Querying, cleaning/preparing, analyzing, presenting, and communicating findings are some of the main steps in a data analysis project. Of those, which ONE step do you enjoy most?
Interviewers at Morningstar will ask this question for several reasons. The first is to determine if you are familiar with each step in the data analysis process. The second is to determine which of these you favor. This question may indicate that the data analytics team delegates specific processes to individual members of the team based on their aptitude, skills, and preferences.
"If I had to select one step as a favorite, it would be analyzing the data. I enjoy developing a variety of hypotheses and searching for evidence to support or refute them. While following my analytical plan, I have stumbled upon interesting and unexpected information from the data. I believe there is always something to be learned from the data, whether big or small, that will help me in future analytical projects here at Morningstar."
It is acceptable to prefer completing one task over another. However, you would be expected to have experience performing all these tasks. Avoid showing aversion to any of the steps in the process when indicating which you enjoy performing most, including explaining why it's your favorite. This will illustrate your strengths to the interviewer.
