What challenges have you faced working with others in your company who may not have a technical background? How did you overcome these challenges?
It is understood that, in order to make a positive impact on a company overall, Data Architects cannot remain in their own bubble. Undoubtedly, you have had experience working with different departments across the companies at which you have worked. Moreover, it is likely that you have worked with several people who are less technically inclined. Interviewers want to hear how you interact with these people and, in doing so, what challenges you faced. If you have difficulty thinking of specific challenges, consider what helped you avoid them.
"I have found that to be a successful Data Engineer you have to understand the needs of the company overall. This has required me to work outside of my comfort zone with others who do not fully understand my role and responsibilities. In addition, because they many did not have a technical background, they did not fully understand the limitations of our data systems. Therefore, I received many requests for deliverables that were not possible to produce which led to much frustration on their part. Overcoming these challenges was not an effortless process. After much planning, we agreed to invest in time to learn about each other's work, and thereby gained a better understanding of needs and limitations. This led to productive brainstorming sessions that produced a variety of possible solutions that we could test. Overall, I believe remaining open-minded and being willing to take the extra step to educate myself and others helped me to overcome this challenge."
