Application process for Data Science Intern at Spotify

Online Application

You will be asked to submit your CV and answer very short questions based on your education and previous experiences.

Expect a 1 to 2-month wait before progressing to the next stage.

Virtual Interview

This interview is very technical and focuses on your ability to solve problems using SQL and Python. Oluwakorede suggested that this style of technical interview was themed around a software engineering role, despite him applying for a data analyst role.

This stage took approximately 1 hour and consisted of data handling. You will be asked to complete a live coding session which will take around 25 minutes to complete. During this session you are encouraged by your interviewer to ask for help, use google and any resources you wish. Spotify does this because their attitude is that in the role itself as an employee you will have these resources available anyway.

The second stage of the interview is more theoretical where the interviewer will ask you questions on a problem with statistics with missing context, asking you to provide a practical solution which can be delivered as a team.

Example task

The live coding session will ask you to work with PANDAs, data related questions where you were asked to arrange data into columns, applying filters and using SQL in Python. Another example you could be given is joining 2 databases together without any missing or broken information.

How to respond for success

Oluwakorede recommended practicing a lot more for the technical interview. What surprised him was that Spotify requires you to use SQL inside of Python. For this you can use many resources on YouTube and practice exams to help you become more efficient in your problem solving. Spotify is only focusing on your problem solving skills and the way you code. Practically coding before your interviews will boost your chances of getting to the next stage.

Expect a 2 to 3-week wait before progressing to the next stage.

Final Interview

This style of interview was much more behavioural and is hosted by your future manager. For Oluwakorede, this was a manager from the Data science division at Spotify. This stage will take approximately 1 hour to complete.

Example task

In this interview, a typical question that could come up would be “Describe a time where you demonstrated leadership in a project” or “What would you do in a situation where you had to give feedback to one of your team members”.

How to respond for success

Oluwakorede suggested actually having personal project experience. He has worked on many experiences during university, such as working on team projects, developing software and volunteering in competitions. Linking these experiences from your resume to your interviews is essential when providing a consistent impression on your interviewers.

Expect a 1-week wait before receiving your offer
Full process available
You'll get a detailed description of the final stages of this application
Full process available
You'll get first hand advice about habits for success and work culture.

Final Interview

This style of interview was much more behavioural and is hosted by your future manager. For Oluwakorede, this was a manager from the Data science division at Spotify. This stage will take approximately 1 hour to complete.

Example task

In this interview, a typical question that could come up would be “Describe a time where you demonstrated leadership in a project” or “What would you do in a situation where you had to give feedback to one of your team members”.

How to respond for success

Oluwakorede suggested actually having personal project experience. He has worked on many experiences during university, such as working on team projects, developing software and volunteering in competitions. Linking these experiences from your resume to your interviews is essential when providing a consistent impression on your interviewers.

Expect a 1-week wait before receiving your offer
Full process available
You'll get a detailed description of the final stages of this application
Full advice available
You'll get first hand advice about habits for success and work culture.
Application Stages
Day in the life
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