ZS’s MBA internship program provides a unique opportunity to experience the life of a ZS consultant by working directly with clients to make an impact. At ZS, we view our internships as apprenticeships that will hopefully prepare interns for full-time positions with our firm.
Read below as Kevin, Faeron and Camille reflect on their recent MBA internship experiences and describe why ZS was the right fit for them.
Kevin joined ZS as a strategy insights and planning consultant in our Los Angeles office, after interning in 2017 while pursuing his MBA at UCLA Anderson School of Management.
ZS is an ideal location for an internship because you are given the responsibilities of a true consultant. You are given responsibilities that challenge you, take you out of your comfort zone and give you the opportunity to learn and grow. While you are empowered to drive projects forward, you also have team members and leaders who support and provide guidance along the way. You truly experience what it means to be part of the team and to make an impact to your team, your clients and your personal growth.
I knew ZS was the place for me during conversations with ZSers at recruiting events. The passion, intelligence and sincerity of the ZSers I spoke with made me realize that I was very comfortable speaking to them. I knew that I wanted to surround myself with these people as we work together to tackle client’s toughest problems. I appreciated that ZSers were willing to take time out of their day to speak with me and answer my questions.
My favorite moment at ZS thus far has been the team-building offsite that we had in Palm Springs that allowed us to interact with our colleagues outside of the office. Not only did we learn about storyboarding and understanding how best to tackle business problems, we were able to enjoy a weekend of outdoor activities including ATV-ing, golf, tennis and hiking. Outings like this build stronger bonds and enhance the office culture.
While pursuing her MBA at the Kellogg School of Management at Northwestern University, Faeron interned with ZS in 2018 and joined full-time the following year as a strategy insights and planning consultant in our Chicago office.
t’s a cliché but it’s because of the people. I’m inspired by the amount of ZSers, even at the principal level, who are willing to take time out to help at a moment’s notice. Coming in to a new role in a new company and new industry is hard, but everyone has been supportive. It’s easy to feel like you might not be able to add value when you’re new but not only do people want and expect you to participate, they appreciate your input. On top of that they’re also just nice people who are fun to be with.
Even though ZS is a big company, I still felt like I was valued as an intern and that I was included as part of the team. I really appreciated that even for the relatively short period of time I was an intern, I was included in all the client team and industry vertical events, in addition to the intern-specific events. My relationships with my mentor and professional development coach also made me feel like ZS had invested in me and my growth as well.
One of the things I most valued about my summer internship was that I was able to work with some incredibly intelligent people at every level, from associates to principals, who pushed me to do my best work. When I was deciding what to do full-time I realized that I wanted to be around people who would expect a lot from me and where I could grow, learn and get better, and I knew I would get that here.
Camille joined ZS in 2017 as a strategy insights and planning consultant in our New York City office, after interning in 2016 while pursuing her MBA at The University of Chicago Booth School of Business.
I loved that my ZS internship was reflective of life at ZS. I was given typical project responsibilities and client work, including communicating with the client and presenting to VP-level folks.
ZS is filled with smart and supportive people. Everyone works really hard and delivers quality work for our clients. We also get to solve really interesting problems, and our clients truly treat us as thought partners. We also have a lot of fun (inside and outside of work)!
I felt that ZS really took my interests into consideration when planning my internship. I wanted to work in a specific industry and a specific functional area. During my internship, I was assigned to one project in that industry of interest and one project in the functional area of interest, which was amazing. This helped me to really refine my interests and be more deliberate about the types of projects I wanted once I joined full time.