5 questions for … Alina about her first contact with zeb
Release date: 10 October 2023
Alina has been working as a Senior Consultant at zeb since June. Prior to that, she spent ten years working for a savings bank, followed by a project work position at Deloitte. Via XING, she got in touch with one of our zeb colleagues, who left a good impression on her, which convinced her to get to know other colleagues in virtual meetings as well. Read on to find out how the entire contact process went – from the first meeting to the job change – and what finally convinced her to join zeb.
What was your first thought when you were contacted by zeb colleagues via XING?
I first got in touch with zeb via the career portal XING, where I received a message from a zeb colleague, and my initial thought was something like: “… Great, another run-of-the-mill message.” However, I quickly noticed that this message was different and stood out from other requests, which struck me as very positive. It was a very personal and, above all, tailored to me, so I could instantly tell that it had not been sent to a large number of other XING users via “copy and paste”.
The colleague who contacted me had, for example, looked at my profile in advance and used my personal background to illustrate why I could fit in at zeb with my qualifications. That convinced me and made me curious.
Did you know zeb before?
No, I didn’t know zeb before the first contact via XING. For 10 years, I was employed at a savings bank that had no touchpoints with consulting companies. After that, I worked at Deloitte, but I didn’t come across zeb during any of my projects, either.
How long were you in contact with the colleague who approached you when you decided to have a get-to-know meeting?
The initial contact took place in November last year and convinced me to arrange a virtual meeting with a consultant to learn more about zeb and the daily consulting routine from first-hand accounts. This direct and personal conversation took place no more than one week after the initial contact, so it came about fairly quickly.
How did things go for you after that? What were the next steps in the process before you started working at zeb?
After the first virtual meeting, I was impressed by zeb and my curiosity about a potential entry grew. So another appointment was arranged with another colleague, which allowed me to get to know the company and the team even better. This appointment was equally convincing, so I decided to apply.
At the beginning of January, I had an interview in the course of which I was tasked with solving a case. It went well, so I was invited to another personal interview at the Münster office. In addition to the normal interview, I was asked to solve another case, after which I received an offer directly! So the entire hiring process from initial contact to offer took little more than a month. A few days after I received the offer, I accepted it and now I have been working at zeb since June.
What convinced you of zeb?
There were and still are several that that convinced me of zeb. The entire hiring process was very friendly, personal and, most importantly, quick, i.e. I received very direct feedback. All colleagues I encountered were very open and friendly.
Another plus was the scope of activities associated with my position, which allows me to work closely with savings banks again. What I also remember very positively is that I was provided a “female buddy” as soon as I was offered a contract, with whom I could discuss all things related to my new position even before starting to work at zeb, which felt like a very close and personal form of mentorship. I also really liked the opportunities zeb offers for promoting women through initiatives such as “women@zeb”.
