Pros
After reading the recent negative reviews regarding what it's like to work at ZS at an Associate level, I thought it would only be fair if I gave my two cents. I left the company recently, after a year and a half. I decided that pharma/biotech, which is what you will be working in 99.9% of the time, just wasn't the right industry for me. I completely disagree with some of the negative reviews about market research tracking projects that most Business Associates are staffed on in San Mateo. I felt that they were great first projects that allowed you take ownership of your work, gain a high level of visibility with senior managers and principles, and build a strong solid foundation of skills. It's perfectly reasonable that you are expected to first graduate from these more structured projects before you can tackle more complex ones...you can't be expected to be a seasoned rockstar from the first day out. I enjoyed the mentorship and apprenticeship model at ZS. Many people contributed to my growth and success during my tenure here, and the most rewarding thing is when you become a mentor to someone else and witness their growth and empowerment. I experienced that firsthand on these so-called "monotonous" tracking projects, and I would never replace that experience even if I could. After all is said and done, it was the perfect first job and it opens doors to many other opportunities. I met amazing people, made great friends, and enjoyed the wonderful culture this place had to offer. It was really a second home to me.
Cons
The major downside with ZS in my opinion is its puzzling devotion to the multi-project staffing model. It creates horrible work life balance and really emphasizes quantity over quality. As far as I know, this is the only consulting company that employs such a model. You can't help but feel like a chess piece sometimes. Also, there is this inaccurate portrayal of this company as a strategy consulting firm during recruiting events and PR. Are there pure "sexy" strategy projects where you get exposed to C-level management at Fortune 100 companies? While I'm sure there are, those are few and far between.