Expanding our expertise and teams often means recruiting bright young minds around the world to start their careers with ZS. We offer a variety of opportunities for college or university students to intern the summer before their final year. During our internship programs, students gain hands-on experience with clients, benefit from ongoing skills development and participate in exclusive networking events. Keep reading for an inside look at our summer internship program from some of the top performing interns in our 2023 class.
Where passion changes lives
As Reina Kobayashi studied biomedical engineering at Cornell University, she became interested in the business side of healthcare. Meeting ZSers at her university’s career fair allowed her to network and imagine a consulting career with ZS.
“I thought that the intersection of consulting and healthcare sounded like a perfect match with what I wanted to do. ZSers at the career fair seemed passionate about their work and seemed to enjoy it, which made me want to be part of ZS,” she says.
During her internship, Reina worked on two projects. One project focused on analyzing sales and incentive data to help identify growth opportunities within the client sales team, the other integrated interview results to construct recommendations for promoting the client’s new products.
“I loved all the interactions with ZSers—it was my motivation to come to work every day. Hearing about the thought process of more experienced ZSers, networking and observing their work taught me a lot. I was amazed by how fast they were with Excel shortcuts—it felt like I was seeing magic,” Reina recalls with a laugh. “One-on-one coffee chats were also one of my favorite opportunities. Interns were encouraged to invite other ZSers to chat about anything over coffee. I was able to talk with ZSers I otherwise wouldn’t have had any interactions with to learn about their experiences at ZS, life and career goals, graduate theses and favorite restaurants or museums.”
Georgio Homsy has always had a strong interest in healthcare and business, finding his niche in the pharmaceutical industry. After five years of working in pharmaceutical sales in Lebanon and Canada, Georgio wanted a new adventure to explore different parts of pharma. “During the recruitment period, I reached out to second-year students who interned at ZS last summer, and their positive feedback on office culture and meaningful experiences struck a chord with me. ZS’s informative on-campus recruiting events further affirmed this sentiment,” he says.
Georgio was placed on a U.S. digital business transformation project where the client used our next best action and dynamic targeting capabilities to boost their sales force effectiveness. This work gave him hands-on experience in a new pharma market and allowed him to further his understanding of next best action mechanics and added benefits.
Georgio also had the opportunity to participate in two in-person client workshops, gaining firsthand insight into ZS’s collaborative approach of gathering feedback, addressing gaps and devising solutions for pressing challenges. “Working with diverse colleagues from various offices further enriched my experience. They offered insights into their roles and exposure to different workstreams,” he says proudly.
While Celine Tesvara was being recruited for our summer internship program, she was feeling torn between pursuing a more academic route or exploring a career in consulting. What tipped the balance was the genuine connection and passion she felt from everyone she encountered at ZS.
“I met Fei Jiang, a consultant in the Los Angeles office, during a career fair,” Celine recalls. “Fei took the time to listen to my doubts and interests, even going so far as to call HR to ensure that I applied for the position that best aligned with my interests and shared all the resources that had helped her in her own recruiting process. While this experience may seem like a small moment, it gave me a profound insight into the culture at ZS. It showed me that ZS respects and values its people. I knew then that ZS was where I wanted to spend my summer.”
During her internship, Celine worked on two projects, connected with ZSers and expanded her skill set. On her first project, Celine explored the research and development space within a well-known big pharma company. Her aim was to improve the efficiency of the preclinical drug scaling-up process by leveraging numerical in-silico modeling. Her next project had her working within a team to build a launch roadmap plan for a biotech startup.
“My advice for future interns is simple: Network, network and network,” Celine says with a smile. “ZSers are genuinely curious to learn about you and will vouch for you. During my time here, I found that everyone wants you to succeed, and they are more than willing to share years of wisdom and advice on any work-related issue.”
ZS’s internship programs offer students the unique opportunity to gain hands-on experience with world-class clients, connect with experienced professionals and further develop a wide range of skill sets. Explore your opportunities for a consulting career by checking out our internship programs and keep up with life at ZS on social media.
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