OnDeck Data Scientist Interview Questions
& Process

I applied online and a recruiter got back to me really quickly. We had a brief call, and then they scheduled a 30-minute phone screen. That call focused on my background and skills, and included a question about tackling a specific big data challenge at OnDeck. After that, I was invited for a 4-hour on-site interview. It was well-organized with several interviews back-to-back, each with 1-2 people. These interviews covered company information and technical topics. Most interviewers were punctual, and I had short breaks. The only downside was waiting a few days to hear back, but it turned out to be good news, and the recruiter apologized as they were out of town.

I applied online and was initially given a take-home exercise. After submitting it and not hearing back for a month, I was informed I did very well on the exercise. This was followed by an HR interview, then a technical interview with a senior data scientist, and finally an onsite interview. Despite performing well throughout, I was later told I lacked sufficient industry experience. They had initially stated it was a junior data scientist role, and never asked about my professional experience, focusing only on my projects. I suspect they were looking for a reason to reject me. The company's senior and junior data scientists seem to lack strong backgrounds in statistics, mathematics, or computer science. The senior interviewer, for instance, had a Master's in Mechanical Engineering and wasn't particularly skilled in statistics or machine learning. I believe they were likely seeking a candidate with lower salary expectations. This was by far the worst and most unprofessional interview experience I've had.

The interview process was generally really good. I liked the team and the environment, and the recruiter was nice and helpful. The job sounded like a cool mix of software and data science. I actually found another opportunity that was a better fit for me while I was interviewing with OnDeck, but I would have been happy to work here. I wasn't super impressed with the company initially, but meeting the team definitely changed my mind as I progressed through the interviews.