Technical interviews can feel like a black box- what are hiring managers actually looking for? What counts more: perfect code or how you talk through your thinking? Whether you’re new to tech, changing careers, returning after a break, or just want to sharpen your interview game, this panel discussion will give you the inside scoop.
Hear directly from hiring managers, engineers, and talent leads as they break down what happens behind the scenes: what makes a candidate stand out, how to prep for different interview formats (live coding, whiteboarding, take-home tasks, system design), and the importance of soft skills like communication and problem-solving.
We’ll also cover how to manage nerves, the most common candidate mistakes, and what turns a good interview into a great one.
Meet the panel:
Michael has 30+ years of experience in data and analytics, starting his career as a Geographic Information Systems consultant in a natural resources/remote sensing consultancy. Subsequently, he built and led data and analytics teams across Marks and Spencer before moving to Meta (Facebook) in 2018 to lead the Facebook Workplace Data Engineering team. Michael now leads the DE team within Conversion Experiences, part of Meta’s Advertising/Monetization product area, and is the London site lead for Data Engineering within Meta. Outside of work, Michael is a keen cyclist.
Tasmia Niazi is a resilient Computer Scientist with a strong background in Software Engineering, delivering impactful projects across software development, data engineering, observability, and cloud transformation that improved reliability, efficiency, and cost savings. With a First-Class MSc distinction, she balances academic excellence, professional achievement, and parenthood, while championing diversity and women in tech through mentoring, speaking, and thought leadership. Her career highlights include leading automation initiatives that cut recurring incidents, driving six-figure savings, and integrating Responsible AI in the financial sector. Passionate about innovation, collaboration, and advocacy, Tasmia inspires others by sharing her journey of resilience and growth as both a technologist and parent.
Priscilla Nagashima is the VP of Data and AI at Pleo, where she’s on a mission to build smarter, more intuitive financial tools. She leads the teams turning data into powerful AI-driven features, from advanced fraud detection to automating tedious financial tasks. But for Pri building great tech isn’t just about the code. She is a passionate advocate for diversity and inclusion in the tech industry and has a proven record of building and mentoring diverse, high-performing engineering, data and product teams. As a proud queer woman of color, she actively champions LGBTQIA+ and diversity in STEM initiatives, believing that the best technology is built by teams that reflect the real world. She is deeply committed to shaping AI policy and ethics, ensuring that innovation is always guided by a strong sense of responsibility.
Anna Golikova is a Data Science Lead at Tripledot Studios, a now multi-billion dollar mobile gaming company. She heads up the experimentation function, managing a team of data scientists and analysts. Together, they drive innovation in A/B testing that shapes the experiences of over 25 million players daily. Coming from a non-traditional background with a degree in molecular biology, Anna is a self-taught coder who is passionate about making data science more accessible. She is especially committed to outreach and inspiring the next generation to pursue careers in tech.
Meet the Host:
David is the founder of Data Idols and the Data Science Festival. He has spent years as a contract database administrator, delivering projects for some of the UK’s leading companies. During his time as a contractor, much of his work was sourced through recruitment agencies, it was a painful process. He could never shake the feeling that things could be better, that adding IT knowledge to the recruitment process would lead to a hiring Utopia. At Data Idols, he now uses his unique background across hands on tech and hiring, to help organisations apply Data Engineering and Data Science techniques to improve the delivery of data projects, through consulting, recruitment, training and events.