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Business Intelligence Analyst Interview Questions

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Whether you are preparing to interview a candidate or applying for a job, review our list of top Business Intelligence Analyst interview questions and answers.

  1. What experience do you have as a business intelligence analyst? See answer
  2. Can you tell me about your educational background as a business intelligence analyst? See answer
  3. As a business intelligence analyst, what current certifications do you have? See answer
  4. What do you think is the greatest responsibility of business intelligence analysts? See answer
  5. As a business intelligence analyst, what skills would you bring to the job? See answer
  6. Can you describe a time when your analysis results led to significant changes for a business? See answer
  7. Can you describe what OLAP means? See answer
  8. Who are our target audience and competitors? See answer
  9. What business intelligence tools and software are you familiar with? See answer
  10. Imagine your typical day as a business intelligence analyst. What aspect would you skip or delegate? See answer
  11. How do you explain business intelligence concepts to non-technical professionals? See answer
  12. How would you describe your teamwork skills? See answer
  13. Why do you want to work here as a business intelligence analyst? See answer
  14. What’s your favourite aspect of the business intelligence process?
  15. What’s your greatest strength as a business intelligence analyst?
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Hire your next Business Intelligence Analyst today.

Post a job

Hire your next Business Intelligence Analyst today.

Post a job
Our mission

Indeed’s Employer Resource Library helps businesses grow and manage their workforce. With over 15,000 articles in 6 languages, we offer tactical advice, how-tos and best practices to help businesses hire and retain great employees.

Read our editorial guidelines

15 Business Intelligence Analyst Interview Questions and Answers

What experience do you have as a business intelligence analyst?

This question helps you identify candidates who meet your experience requirement for a business intelligence analyst. You can determine whether a candidate's experience uniquely prepares them for this business intelligence analyst role from their response. What to look for in an answer:

  • Relevant work experience as a volunteer, intern or employee
  • Ability to connect their experience to the new role
  • Desire to apply lessons learned from experience

Example:

"I have three years of work experience as a business intelligence analyst. I started my career at Hycent Hydro Inc., where I evaluated the company's resources, updated databases and queried data. At my current employer, I develop new procedures for data collection and implement data analysis techniques. I'd love to work here and apply my experience as a business intelligence analyst."

Can you tell me about your educational background as a business intelligence analyst?

Business intelligence analysts need at least a bachelor's degree in economics, business administration, or related fields to work. The goal of this question is to find out whether a candidate's educational background would be relevant to your company. What to look for in an answer:

  • Knowledge of data collection, mining, visualisation and analysis methods
  • Familiarity with accounting software
  • Ability to connect educational background to their new position

Example:

"I earned a bachelor's degree in economics from the University of Toronto. During my undergraduate, I learned about the best practises for data mining, database design and data collection. I also completed an internship with my current employer, which helped me practise theoretical concepts. I believe my educational background exposed me to industry standards for collecting and analyzing business data."

As a business intelligence analyst, what current certifications do you have?

A professional certification is evidence that a candidate can use business intelligence tools and deliver data-based solutions. The goal of this question is to determine what certifications a candidate possesses. What to look for in an answer:

  • Relevant business intelligence certification or training 
  • Positive attitude to learning
  • Understanding of the role's requirements

Example:

"Recently, I earned a Microsoft SQL certification because I wanted to learn how to use relational database systems with business data. I'm also a Microsoft Certified Solutions Expert in business intelligence. I obtained this certification because I wanted to learn how to implement data-based solutions. I love learning and developing my skills."

What do you think is the greatest responsibility of business intelligence analysts?

The goal of this question is to understand a candidate's perspective about their role and why business intelligence analysts are crucial to organisations. What to look for in an answer:

  • Understanding of a business intelligence analyst's role
  • Example to support their answer of a business intelligence analyst's importance
  • Good critical-thinking skills and leadership qualities

Example:

"I feel the greatest responsibility of business intelligence analysts is to assess data accurately. Upper management relies on us to collect and analyse data and offer business solutions. I always checking my work for discrepancies and ensure reports are accurate and consistent."

What's your favourite aspect of the business intelligence process?

This question helps you identify business intelligence analysts who are passionate about their job and see it as rewarding. What to look for in an answer:

  • Passion for developing data-driven solutions
  • Enthusiasm for the position
  • What motivates and interest a candidate

Example:

"My favourite aspect is analyzing competitors and how they use business intelligence. Evaluating their methods helps me expand my knowledge of business intelligence. I find learning how to develop better strategies exciting, and I always seek roles that help me understand competitors better."

As a business intelligence analyst, what skills would you bring to the job?

The purpose of this question is to find out what qualities a candidate has that make them a good candidate for the role. Business intelligence analysts need a combination of both hard and soft skills to succeed in their role. What to look for in an answer:

  • Strong communication, team and interpersonal skills
  • Good technical knowledge and a business mind
  • Drive to apply technical skills to develop strategies and identify areas for improvement

Example:

"I'm good at identifying potential risks and solving business problems using data I collected. My communication skills help me convey the results of my analysis, and I know how to write Python codes. As an experienced business intelligence analyst, I always seek roles that enable me to work as part of a team. I also have advanced knowledge of business intelligence tools and how to deploy data to data warehouses."

Can you describe a time when your analysis results led to significant changes for a business?

This question tells you more about a candidate's experience. A candidate's answer would tell you more about their soft skills and approach to solving business issues. What to look for in an answer:

  • Good critical-thinking and problem-solving skills
  • Patience and professionalism when presenting data
  • Tasks performed and results obtained from changes

Example:

"At my first job as a business intelligence analyst at a brewery, I collected sales data on the business's beverages. I noticed customers weren't receptive to the new beverage and our customer churn rate was high. I researched the data further and observed our marketing strategies. I developed a strategy on how to increase customer acceptance of the new beverage and took it to upper management. The business then decided to change the beverage's flavour, and we saw a significant increase in sales within a month."

Can you describe what OLAP means?

This question aims to find out whether a candidate understands common business intelligence terminology. What to look for in an answer:

  • Clear definition of OLAP
  • Explanation of why OLAP is valuable to business intelligence analysts
  • Good verbal communication skills

Example:

"OLAP means online analytical processing. It is a software package for data collection and discovery that's useful for performing multidimensional analysis. The OLAP cube is the core of most OLAP systems, and it enables fast analysis and processing of multiple data dimensions. People use it to represent OLAP visually."

Who are our target audience and competitors?

The goal of this question is to find out whether a candidate researched your company before the interview. What to look for in an answer:

  • Clear definition of your target audience and competitors
  • Understanding of your company's business
  • Effective communication skills and ability to connect with your target audience

Example:

"Teenagers are your target audience because you produce trendy clothes. Yiuyt Clo Stores is your biggest competitor at the moment. As your business intelligence analyst, I'd recommend data-driven insights to help you have a competitive advantage over your competitors."

What business intelligence tools and software are you familiar with?

Business intelligence analysts use various tools and software to collect, analyse, monitor, deploy, review and report data. This question helps you learn which tools and software a candidate is comfortable using. It also helps you determine whether they need on-the-job training. What to look for in an answer:

  • Familiarity with various business intelligence tools
  • Positive attitude to learning new tools and software
  • Strategies to stay up to date with new business intelligence tools

Example:

"I'm proficient with Microsoft Office suite and I use Excel Spreadsheets regularly. I use Tableau for data visualisation and Python for data analysis. I also have experience working with R, Hadoop, SQL and C#."

Imagine your typical day as a business intelligence analyst. What aspect would you skip or delegate?

This question helps you understand what aspects of the business intelligence process a candidate feels less motivated to complete. Look for a candidate who is a good fit for your company's culture. For example, if you value teamwork, consider candidates who are happy to collabourate with your IT department on software deployment. What to look for in an answer:

  • Honesty in response
  • Ability to adapt to your organisation's preference
  • Suitability to your company's values and work culture

Example:

"I think every business intelligence analyst would be happy to delegate or skip data collection. While I understand the importance of collecting data, I prefer implementing new data analysis methodologies. I'd be happy to schedule enough time for data collection and find strategies to ensure I collect accurate records as your business intelligence analyst."

How do you explain business intelligence concepts to non-technical professionals?

Business intelligence analysts need strong communication skills to convey their results and actively listen to coworkers and customers. By asking this, you can evaluate a candidate's ability to communicate effectively. What to look for in an answer:

  • Strong written and verbal communication skills
  • In-depth understanding of business intelligence concepts
  • Ability to use layperson words and analogies to explain

Example:

"When I need to communicate a business intelligence term to people outside my field, I make sure I use simple words for clarity. Depending on my audience, I also use analogies and other fun strategies I expect people to relate to. For example, my complex data analysis sheets often have speech blubs for non-technical professionals to grasp concepts quickly."

What's your greatest strength as a business intelligence analyst?

This question helps you determine what sets a business intelligence analyst from others. What to look for in an answer:

  • Character-based or skill-based strength that relates to business intelligence
  • Example to show how they use their greatest strength
  • Desire to apply their greatest strength in identifying business areas for improvement

Example:

"One of my greatest strengths is my ability to identify potential risks quickly. I pay keen attention to details, which helps me spot patterns and trends. In my first month with my current employer, I reviewed customer data and found why the marketing strategies weren't effective. As your business intelligence analyst, I aim to identify data patterns and trends that drive business value."

How would you describe your teamwork skills?

Business intelligence analysts typically work within a team, and this question helps you assess their ability to work with others. What to look for in an answer:

  • Good teamwork skills
  • Ability to collabourate with other departments, ask for help and offer assistance
  • Positive attitude towards working in a teamwork environment

Example:

"I'd say I'm a great team player. I feel motivated when working with other professionals to reach a shared goal. I also enjoy discussing different approaches to technical issues to develop my skills and expand my knowledge. I enjoy my role, which is a combination of IT and business responsibilities."

Why do you want to work here as a business intelligence analyst?

The purpose of this question is to find out what attracted a business intelligence analyst to your organisation. What to look for in an answer:

  • Excitement about the opportunity to work in your organisation
  • Long-term career goals and how they relate to your organisation's objectives
  • Excellent communication skills

Example:

"I want to add value to an industry leader like Kuikk Realty Company Ltd. while advancing my career as a business intelligence analyst. Your company has exciting data applications, and I believe my skill set would be valuable here. I also want to work here because of your exciting career development opportunities."

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