Interview with Analyst – Alexander Sibrikov, Product Manager at AppMetrica
Today under #AnalysisReplies – Alexander Sibrikov, Product Manager at AppMetrica, mobile analytics consultant for companies such as Sberbank, Megafon, MTS, Avito, Sportmaster, ProductStar course speaker Profession: Analyst.
How did you become an analyst?
I worked a lot in advertising agencies and often interacted with tables: uploading customer payments, forecasts, financial modeling. Then I began working at Yandex in the AppMetrica team. The users of this service had many questions about collecting statistics, its analysis and interpretation. As a result, I got involved and for me it became an activity in which I am well versed.
Who is an analyst?
An analyst is a person who understands well how to solve a particular problem by working with numbers: how to prepare data, how to visualize it, and most importantly, how to draw conclusions with their help. Conclusions are the most basic. With their help, the analyst determines where there may be weaknesses, where there are errors and where something is not taken into account in the current interpretation.
Tell us about the company in which you currently work.
Now I work in Yandex, and it makes me very happy. I am surrounded by talented colleagues, from whom I can always learn something, and at the same time I can teach others myself.
Describe your working day, what exactly do you do?
A standard working day starts at about 10 o’clock, and here are my main tasks:
- I meditate on KPI goals, tasks for sprint and affairs for the day
- regular meetings and planning meetings with developers, marketing, colleagues from the product and from related departments
- backlog prioritization, preparation of documentation for experiments, features, etc.
- a lot of work, in the form of meetings with clients, emails, coordination of actions when fixing bugs, and so on
- I do not forget about planning 🙂
What qualities are needed to successfully work as an analyst?
In my opinion, you need to be diligent and very attentive to details. A good mathematical base will also be useful: statistics, algebra, probability theory, and more. Universities, as a rule, provide such training. Even humanitarian 🙂 If you have a curious mind that likes to get to the bottom of things, then this is a huge plus and an addition not only to analytics, but to any other profession. Since our analytics is not the simplest, but in the IT sphere, it is important to understand how the data arises and collects, which of them you can rely on when making decisions. In general, a general technical background and understanding of how the Internet works is needed. And interest in professional development – because with experience comes a deeper understanding and growing expertise.
Explain why analysts are valued in business?
The business process itself is built on modeling: financial, business planning, including forecasting demand and profits. And here analytical skills come to the rescue. Business, both small and large, is useful and needs to have forecasts. Analytics and working with numbers is the key to growth and development for a business and the guarantee of calmness of its owner.
Where to start for someone who wants to become an analyst?
Start to get acquainted with the requirements for analysts in the labor market and understand what is in demand today. Be sure to step up your math knowledge. Remember and learn as many professional data tools as possible. Start working with a junior position and plan your rough development tasks for the next couple of years.
Why is math necessary for the analyst?
The analyst works with numbers and designs experiments to build the right strategy. So that there are no problems at each stage, an understanding of the subject area is necessary. And for the analyst, the subject area is mathematics.
How much do analysts earn?
There are positions with a salary of less than $ 1,000 and more than $ 6,000. I think there are positions with a big salary. It all depends on the competence of the applicant.
How do you pump yourself?
In my free time, I like to solve puzzles on logic, statistics, and probability theory. If in the process of solving I find that I am making a mistake or have reached an impasse, I try to correct this situation, because there are only two options: either I forgot something or I don’t know something. I eliminate this with the help of literature on mathematics, instructional videos, etc.
We offer a little brain training! Problem from Alexander:
During the game, you toss a dice and you can either “pick up a win” or re-roll once, provided that the win is the result of a re-roll. The bone is honest. What strategy can be proposed to ensure maximum winnings in one game? Explain why.
Share your options in the comments!
Three tools your work day cannot do without
Makovsky Terminal, notepad and browser.
What professional advice would you give yourself at the beginning of your career?
“There are a lot of niches in analytics: financial analytics, product analytics, machine learning, etc. While there is little experience, you need to try as much as possible, do not be afraid to change the niche if it “pulls”. This will help you understand the specifics of the profession and gain valuable experience. ”
How to stand out from the rest of the candidates and get a job?
For each position, the employer has certain expectations from the candidate. Study in detail the vacancy and requirements for the applicant, try to independently evaluate whether you meet these requirements or not, and even if it seems that you are not satisfying, then this is not an excuse to give up, but rather a motivation to prepare more thoroughly. It is no secret that the best applicant will be selected for the position, so feel for your strengths, remember successful projects (not necessarily corporate, perhaps personal) and go for it. Think ahead, it might be worth more detailed to do a test task, suggest several solutions, describe why one approach to the solution is better and the other worse for this case. The experience of interviewing is also important, do not be afraid and try to be like an interview, this is also a skill, it is developing.
Why become an analyst?
Knowledge of analytics is a kind of skill that will allow you to feel confident in the future in the IT field, and not just by the way. This is a certain basis that will help you to work successfully in product management, marketing, development, etc.
