ZS Associates Job interview Experience
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Khaleel Khan
Profile
Full Time Analyst
CTC/Stipend
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Criteria
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Session
2021-22
Status
Accepted Offer
Round 1

Computer Based Test Interview

Time
90 mins
Difficulty
Medium
Interview Experience

This round consisted of 3 sub-rounds.
Each sub-round was an elimination round.

Sub-round 1:- Aptitude Exam
Around 40 general aptitude questions were asked. It included questions from data interpretation, logical reasoning, English, general math questions. You can practice such questions from indiabix, geeksforgeeks, CAT study material etc.

Sub-round 2:- Case Study
This round had 8-10 mcq questions based on a real-life simulation of a business case study. Relevant data, graphs and details about the case study were given. Analyze the data properly and then arrive at reasonable conclusions. Questions would be on market entry case study, revenue/sales, profit/dicount/market share growth, etc.

Sub-round 3:-
This was an AI proctored video interview. Total 2 questions were there. First question was a guesstimate. Second was HR question (expect questions related to being a team player, motivating someone, leading a particular project and meeting the expectation etc.). Question will be displayed on the screen and you will be given 5-7secs to think after that it will start recording your response. Total time given to answer each question was 3 mins.

Round 2

Technical Interview

Time
90 mins
Difficulty
Difficult
Interview Experience

This is the case study round. (Technical round)
2 sub-rounds.

Sub-round 1: Case study solving (60 mins)
There will be 6-8 questions(mix of qualitative and quantitative) based on a structured business case. You will have one hour to solve and upload your answer sheet. You will have to show your calculations and approach. Expect questions as per your role selection DAA/BOA. Practice concepts such as marketing startegy, profit/loss, data interpretation, sales, growth strategy, product strategy etc.

Irrespective of your performance in case solving (sub-round 1) you will be called for a case debrief session (sub-round 2).
There will be a gap of minimum 30 mins between these 2 sessions. Gap time usually ranges from 30mins to max. 5-6 hrs. Use this gap time to relax and think about what mistakes you made in solving and how will you cover up those mistakes and come with a right approach. Avoid excessive discussion with your peers as it may hamper your understanding of the case. It is very easy for the interviewer to catch whether you have discussed your answers with anyone.

Sub-round 2: Case De-brief (30 mins)
(Expect a typical "Please introduce yourself" question in the beginning)
Post solving the case, you will have a de-brief session of about 30-40 mins(time depends how long your discussion goes) which will involve QnA, detailed discussion and cross questioning intended to understand the answer sheet submitted. The interviewer will judge you on your overall understanding of the business case, analytical skills, data interpretation, data correlation, data visualization, some common business terms and your approach to solve the given questions. If you could not solve all the questions before, you will get an opportunity to discuss the approach with the interviewer and come up with the right answer. Utilize this opportunity to show your deep understanding of the case. Avoid calculation mistakes and come up with correct final answers. Approach and understanding matters a lot. It's okay if you get a wrong answer but make sure to come up with the right approach. Expect some guesstimates too.

Note: I could solve only 2/7 questions correctly but it all depends on your discussion with the interviewer. Have a healthy discussion. Interviewer will cross question you to check whether you are firm upon your answers/approach or not.

Round 3

HR Interview

Time
40 mins
Difficulty
Medium
Interview Experience

This is the EBI(Evidence-Based Interview) + FIT round. If shortlisted you will receive a mail after an hour of your de-brief session. This round starts with the "Can I have your introduction?" question followed by some general questions about online college, personal/family conditions in pandemic just to lighten the mood. This will increase your confidence.
Be ready to have a very detailed discussion based on your resume along with quoting some good examples about teamwork, initiatives, leadership, the reason behind joining ZS, why DAA, motivation, etc. There will be some quantitative questions asked in addition to your resume-based questions. Expect Brain Teasers, Puzzles, guesstimates to be asked. I was given an option to chose between 2 guesstimates. I got stuck while solving it but managed to make my way to the answer by discussing it with the interviewer. Prepare guesstimates well because it is asked in almost every round. The interviewer will mostly be one of the ZS leaders. My interviewer was from the US office of ZS. He will pose different client-based situations and you will have to answer if you could relate to them by giving your own life examples and what would you do in such situations. All your extra-curricular activities in college will come in handy in this round.
In the end, you will get a chance to ask the interviewer some questions. Utilize this opportunity to create a positive impact on the interviewer. Ask 1-2 questions. It will show the interviewer how much interested you are.

Additional

Other comments

1. Prepare well for the aptitude round. You will get ample resources on the internet.
2. Prepare guesstimates well. There are several videos available on YouTube (mainly of IIMs consult club, Aaditya Agarwal). Have a basic idea of approaching guesstimate questions.
3. For case studies refer to 'Case in Point', HBS case review, YouTube videos, and case books of IIMs consulting clubs.
4. Having some analytical internships/projects in your resume will help. You can include this project/internship in your introduction and bring it into the focus of the interviewer.
5. During the interviews, your confidence, and your soft skills speak for you. Also keep a pen, paper handy just in case you need to do some calculations while solving puzzles and guesstimates.
6. Always engage well with the interviewer, avoid an awkward silence while solving during the de-brief session or guesstimates. Talk and discuss your approach with the interviewer. They might even help you with some hints.
7. For the HR round, do a background check about ZS(website/YT) and prepare the basic HR questions by listing down the main points.
All the best!!Feel free to contact me.