Failed Data Science Interviews? Deal with Rejections for Data Scientists

If you prefer watching instead of reading, check out the video I made on this topic here: https://youtu.be/r7zOPOJ-w84

How do you stay motivated, even after failing interviews? What if you’ve been rejected by your dream company?

Over the years I’ve spent working with clients and students, I have seen many people become discouraged after failing to get interviews, or after failing the interviews they did secure. I’ve even witnessed people give up because of failures like these.

I don’t want you to be next.

My Own Experience with Failure

First, some context for you. I have experienced a ton of failures in my own job search. I have failed to get interviews after submitting literally hundreds of applications, and I have failed dozens of the interviews - both technical and non-technical - that I did secure. Some of you may also know that I was laid off in 2019, after receiving one of the best performance reviews I’ve ever had. You may also know that I went on to receive multiple data scientist job offers. However, the fact is that I have failed significantly more interviews than I have aced, probably up to three or four times more. So, even though I ended up eventually joining my dream company, I experienced quite a few failures along the way.

When it comes to my journey from becoming a data scientist, to shifting into content creation, and then career coaching, I’ve received my fair share of failure and criticism here too. This has ranged from people criticizing how much insider information I choose to share about data science interviews, to comments about my content being too high-level, and not practical enough, to strangers questioning my intentions in creating content in the first place.

I’ll level with you; some criticism stings! I’ve considered quitting many times. I even considered not creating videos anymore. I told myself over and over that, “I’m not built for this career,” “I don’t have strong enough communication skills,” and that, “I don’t feel comfortable enough in front of a camera.”

And yet, here I am. Plainly put, I won’t let other people’s criticism impact my passion, and at the end of the day, I know what I really want to do with my life. I believe everyone deserves their dream job, and I want to help you achieve your career aspirations. The failures I have experienced are a large part of why I continue making videos, too! I firmly believe that sharing what I have learned the hard way will make your job search easier, and more productive.

Come to Peace with Failure

I’ve come up with two helpful tips on how to properly internalize helpful feedback, and build confidence. Before we dive into them, I want to tell anyone struggling with confidence issues that rejection and failure are not only common in the data science space, and larger tech industry, they are mandatory! Everyone experiences failure in one form or another. We all struggle with thoughts of self-doubt, and that can extend beyond interviews. You may begin doubting your skills, then your career choice, and even your personality. But you can overcome these, and I hope the tips I’m about to share with you will help you do that, too.

Tip #1: There is No Failure, Only More Data

This mindset shift can alter the way you view failure. It is in your power to adopt a helpful mindset during the interview process, and that is, “there is no failure, only more data.” Throughout your job search process, adopt the mindset of a data scientist. This means you need to look at the problem analytically: you are not failing or passing interviews, you are gathering data.

The more practice you do, the more data you gather, which will tell you exactly where you need to improve. You can use feedback from your failures to make improvements. This entire interview process isn’t just about getting a yes. It’s about learning. If you treat every interview as a learning opportunity, you will no doubt improve your interview skills.

With this viewpoint, it won’t matter how many unsuccessful interviews you have. Each interview becomes a valuable learning experience that may help you achieve your goals later. You’ll know you’re on the right track when you begin to view interviews as a learning process instead of win/lose situations.

It’s important to note that you don’t have to only use this tip when interviewing. It’s a great way to look at other aspects of life as well! It took me some time to adopt this mindset myself, but since I have, it has resulted in so many positive impacts on my career, and life in general. The moment you fully adopt it, you will have a very different perspective on failure and feedback.

Tip #2: Learn from Constructive Feedback

One opportunity to receive constructive feedback appears after interviewing with a company, and receiving a final result - whether they want to move forward with you or not. This is an excellent chance to directly ask for feedback regarding their decision.

Learning from feedback is important, but listening to everything can be draining and even soul-crushing. This leads us to my second tip, which is to ignore the noise and only learn from constructive feedback. Focus on internalizing constructive feedback, and filter out unhelpful feedback. Filtering out unhelpful feedback will help you stay sane, and confident while you work to improve your abilities.

How do you tell the difference between constructive and non-constructive feedback? What exactly is constructive feedback?

Constructive feedback is generally something that you have some amount of control over, such as improving technical skills or soft skills. This is opposed to unconstructive feedback, which includes aspects of your situation that you are powerless to change.

For example, if you are told that your A/B testing knowledge wasn't strong enough, or the company is looking for candidates with stronger communication skills, these are actionable tips. However, if you are told that the company is cutting its budget, and there’s no longer a headcount for your position, then it is best to adopt a different mentality, and ignore the result.

How to Get Good Feedback

Not all feedback is good feedback, which is why I highly recommend focusing on collecting useful feedback from mock interviews to give yourself the best chance at succeeding during your real interviews.

Mock interviews are low-stakes opportunities to receive quality feedback so you can learn specifically where to improve. Ask for detailed feedback from your mock interview partners, and take note of any recurring themes or notes that appear in multiple trials. Create a detailed action plan to ensure that you follow through with working on improvements. Leave behind any hurtful comments or unconstructive feedback along the way.

We all experience failure in our lives. What matters most is how we respond to, and learn from, that failure that makes all the difference!

Summary

First, remember that your failures don’t define you. Just because you didn’t do well in one interview, or didn’t land the job that you wanted doesn’t make you a failure. Don’t let these temporary setbacks stop you. As you work through both mock and real interviews, remember to learn from your mistakes, but don’t let them own you, and don’t internalize failure. Next, remember that the feedback you do internalize should involve factors upon which you can actually improve. Finally, remember that failure can be a wonderful learning tool. It’s not the end if you don’t let it be. If you work to view your failures as more data from which you can learn, you just might change your outlook on life.