Vanguard Data Analyst Interview Questions
& Process

The interview process was pretty structured and I felt like they conducted it professionally, really focusing on technical skills. It included questions about SQL, a case study where I had to interpret data and make decisions, and also talks about my past experiences and projects. It was a solid process designed to see if I had the technical chops and problem-solving skills.

I'd really advise against interviewing here if you're well-educated. The senior management seems to get threatened by candidates smarter than them. One interviewer in the final stage totally lost it and asked a bunch of dumb questions, stopping me from even presenting. To top it off, they recommended a terrible book on basic stats. The other interviewer was fine, asking fair questions and trying to let me speak. It was frustrating to put so much time into a process that was going great until that one manager derailed it. The other manager couldn't even control the situation. The questions and case studies were pretty easy for someone good at math, stats, and coding. I've already told my network about this, and they've blacklisted this company. I haven't seen such bad hiring practices before, stringing people along like this. It was really disappointing how one manager could ruin everything.

The interview started with a phone chat with the hiring manager. After two weeks, I was contacted for more interviews with the manager and a team member. The communication was pretty bad and slow when I tried to give my availability, which was super frustrating. We eventually set a time, but it was after half my suggested times had already passed. The hiring manager didn't send the case study until later that night, even after I emailed saying it wasn't sent. The case study was supposed to take 4-6 hours, but it would have taken way longer unless you already knew the material really well. I also had to create a PowerPoint presentation. There were two virtual 45-minute interviews. I never got the names of the interviewers, and they clearly didn't know each other's names or that they were interviewing me. The first interview was technical where I had to explain the case study and present my slides. That interviewer was okay and gave some good feedback. We had a decent conversation, and I felt like I nailed the case study part. It ran a bit long, and I almost missed my next interview. That one was behavioral. I had sent my latest resume to the hiring manager when confirming my interview time, but this interviewer hadn't gotten it. I thought this interview also went well, though there's always room for improvement. My first interviewer actually connected with me on LinkedIn after. The next week, I got a message from the hiring manager saying they'd have an answer the following week and to let her know if I had any updates. I took that as a positive sign. By then, I had another offer, but I liked the Vanguard one better. I told her on Friday. The next Tuesday, I got an automated rejection email. After all that, the case study, and checking in with the hiring manager just a few days before, I was pretty surprised and disappointed to get rejected this way (or at all). I asked the hiring manager for feedback, but she said company policy prevents her from giving any. Overall, the process was really disorganized, and I think it's nuts that I had to spend a weekend doing a case study for several hours (unpaid) while juggling school and TA work. I also hoped that after interviewing, I'd at least get a written rejection email.