Any idea on final decision timelines for ZS Associates in London?

Question

Hello everyone!

Does anyone know how long ZS Associates take to revert with their final decisions to applicants once all the rounds of interviews are over in London?

Some context: I have interviewed for a Associate Consultant position for the London office. I had 6 rounds of interviews in total: 1 HR round, 2 case interviews, 2 "evidence-based" interviews, and a panel interview.

All of these were with ZSers of different seniorities from the EU. The person who is actually hiring for her team (apparently multiple positions to be filled in this new expertise of the firm) was involved in two of my interviews.

Each interview was in essence an elimination round and my objective view of all six interviews put together is that that it is a good match between applicant and firm; the final interview was the best one as it concluded with the team lead being very encouraging.

The issue: Its been three weeks since that "highly positive" final interview and there is no word from the HR. I have sent the team two follow-ups (once every ~10 calendar days or so) but there is no reply. Its been eerily silent for me.

The ask: Does anyone here know if, a) this is normal, b) why they are taking so much time, and c) what this could mean for me?

Thank you!

Answer 1

Hi,

The wait for interview results is nerve wracking - i've been there too.

The reality is that you will honestly never know what is the reason behind this, and what it means for you. Nobody on this forum can tell you that. The only people that know this would be the recruiting team in ZS. Everything else is just speculation.

There are 2 things you could do now:

If you have a contact/network in ZS, then asking them to help follow up and check on the status is often the most effective way
Continue to follow up every ~10 calendar days

It isn't ideal that they haven't replied you at all, but does this mean its because the interviewers are too busy and haven't had time to complete your evaluations? Or is it because they have rejected you but are unprofessional and so are not even bothering to give you a rejection? Really - nobody knows.

It's painful to wait but unfortunately that's all you can do for now. Take a breather, and perhaps try to spend your time enjoying things you like to do - when you join consulting, you won't have any time left :)

Answer 2

Totally hear you; that silence after a long interview process can feel really unsettling, especially when the last round went well.

a) Is this normal?
Unfortunately, yes, especially with firms like ZS where final approvals often go through multiple layers (e.g., team lead, HR, staffing). Three weeks without a reply isn’t great, but it’s not unheard of. Delays can be due to internal coordination, global approvals, or even just seasonal HR backlogs.

b) Why the delay?
A few possibilities:

They may still be aligning internally (especially if it's a new team or capability being built)
They're finalizing headcount or offer details, which sometimes involves multiple geographies
In some cases, firms delay responses while they interview backup or competing candidates to finalize decisions

c) What could this mean for you?
The encouraging tone from the team lead is a strong signal, but the silence could mean:

You're still in consideration but stuck in internal processes
You’re on a shortlist and they’re evaluating remaining options
Less likely: they’ve moved on but haven’t communicated yet (some firms aren’t great with closure)

What you can do now:

Send one final, polite follow-up this week; keep it short and reaffirm your interest
If you have a recruiter contact, try reaching out via LinkedIn as well
In the meantime, continue your search; not as a backup, but to maintain momentum and options

I know it’s frustrating when there’s no feedback, especially after six rounds. But your takeaway should be this: if the fit felt strong and the team was excited, that’s still meaningful. Sometimes good news just takes longer than it should.

Happy to help you draft a follow-up, fingers crossed for you!

Answer 3

Hi there,

1) Is this normal

No, 3 weeks after a final is not normal. In most cases, you hear back within one week after the final round with a reputable consulting firm, regardless of the outcome. It doesn’t necessarily mean you will be rejected, though (see point #2).

2) Why they are taking so much time, what this could mean for me

There could be multiple reasons for the delay:

Partners got busy and cannot align to provide feedback
HR got busy and cannot align to provide feedback
They want to conclude the process with the candidates in the pipeline
They want to align on the future project pipeline to define the exact recruiting needs

As next steps, I would recommend:

Assuming the worst-case scenario that this is a rejection, and look for other firms
Waiting at least 1 week from the last follow-up, then call the office for an update

Good luck!

Francesco

Answer 4

Hi,

First, the positive is your interview went well. You should pay yourself on the back for that.

To address your questions, I cannot speak from the perspective of a specific office but can speak in general from my experience working at ZS.

a. This is not normal.

b. It is not possible to say why they are taking so much time. There could be so many reasons. However, I can say ZS is a very professional firm, and the interview panel meets soon after the interview to provide their feedback. So it could be they have a couple of candidates interviewing and they are waiting to make the final selections at the end. Or with the changing environment, their hiring plans may have changed or put on hold. This is again speculation.

c. The only thing you can do is follow up in every 10 day cadence or like someone mentioned, if you know someone internally, ask them if they have any idea or if they can follow up with HR.

The good thing is since you have not received any news, there is still a chance you may get selected.

Hope this helps alleviate your nerves. All the best!

Soh

Answer 5

It is not abnormal to take up to a month.

Answer 6

Sorry to hear they're taking so long.

Try not to read too much into it.

Often times, when this happens, it's a combination of reasons. The interviewers didn't get to connect after your interview, they then struggled to find a time together, then one went on vacation, then the recruiter went on vacation, then somebody went on medical leave and soon enough 3 weeks have passed and you're still waiting.

It's good that you followed up. This is as much as you can do. Now it's a waiting game.

Try to put your energy in other applications so at least something is moving in the meantime.

Keeping my fingers crossed for you!
Best,
Cristian