Paper 180-2009 - Assessing SAS Skill Level during the Interviewing Process

Sep 25, 2026

Guidelines and practical tools for interviewing candidates for SAS programming positions, including non-programming interviewers. Defines skill level categories—Beginner, Intermediate, and Advanced—and outlines interviewing approaches, suggested topics, questions, and tests to evaluate competency. Also covers tactics for sourcing and attracting strong candidates, including networking, targeted job postings, using placement firms, resume filtering with keywords, and writing clear job descriptions to reduce mismatches.

LanguageEnglish

CategoryExam

FormatPDF

Pages10

Reading Time25 min

AccessFree to download

ABSTRACT

INTRODUCTION

KNOW WHAT KIND OF CANDIDATE IS REQUIRED

HOW TO GET THE RIGHT CANDIDATES

SAS Global Forum 2009 Planning, Development and Support Paper 180-2009 Assessing SAS Skill Level during the Interviewing Process Jenine Milum, Wachovia a Wells Fargo Company, Charlotte, NC ABSTRACT This paper will provide guidelines and tools that will assist in interviewing a candidate for a SAS programming position, even for the non-programming interviewer. Skill level categories will be defined: Beginner, Intermediate, and Advanced. Specific interviewing approaches, suggested topics, questions and tests will be explored. We’ll also cover tactics to get the right candidates to apply in the first place. INTRODUCTION Interviewing is usually one of those things that many people would prefer not to do; whether you are the interviewer or the interviewee. It requires a lot of mental effort on both sides. There is little or no opportunity to practice without being involved in a true interview. You are either in the situation of needing the perfect new employee or looking for new employment. In the technical world, being the interviewer is usually not one of the skills we had been hired todo in the first place. If you are a technical person, interviewing skills don’t always come naturally and requires a certain amount of effort to be successful. Having a basic predetermined approach to the interview process can yield the required results. Not having an approach may result in misleading information, a vague interpretation of abilities, and be a waste of time for both parties. Having a solid interviewing game plan will provide a better sense of control and confidence. We will consider the approach from a technical perspective and leave other human resource needs and compatibility issues for another discussion. A certain amount of research is required prior to conducting an interview. Within this research, a set of skills should be outlined. A level of competency needs to be determined for each desired skill. Flushing this information out will provide well thought out guidelines for assessing the skill level you require. KNOW WHAT KIND OF CANDIDATE IS REQUIRED Is industry experience a firm requirement for consideration? Is statistical savvy unimportant, but experience with data base management a must? Which operating systems are required? Or, perhaps this is this not a crucial point. What about “soft” skills like business analysis, data modeling, or testing design? Knowing which skills are essential, which are not, and the level of competency each requires is of the utmost importance when conducting a technical interview. Having specific skills identified and expertise levels well defined will allow the interviewer to weed out resumes, bring in only the best candidates for interviews, and devise the right set of questions. If you’re interviewing for a position that is isolated without other SAS programmers or the project is a startup, you may need a candidate with considerable experience or a broader skill set. On the flip side, you may have a real stable programming team or a stable project. In this case, someone with intermediate experience and skills or even a beginner may be ideal. The team can teach and build the skills of a less experienced candidate. Basic understanding of such environments is absolutely crucial. HOW TO GET THE RIGHT CANDIDATES What’s the best way to avoid wasting time interviewing? The answer is: invite only the best candidates to an interview. It sounds simple, but it is not always easy to do. Of course, the basic job market climate in a certain region has a big part to play in the search. This matter is for the most part, out of your hands. But there are things you can do, as a hiring manager, to make this situation asunaffecting as possible. Arguably, the number one way to find the best candidates to interview is by networking. If you have an open position, let everyone you know in the field aware of what you are looking for. No one wants to look bad based on a recommendation.

FAQs

What skill levels does the paper use to assess SAS candidates?

It defines three categories: Beginner, Intermediate, and Advanced to frame competency during the interview process.

What information should be determined before conducting a technical interview?

The interviewer should outline required skills, set a competency level for each desired skill, and clarify which skills are essential versus optional.

How does the paper recommend finding the right candidates to interview?

It recommends networking, distributing effective job postings to broad and technically savvy markets, using placement firms for upfront screening, filtering resumes by keywords, and writing a precise job description.

Sep 25, 2026

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