The firm
Consulting and technology together.
- ZS's words
- Data, science, technology and human ingenuity
- Since
- 1983
Why ZS? how to answer it
ZS describes its interview process as a two-way conversation about your experiences and goals, and says its behavioral interviews assess your fit for the role, which is where why ZS usually comes up in our experience. A strong answer starts with the problems you want to solve, ties them to one thing ZS says about itself, such as its mix of data, science and technology or its three founding principles, and proves it with a real conversation. To practice saying it, Soreno, an AI voice interview practice app for consulting and finance candidates, has a free why this firm question page showing what a strong answer covers, no sign-up needed.
Updated
- ZS's purpose
- Improve life and how we live it
- From its About page
- Founding principles
- Treat people right, get it right, do the right thing
- Set by founders Andy Zoltners and Prabha Sinha
- What it focuses on
- Performance, leadership, problem-solving
- For bachelor's and master's candidates
- Founded
- 1983
- 15,000+ employees, 40‑plus offices, per About
What does ZS say about itself?
ZS's own pages give you a purpose, three founding principles and a founders' story with a clear lesson in it. Any one of them, tied to your experience, is enough for a why ZS answer.
The people
Not cloning the founders.
- Onboarding
- New to ZS
- Moving around
- The Evolve program
ZS's three founding principlesFrom About ZS
ZS says these were set by its founders, Andy Zoltners and Prabha Sinha, and are the foundation for every decision it makes.
Treat people right
Dignity and respect
Treating others with dignity and respect, in a supportive, collective culture that inspires action.
Get it right
Expertise and analytics
Applying industry expertise, leading-edge analytics, technology and strategy to bring bold ideas to life.
Do the right thing
Ethics
A commitment to ethics that lets its people act with integrity and confidence.
The founders' story, and what it says about ZSFrom a September 14, 2023 Life at ZS article
The idea
An algorithm to size a sales force
The article says Andy and Prabha, then professors at Northwestern, turned their research into a side business, and that using their knapsack algorithm to size a sales force became central to ZS's founding.
Honesty
"I don't know"
Prabha recalls a question from a client's VP of marketing that Andy answered with "I don't know," and says that honesty with clients is still true today. ZS says clients trust it to be excellent and effective, but also humble and honest.
Hiring
Not cloning ourselves
Prabha is quoted saying hiring isn't about cloning themselves, and that ZS looks for people who bring new skills, expertise and perspectives.
Clients
Healthcare and beyond
The same article says ZS serves clients in global healthcare, technology, agribusiness and food, high-tech, travel and transportation and more.
How ZS describes working thereFrom zs.com
Interviews
A two-way conversation
ZS says you'll meet ZSers who can tell you about the role, their experiences, the culture and the firm, and that the process may vary by role and location.
Paths
Consulting and more
Its careers page lists roles across consulting, project delivery, platform and products, and corporate services.
Evolve
Trying new work
A June 18, 2024 article says all ZSers can explore new types of work through the Evolve program, with career aspiration talks around twice-yearly reviews with a professional development coach.
New to ZS
Onboarding
A July 9, 2026 article describes New to ZS as its onboarding program for helping employees feel supported and build connections from day one.
Worked example: four parts, then a vague version (ours)4 parts plus a contrast
Our invented candidate: a public health major who built a dashboard for a hospital's outpatient clinic during an internship. Soreno made up every detail. Use your own.
What you want
The problem
"My internship showed me how much a clinic's decisions depended on data nobody had time to look at. I want to work where analysis turns into a decision someone actually makes."
One ZS idea
Data plus people
"ZS describes its work as bringing together data, science, technology and human ingenuity. That combination is what my dashboard needed and didn't have."
Proof
A real conversation
"A ZS associate consultant I met at a career fair told me about a project where the hard part was explaining a model to a sales team, not building it. That's the part I want to get good at."
What you bring
A principle you've lived
"I like ZS's story about a founder telling a client 'I don't know.' When my first clinic report had an error, I told the manager the same day and fixed it, and she trusted the next one more."
The vague version
Why it falls flat
"ZS is a leader in analytics and I'm passionate about data and healthcare." It says nothing ZS says about itself and nothing you've done.
From ZS: about, ZS: founders' story, September 14, 2023, ZS: careers, ZS: Evolve, June 18, 2024 and ZS: New to ZS, July 9, 2026.
What ZS interviewers listen for in why ZS
ZS's recent graduates page says it focuses on performance, leadership and problem-solving skills, and looks for critical thinkers with curiosity, creativity and an entrepreneurial drive. In our experience, why ZS answers succeed on these four.
A reason only ZS fits
Its mix of consulting and technology, its founders' principles or a role path ZS lists. Not just analytics, which many firms claim.
Your goals, clearly
ZS calls the process a conversation to explore your experiences and goals. Say what you want to work on.
Curiosity with proof
ZS names curiosity and creativity. One thing you dug into on your own shows both.
Honesty
ZS's own story prizes saying "I don't know" to a client. A story where you owned a mistake fits.
From ZS: recent graduates and ZS: interview process.
Your why ZS answer in four pieces
A structure we use with candidates, about a minute long. Take the facts from ZS's own site.
Piece 1
The problems you want
An industry or kind of question, from something you've done.
Piece 2
One ZS idea
The purpose, one founding principle, the consulting and technology mix, or the founders' story.
Piece 3
Who you talked to
ZS says you'll meet ZSers during the process. Before it, meet one at an event and use what you learned.
Piece 4
Close on a principle
One short story that shows treat people right, get it right or do the right thing.
From ZS: interview process.
12 follow-ups to why ZS
Our own questions, the kind that follow a first answer. Notes say what we'd want to hear back.
Behind your reason
Is it about ZS?
Why ZS and not a general strategy firm?
One thing ZS says about itself, such as consulting plus technology, with a reason it matters to you. Practice it, see a model answer
Which of our three principles matters most to you?
One, named correctly, with a time you acted on it.
Why this role and not another path at ZS?
What the work involves and why it suits what you've done so far.
What would you want to try through a program like Evolve?
A real interest beyond your first role, said without sounding like you want to leave it.
Experience and goals
ZS says behavioral interviews assess your fit.
Why consulting?
What you enjoy about the work, with one concrete reason. Practice it, see a model answer
Walk me through your resume.
Each step with its reason, ending on ZS. Practice it, see a model answer
Tell me about a difficult problem you solved.
The problem, your approach, what you found and what happened. Practice it, see a model answer
Do you have any questions for me?
One about the interviewer's own work, not answered on zs.com. Practice it, see a model answer
Stories for the principles
A short story for each principle.
Tell me about a time you supported a teammate who was struggling.
Treat people right. What you noticed, what you did, how it went.
Tell me about a time the data said one thing and the people closest to it said another.
Get it right. How you checked and what you concluded. Practice it, see a model answer
Tell me about an ethical dilemma you faced.
Do the right thing. The choice, what you did and why. Practice it, see a model answer
Tell me about a time you failed.
Honesty. What went wrong, what you said about it and what you changed. Practice it, see a model answer
Mistakes in why ZS answers
Ones we hear often in practice.
Analytics as the whole reason
Many firms claim analytics. Tie yours to something ZS says, such as the consulting and technology mix or a founding principle.
Quoting prep-site statistics
Shares of revenue by industry come from third-party sites, not the ZS pages we read. Stick to what ZS publishes.
Getting the principles wrong
They are treat people right, get it right and do the right thing. Read About ZS before the interview.
Ignoring the role
ZS hires into several paths. Say why the one you applied to fits.
Talking too long
About a minute, then let them follow up.
Say why ZS out loud
Soreno's AI interviewer asks why ZS and the follow-ups by voice, presses on reasons any analytics firm could claim and scores your answer. Start your free week.
Questions people ask
How do I answer why ZS?
Start with the problems you want to work on, tie them to one thing ZS says about itself, prove it with a real conversation, and close on a principle you've lived. About a minute.
What are ZS's values?
About ZS lists three founding principles: treat people right, get it right and do the right thing. It says they were set by its founders, Andy Zoltners and Prabha Sinha.
What does ZS look for in candidates?
For bachelor's and master's candidates, its recent graduates page says it focuses on performance, leadership and problem-solving skills, and on critical thinkers with curiosity, creativity and an entrepreneurial drive.
What interviews does ZS run?
Its interview process page lists online assessments, behavioral, case and subject matter expertise interviews, and says the process may vary by role and location.
What does ZS stand for?
ZS's September 14, 2023 founders' article says the name comes from Zoltners and Sinha, its two founders.
How big is ZS?
Its About page says more than 15,000 employees in 40-plus offices worldwide. Its careers page still says more than 13,000 ZSers in 35+ offices, so use the About figure.
Is ZS only a healthcare firm?
No. ZS's 2023 founders' article says it serves clients in global healthcare, technology, agribusiness and food, high-tech, travel and transportation and more.
How do I tailor why ZS to my role?
ZS's careers page lists roles across consulting, project delivery, platform and products, and corporate services. Name the path you applied to, say what the work involves as far as you know it, and give one reason it fits what you have done.