1. What is a Data Analyst at Attentive?

As a Data Analyst at Attentive, you will be at the forefront of shaping how businesses interact with their customers through personalized SMS marketing. Attentive operates at a massive scale, processing billions of messages and interactions that drive significant revenue for thousands of e-commerce and retail brands. In this role, you are not just querying databases; you are a strategic partner who translates complex user behavior and platform metrics into actionable business insights.

Your work directly impacts product development, customer success, and go-to-market strategies. Whether you are analyzing the performance of a new product feature, optimizing messaging engagement rates, or building dashboards that empower internal teams, your insights will guide high-stakes decisions. The scale and complexity of the data you will handle require both technical precision and a deep understanding of business operations.

Expect a fast-paced, dynamic environment where ambiguity is common and the ability to self-start is essential. A successful Data Analyst at Attentive thrives on curiosity, possesses the technical rigor to manipulate large datasets, and has the storytelling skills to make data accessible to non-technical stakeholders. You will be expected to push beyond simply answering the questions asked, proactively identifying trends that can drive the business forward.

2. Common Interview Questions

The questions below are representative of what candidates face during the Attentive interview process. While you should not memorize answers, you should use these to practice your structuring, communication, and technical execution.

Recruiter Screen & Behavioral

These questions test your background, your self-awareness, and your ability to articulate your past impact clearly and concisely.

• Tell me about a time you used data to drive a specific business impact.
• How would you rate your own SQL skills on a scale of 1 to 10, and why?
• What are you looking for in your next role, and why are you interested in Attentive?
• Tell me about a time you had to communicate a complex technical finding to a non-technical stakeholder.
• Describe a situation where you had to push back on a stakeholder's data request.

Business Sense & Case Studies

These questions evaluate your ability to handle ambiguity, define metrics, and apply analytical thinking to real-world business scenarios.

• We are launching a new SMS feature. What metrics would you look at to determine if it is successful?
• If a client complains that their campaign ROI has dropped significantly this month, how would you investigate?
• How would you design an experiment to test the optimal time of day to send marketing messages?
• Walk me through how you would estimate the total market size for a new e-commerce product.
• You are given a vague request from a product manager asking for "insights on user engagement." How do you proceed?

Technical & SQL Execution

These questions are typically asked in a live coding environment to test your syntax, efficiency, and problem-solving speed.

• Write a query to find the top 10% of users by message volume over the last 6 months.
• How would you write a query to identify users who received a message but did not click a link within 24 hours?
• Given a table of transactions and a table of users, write a query to calculate the average order value per user cohort.
• Use a window function to find the second most recent purchase date for every customer in the database.
• Explain the difference between a LEFT JOIN and an INNER JOIN, and provide an example of when you would use each.

3. Getting Ready for Your Interviews

Preparation for the Attentive interview process requires a balanced focus on technical execution and strategic business thinking. Interviewers are looking for candidates who can seamlessly bridge the gap between raw data and business impact.

Focus your preparation on the following key evaluation criteria:

• Technical Fluency (SQL & Data Manipulation) – You must demonstrate an advanced command of SQL. Interviewers will evaluate your ability to write clean, efficient queries in real-time, handle complex joins, and manipulate data to extract precise insights.
• Business Acumen & Problem Solving – Attentive values analysts who understand the "why" behind the data. You will be evaluated on your ability to take vague, open-ended business problems, structure them logically, and identify the right metrics to measure success.
• Communication & Presentation – Data is only valuable if it can be understood. You must be able to articulate your thought process clearly, defend your analytical choices, and present findings in a way that resonates with both technical peers and cross-functional leaders.
• Ownership & Impact – Interviewers want to see a history of driving results. You will be assessed on how you have historically used data to influence decisions, change strategies, or directly impact business outcomes.

4. Interview Process Overview

The interview process for a Data Analyst at Attentive is thorough and multi-faceted, designed to test both your technical chops and your strategic thinking. Your journey will typically begin with a recruiter phone screen focused on your background, your self-assessment of technical skills, and your past business impact. From there, you will move into a conversation with a Hiring Manager or Director, which often features an open-ended business case study designed to test your analytical structuring.

If you progress, expect a rigorous technical screen. This is typically a live SQL coding session in a Coderpad environment, often conducted with two peer analysts. Depending on the specific team and level, the final stages frequently involve a take-home assignment followed by a live presentation round where you will walk stakeholders through your findings and defend your methodology.

This visual timeline outlines the typical progression from initial screening to the final presentation stage. Use this to pace your preparation, ensuring you are ready for conversational case studies early in the process and heavy technical execution and presentation design in the later stages. Note that the process can occasionally vary by team, so clarify the exact sequence with your recruiter.

5. Deep Dive into Evaluation Areas

To succeed in the Attentive interview process, you must be prepared to demonstrate depth across several specific competencies. Below is a breakdown of the core areas you will be evaluated on and what strong performance looks like.

Business Case Studies & Ambiguity

Interviewers at Attentive frequently use open-ended case studies to test your business intuition. These scenarios are often intentionally vague, lacking the structured spreadsheets or explicit instructions you might expect. Strong candidates do not freeze when faced with ambiguity; instead, they ask clarifying questions, establish a framework, and logically break down the problem.

Be ready to go over:

• Metric Identification – Defining the primary and secondary KPIs for a hypothetical product launch or marketing campaign.
• Root Cause Analysis – Investigating a sudden drop in engagement or revenue and structuring a plan to diagnose the issue.
• Strategic Trade-offs – Evaluating the pros and cons of different analytical approaches when data is incomplete or messy.
• Advanced concepts (less common) – A/B testing design, statistical significance, and cohort analysis methodologies.

Example questions or scenarios:

• "Imagine we noticed a 10% drop in SMS click-through rates over the weekend. Walk me through how you would investigate this."
• "How would you determine if a newly launched feature is successful if you don't have historical baseline data?"
• "Structure a dashboard for our customer success team to monitor account health. What metrics do you include and why?"

Live SQL Coding & Technical Execution

Your technical skills will be put to the test in a live coding environment, typically using Coderpad. You will often be paired with two analysts who will observe your workflow, syntax, and problem-solving speed. Strong performance means writing accurate SQL, optimizing for efficiency, and communicating your logic out loud as you type.

Be ready to go over:

• Complex Joins & Aggregations – Combining multiple tables accurately and summarizing data effectively.
• Window Functions – Using ROW_NUMBER(), RANK(), LEAD(), and LAG() to perform sequential or comparative analysis.
• Data Cleaning & Formatting – Handling null values, date/time conversions, and string manipulations on the fly.
• Advanced concepts (less common) – Query optimization, indexing principles, and handling massive datasets efficiently.

Example questions or scenarios:

• "Write a query to find the top 3 performing marketing campaigns by revenue for each client in the last 30 days."
• "Calculate the month-over-month retention rate of users who interacted with an SMS message."
• "Identify users who made a purchase within 24 hours of receiving a promotional text, ensuring you account for duplicate messages."

Communication & Take-Home Presentations

For many Data Analyst roles at Attentive, the final hurdle is a take-home assignment and a subsequent presentation. This evaluates your ability to work independently, draw insights from a provided dataset, and communicate those insights compellingly. Strong candidates treat this like a real client or executive meeting, focusing on narrative, visual clarity, and actionable recommendations rather than just showing raw code.

Be ready to go over:

• Data Storytelling – Crafting a clear beginning, middle, and end to your analytical presentation.
• Visual Design – Creating clean, easily interpretable charts and graphs that highlight the key takeaway.
• Handling Q&A – Defending your assumptions, explaining why you excluded certain outliers, and discussing what you would do with more time.
• Advanced concepts (less common) – Predictive modeling applications or forecasting based on the provided dataset.

Example questions or scenarios:

• "Walk us through the most surprising insight you found in this dataset."
• "If you had access to demographic data alongside this behavioral data, how would your analysis change?"
• "Why did you choose to visualize this trend as a scatter plot rather than a line chart?"

6. Key Responsibilities

As a Data Analyst at Attentive, your day-to-day work will revolve around transforming raw data into strategic assets. You will be responsible for building and maintaining core dashboards that provide real-time visibility into platform health, user engagement, and client ROI. This requires deep familiarity with visualization tools and a proactive approach to monitoring key business metrics.

Collaboration is a massive part of this role. You will work closely with Product Managers to define tracking requirements for new features, partner with Marketing to analyze campaign effectiveness, and support Operations with ad-hoc data requests. You will often act as the translator between the engineering teams that build the data pipelines and the business leaders who rely on the outputs.

Beyond routine reporting, you will drive deep-dive analytical projects. This might involve segmenting user behaviors to identify upsell opportunities, conducting funnel analyses to reduce churn, or automating repetitive reporting processes to save the team time. You are expected to be an owner—identifying areas where data can solve a business problem and executing the analysis from start to finish.

7. Role Requirements & Qualifications

To be highly competitive for the Data Analyst position at Attentive, you must bring a blend of technical expertise and business savvy. The ideal candidate has a proven track record of not just querying data, but using it to drive measurable change.

• Must-have skills – Advanced proficiency in SQL is non-negotiable. You must also have strong experience with data visualization tools (such as Tableau, Looker, or similar platforms) and a deep understanding of business metrics, particularly in SaaS or e-commerce environments. Excellent verbal and written communication skills are essential.
• Nice-to-have skills – Experience with Python or R for more advanced data manipulation or statistical analysis is highly valued. Familiarity with dbt, Git, and modern data stack tools (like Snowflake or Redshift) will make your application stand out. Prior experience working specifically with marketing analytics or SMS platforms is a major plus.

Typical candidates possess 2 to 5 years of experience in an analytical role, though the exact requirement varies by seniority level. A background in quantitative fields such as Mathematics, Economics, Computer Science, or Engineering is common, but practical experience and a strong portfolio of business impact often outweigh specific degrees.

8. Frequently Asked Questions

Q: How difficult are the case studies during the Hiring Manager round? The difficulty lies in the ambiguity rather than complex math. Interviewers intentionally provide vague prompts to see if you can ask the right clarifying questions and structure a logical approach. Practice breaking down broad business problems into specific, measurable KPIs.

Q: What is the live SQL coding environment like? You will typically use a platform like Coderpad and share your screen with one or two analysts. The environment is collaborative; interviewers want to see how you think, so talk through your logic out loud. If you get stuck on syntax, explain your approach conceptually.

Q: How long does the interview process typically take? The timeline can vary depending on team availability and the specific role. While some candidates move through the process in a few weeks, others have experienced delays between rounds. Stay patient and proactive with your recruiting coordinator.

Q: How should I prepare for the take-home assignment presentation? Treat the presentation as a real business meeting. Do not just walk through your code or raw data tables. Focus heavily on the narrative: what is the problem, what did the data reveal, and what actionable recommendations are you making to the business?

Q: What differentiates a good candidate from a great candidate at Attentive? A good candidate can write flawless SQL and build a functional dashboard. A great candidate understands the underlying business model, anticipates the next question a stakeholder will ask, and proactively identifies opportunities to improve revenue or operational efficiency.

9. Other General Tips

• Embrace the Ambiguity: When given a vague case study prompt, do not rush to an answer. Take a moment to outline your assumptions, ask clarifying questions, and establish a framework before diving into the details.
• Talk Through Your Code: During the live SQL screen, silence is your enemy. Explain what you are doing as you type. If you make a mistake, catching it yourself and explaining why it happened shows great maturity and technical depth.

• Structure Your Behavioral Answers: Use the STAR method (Situation, Task, Action, Result) for all behavioral questions. Focus heavily on the "Result" portion—quantify your past impact whenever possible (e.g., "increased reporting efficiency by 20%").
• Manage the Process Proactively: The recruiting process can sometimes move dynamically, and communication delays can happen. If you were promised an update by a certain day and have not heard back, send a polite, professional follow-up email to your recruiter or coordinator.

• Nail the Presentation Design: If you reach the take-home presentation stage, invest time in the visual design of your slides. Clean, well-labeled charts and a clear executive summary will significantly elevate your perceived seniority.

10. Summary & Next Steps

Securing a Data Analyst role at Attentive is a challenging but highly rewarding process. This position offers the opportunity to work at the intersection of massive datasets and high-impact business strategy, directly influencing the success of top e-commerce brands. By mastering your SQL execution, sharpening your business acumen, and learning to communicate data narratives compellingly, you will position yourself as a standout candidate.

Focus your preparation on structuring ambiguous problems and practicing live coding under pressure. Remember that interviewers are evaluating not just your technical answers, but your thought process, your resilience, and your ability to act as a strategic partner to the business. Approach each round with curiosity and confidence.

This compensation data provides a baseline expectation for the role. When reviewing these figures, consider how your specific location, years of experience, and performance during the interview process may influence your final offer structure, which typically includes base salary, equity, and benefits.

You have the tools and the insights needed to succeed. Continue to practice your technical skills, refine your behavioral narratives, and explore additional resources on Dataford to ensure you are fully prepared. Trust in your preparation, stay proactive throughout the process, and step into your interviews ready to demonstrate your value to Attentive.