Our Application Process
Recruiting Events
Find out if HDAG is the right fit for you. Attend our recruiting events that we hold in the first week or so of the semester where you can learn about what we do, what it’s like to be a part of HDAG, what sorts of projects we work on, what types of skills you learn to cultivate here, and talk to and hear from current members about their experience. We have variety of different events, from large group info sessions to personal 1-on-1 coffee chats (on us!) with our board members to connect and learn more. Keep an eye out for information about the timing and location of our events on our Instagram, mailing list, and the Apply page, and what’s even better, expect lots of free food and free merch at these events.
Resume Drop
Once you’ve attended some recruiting events and decided that you want to give us a shot — amazing! We’re so glad to have you. The next step is easy and simple with little work on your end: just leave your resume with us! We’ll screen through your resume to determine if you’d be a good fit and get back to you on if you get a first round interview with us.
First Round Interview
After your resume passes through the screening, we’ll give you the option of finding a time that works best for you over the span of two days. The order of your interview plays no role in how we consider you as a candidate. During your first round interview, we’ll ask you a few background and behavioral questions over the span of twenty minutes.
We’re looking for a holistic sense of who you are as a person—whether that’s as an athlete, teammate, student, entrepreneur, musician, researcher, or more. We want to understand your previous personal experiences across disciplines and your passions and motivations for why you want to try out data science consulting, how you contribute to collaborative settings, and how you envision yourself fitting into one of our case teams at HDAG.
Take Home Deliverable
Upon passing the first round interview, you will be given a take-home code notebook where you will be asked to complete rudimentary Python exercises and address certain open-ended questions with a dataset that is given to you. You are free to explore and analyze this data as you wish to best answer the questions posed. This take-home deliverable allows your technical skills to shine that you will be using at HDAG. Please don’t worry if you are less familiar with Python or data science; the task at hand is usually doable with entry-level skill by doing a bit of browsing and searching on the Internet. We also do not expect you to already be extremely comfortable with these technologies, rather, this is a place to exhibit your existing skills should you have any, but more importantly, to show your willingness to learn and critical thinking skills that allow you to consider the problem posed from a variety of perspectives and considerations.
Final Round Interview
During the final round interview, you are expected to present the slides you have prepared while working with the dataset and open-ended prompts we gave you. We will ask you follow-up questions, and ask you to defend your decisions. Above all, we look for a clear and concise thread of logical thinking that cleverly addresses one of the open-ended prompts we provided and has great potential for making full use of the dataset to glean informative insights and the manner in which you are able to clearly present this process to us.