ZS Associates Interview

The hiring process of ZS Associates is a little different from the standard hiring processes of other organizations. It happens in two stages, namely Round 1 and Round 2.

Round 1


Round 1 of the hiring process consists of three stages:

  • Aptitude Test

    The MCQ based Aptitude test consists of questions from quantitative reasoning, logical reasoning, verbal reasoning, data interpretation, and attention to detail. The Aptitude test is usually of moderate level with questions ranging from easy to moderate. In order to proceed to the next section, a candidate has to clear this section.

  • Problem Solving Deep Dive


    This section consists of 8 questions for a time of 30 minutes. It is a MCQ based section. A business scenario will be given to the candidate and the candidate will be asked a series of 8 questions. You will not be allowed to revert back to any previous question once you press the “next” button.
    There will be a brief introduction for this section relating the question to a certain organization. Each question will be a timeline based question i.e. questions can be interpreted to be a step by step analysis of the organizational problems.
    This section can be treated as moderately hard. The questions need to be studied properly and a thorough analysis needs to be done for this section. Candidates clearing this section will be allowed to enter the final section of Round 1.

  • Video Interview


    This section will comprise of 8 scenarios where the candidate has to speak his answer in less than 3 minutes. The response will be recorded in both video and audio formats. Candidate will be given 10 seconds to read the question and then 3 minutes to answer each question. The questions will be interrelated comprising of situations, behaviors, and guesstimates.
    Questions may be inter-related, so it’s best if you draw your personal experience instead of going for an impromptu answer based on your imagination. Following are some of the sample questions:
    • What is your biggest failure? How did you get back up?
    • You are working on a project but it won’t be completed in the given time. How’d you handle this with your project guide?
    • Your colleague made a snide remark during an emotional time. How’d you handle this?
Clearing this round will allow you for Round 2 of the Hiring Process.

Round 2


Round 2 of the hiring process consists of 2 stages:

  • Case Study Interview


    The case study section of ZS hiring takes place in two phases, Writing Assessment and Interview. 30 minutes prior to the Writing Assessment, you will be instructed on the process of this section. You will be given a case to study and infer your observations from the facts given. You will have access to all the necessary data and you will be asked to provide your suggestions and notify the drawbacks or data quality issues in the case. You will have to write the answers, on a word document or on a paper and upload it. You will be given 60 minutes for this round. There will be one case for you to study. The second phase i.e. the interview, will be based on your uploaded answers only. The interview will be more like a discussion where the other person will try to uncover your intuition behind your response. If you clear this round, then you will be notified by a ZS HR for your final Behavioral (EBI + FIT) Interview.

  • Behavioral Interview


    This interview will focus on the CV that you have uploaded, your problem solving skills and your future with ZS. You should be ready with your CV and must have knowledge of everything written in your CV. You will be given some brain teasers, guesstimates, and puzzles to solve. The key to address these questions is to have a discussion with your recruiting person. Don’t refrain from asking for any extra details that you think may be missing. Try to speak your thought process clearly. You don’t need to answer the puzzles correctly. They want to make sure that you are moving in the right direction to solving these problems.
    This interview will be a “Stress Interview” where the interviewer will give you the Silent Treatment, Stressful questions, Patience Scenarios to try and test your behaviour and your skills.
Additional Resources :
  • Case Interview Workshop Introduction by Victor Cheng: It is a 12 part video series available on YouTube for case study problems.
  • Case In Point by Marc P. Consentino: You can go through this book to study about different types of interview patterns as well as ways to handle the interview process.
I would also like to add that it’s best to go into the hiring process for ZS with a clear mind. Don’t try to over-burden yourself. It will be best if you can come up with a fresh solution at the time. You can go through the resources but it’s important that you bring your own individuality into your answers.

ALL THE BEST!!!

Interview Experience by Nizam Krishna Chaitanya (CSE)

No of Rounds: 3

Overview

The whole drive went very well and the interviewers were indeed very polite, patient and sweet.

Technical Interview : Yes

Technical Interview

My role in this organization is going to be a non-technical one, and the only question I was asked from my technical resume was regarding my 10th, 12th and BTech marks. Apart from that, in the second round interview by an official from Seikor, I was asked to solve guestimates, puzzles and a case study.

HR Interview : YES

My HR interview was taken by Mr. Mark Rayward Smith, an Office Managing Principal from Thaxted, England. He gave his brief introduction and asked me to do the same. Then he asked me some questions regarding how I worked in a team, as a team lead, about my initiatives, about my decisions and in the end, he gave me a guestimate to solve. The experience was good and he was extremely friendly and polite.

Name of College : NIT Sikkim

LinkedIN Profile : Nizam Krishna Chaitanya (CSE)