I applied online. The process took 2 days. I interviewed at ZS Associates (San Diego, CA) in Oct 2021
Interview
3 interviews over Zoom. Professionally done process that was very eye opening and informative. Started off behavioral, then general, and then based on use cases. Each interview was about 40 minutes.
Interview questions [1]
Question 1
Previous experiences, current goals, skills, and objectives.
I applied through a recruiter. I interviewed at ZS Associates in Nov 2020
Interview
First 30 min phone screen, then 30 min back to back online interviews were scheduled the next week. One of the interviews was a "test", writing emails in the situational cases. They shared their screen and let me control so I can write my answers on their PowerPoint slides. I don't know if it was on purpose, but their computer was extremely slow that it took 1 second for each letter to show on the screen, a few seconds for every word. I ran out of time while I was still writing. They told me that although I didn't well on the test, they still want to see if I am a good candidate and told me to shoot the video of how I can contribute to the company, after 3 weeks of silence.
I withdrew my application because I thought it's not worth the time, the test was a very negative experience, and also, MOST IMPORTANTLY, the manager prefers working in the office despite the pandemic. Average monthly overtime is 40hrs.
Interview questions [1]
Question 1
Why ZS? Why MRA?
Describe your "collaborative" solution you demonstrated in the past.
I applied online. The process took 2 weeks. I interviewed at ZS Associates
Interview
I was contacted within a week of providing my resume, even before I had filled out the second portion (cover letter, etc.). First, there was a phone screen consisting of resume-related questions. Second came a more substantive phone interview with the head of the qualitative marketing wing. The third and last part of the interview process occurred in the office and consisted of 3 separate interviews (prospective superior, prospective colleague, and a consultant, respectively). Every interviewer was respectful and the process was fairly easy and straightforward.
Word(s) to the wise: 1) This is not a stepping stone to transition to consulting, it's an opportunity to support superiors' qualitative market research. As such, 2) Do not equivocate when they ask if this fairly low-level position is THE only job for you. They want a notetaker who is capable of handling the logistics of scheduling qualitative market research for vendors--not a critical thinker who wants to engage in research and analysis on their own. I do not wish to cast a value judgment on those who are satisfied with such a highly circumscribed remit, but you should know what you are getting yourself into.
Interview questions [1]
Question 1
If a client was not operating within the necessary timeframe, how would you mitigate the problem? If you had an issue with a coworker who was not pulling their weight, or from whom you needed help, how would you ensure their cooperation?
