42and just kind of talk them through with these things,
07:43as well as let them know a lot more about the position
07:46and a little bit more about what their company has to offer.
07:49Now, one thing I wanna note is that the recruiter call
07:51is actually really similar typically
07:53to the actual call with the hiring manager,
07:55because remember, the hiring manager was talking
07:58with the recruiter saying, here's what I want you to ask,
08:00here's what I want you to vet for.
08:02So if the recruiter was asking about a specific skill
08:04or experience, maybe you want to research that a little bit
08:07before you actually talk with the hiring manager.
08:09Now, the hiring manager, of course,
08:11is gonna ask you more about your skills,
08:12your experience, the things that you're brought in to do,
08:15but they're also gonna be assessing your personal skills,
08:18if you have a good personality,
08:20because they're gonna be working with you.
08:21That's important, that was really important to me.
08:24I personally did not like working
08:25with kind of negative people or super boring people.
08:28I typically liked more outgoing, happy people.
08:31Those are the people that I gravitated to
08:33when I was doing the interviews.
08:35I was like, okay, this person I really vibe with,
08:37they have the skills we're looking for,
08:39they may not have all the skills that that person had,
08:41but that person was a killjoy.
08:44Like I would never wanna work with that person.
08:46So like in complete honesty, that's how I looked at it.
08:49And I've talked with a ton of other hiring managers as well.
08:52And they have said very similar things.
08:54Now, in some instances,
08:55the hiring manager themselves might be a killjoy
08:57or a Debbie Downer, whatever you wanna say.
08:59They may not be a fun person to work with.
09:01So the hiring manager might not care at all
09:04about your personality.
09:05They just wanna know if you have the skills to do the job.
09:08And you know, that happens.
09:10I've been in interviews like that where I was the interviewee
09:13and I was like, this job sounds terrible
09:16and I don't wanna work here.
09:17And so that really does happen.
09:19But from a hiring manager's perspective,
09:21they really are looking for, you know, what they want.
09:24They're looking for the skills.
09:25They're looking for the personality.
09:27They're looking for a good fit for their team.
09:29One other thing that a hiring manager is gonna look for,
09:32either conscious or subconscious,
09:33is somebody who's motivated.
09:35Somebody who really wants to come in
09:36and learn and work hard.
09:38And you know, they wanna have fun.
09:41They wanna enjoy the job.
09:42And whether that's fair or not,
09:44that is just the truth, right?
09:46You could be in a data analyst position
09:48where it's the most boring job in the world
09:50and they still wanna hear that you're motivated
09:53to do the job.
09:54It could be like a terrible company
09:56or a boring company or whatever.
09:58They just wanna know that, you know,
10:00you're excited for this position.
10:01That makes a big difference.
10:03I know for myself, I tended to gravitate towards those,
10:07you know, applicants who are really excited
10:09to work for this job.
10:10And yes, I know that, you know, you work to make money.
10:13I'm aware of that.
10:14You're aware of that.
10:15But I wanted to work with somebody who was happy to be around,
10:18who was a joy to be around.
10:20And, you know, maybe I was a little bit selfish on my part,
10:22but again, that's what a lot of hiring managers do.
10:25They tend to gravitate towards the people
10:27who are a lot more motivated.
10:28And even if one applicant has less technical skills,
10:31but has a really good personality,
10:32a really good drive and ambition to be in that job,
10:36they may choose that person over somebody
10:38who has more technical skills based off their personality
10:41or based off of, you know, how motivated they are.
10:43Those things do play a big part.
10:45That's where those soft skills are really, really important.
10:48And actually I was just checking my notes.
10:50There's one other thing I wanted to mention,
10:51which is, you know, typically if you make it
10:53to the hiring manager round, they wanna make sure
10:55you actually know a little bit about that company.
10:58I have been in interviews where I knew nothing
11:00about that company and they're like,
11:01hey, so what do you know about the company?
11:03I was like, you guys do healthcare stuff, right?
11:06And they're like, yes, do you know anything else about us?
11:09And I didn't, and it was horrible.
11:11And I really quickly learned that I needed
11:13to kind of research that company beforehand.
11:15So don't be like me early on in my career.
11:17You need to research the company.
11:19Just learn a little bit about what they do,
11:20what kind of data they might work with,
11:22what domain they're in.
11:23As a hiring manager, that is a really good sign.
11:26It's saying, okay, this person is really interested
11:28in this job because they're looking up their company.
11:31They're seeing what they do.
11:33And I'm also looking to see,
11:34are you asking questions about the company?
11:36Are you asking questions about what we do,
11:38how we do things?
11:40All goes back to just personality fit, motivation,
11:43a lot of those soft skills.
11:44I think personally that these soft skills
11:46play a much bigger part in the actual hiring process
11:49than the hard skills do.
11:51Of course, those hard skills are super, super important.
11:53But when you get to the hiring manager stage,
11:55they already know that you have the hard skills.
11:57That's not a big deal anymore.
11:59Now they're really seeing, are you a good fit?
12:01After that, you may have one or two other interviews
12:03and the hiring manager may be there or not,
12:05but that is what the hiring manager is looking for.
12:08So don't go into your interviews like completely blank,
12:12not knowing what to do, not knowing what to expect.
12:14In this video, I've kind of broken down everything
12:16that you should be looking for and thinking about
12:18before you actually get into that interview.
12:21So just to recap really fast, on your resume,
12:23you need to have some keywords
12:25that are in that job description
12:27because they're gonna go through that automated process.
12:29You need to have a really good call with the recruiter,
12:32make sure it's a good fit, but also, you know,
12:34really try to sell yourself in that recruiter call
12:36because they're gonna talk with the hiring manager
12:38most likely.
12:39The hiring manager is really gonna be focused on
12:41do they have the right skills that we're looking for?
12:43Do they have the experience and domain knowledge
12:45that we're looking for?
12:46Then when you get into the interview,
12:48it's a lot of soft skills.
12:49They already know that you have a lot of the hard skills
12:51that they're looking for.
12:52Although sometimes there could be some miscommunication
12:55between the resume and what you actually meant,
12:57and they can kind of vet that out themselves.
12:59But most of the time they're looking for a really good fit
13:02with skills, experience, and those soft skills
13:05and culture fit.
13:06Applying and going through that interview process
13:08is really difficult.
13:09I've been through it way too many times.
13:11So I know how hard it is,
13:13but I hope that these things can really help you prepare
13:16and be really ready for your next interview
13:18so that you can just nail it
13:19and you can really do super well.
13:21With that being said,
13:22thank you guys so much for watching.
13:23I really appreciate it.
13:25If you liked this video,
13:26be sure to like and subscribe below,
13:28and I'll see you in the next video.
13:29Bye.
13:31Bye.
13:35Bye.
13:38Bye.