Joining zeb after a Master’s degree
A straight path to success
You’re a freethinker who wants to put their creativity to good use? Then join zeb in consulting after your Master’s degree. Shape the future of the financial industry together with us and show us what you can do. Together we will develop a career plan that is based entirely on your wishes and abilities. We support you in your development and enable you to become an expert by offering a comprehensive range of training and further education.
What we offer
Your onboarding at zeb usually gets going with a highlight: the introductory “zeb.start” week, where you will get to know the other newcomers and the company. In various formats, we introduce you to the departments and work tools so that you are optimally prepared for everyday life as a Consultant. The focus of the start week is on expanding your skills. You can expect training sessions and case studies in which you gain valuable insights from experienced project managers and challenge yourself.
You will also be given your consulting equipment: a company smartphone and laptop.
Your first “real” working day starts with the journey to the office you chose during the application process. Upon your arrival, you will be warmly welcomed by your mentor, known as your “Career Development Counselor”, and introduced to the organization of the location.
Afterwards you will receive information about the project you will start working on. As a Consultant you will work on projects at banks, insurance companies or other financial service providers. The range of topics is extensive and includes everything from digitalization to risk management. If you’re deployed on a client project, you will be out and about from Monday to Thursday. On Fridays you can work from the zeb office or from home.
We not only place great emphasis on project work, but also on topic work. For this reason, all Consultants choose their so-called “Practice Group”, their thematic home, when they come on board. The PGs develop new topics further and drive both future topics and new technologies. There is usually time on Fridays for this topic work. If the focus of your work changes, it is no problem to change your thematic home and delve into new fields.
In order to support you in your development in the best possible way, we offer you an extensive training and education program. This will help you to stay relevant in a world that never stands still and give you everything you need to achieve your career goals.
For your commitment, you will receive a performance-related salary consisting of a fixed and a variable part as well as 28 days of vacation per year in Germany. At our other European locations the conditions may differ.
Of course, life as a Consultant should not be all work and no play. Take advantage of the opportunity to mix and mingle with your colleagues. Participate in events, experience our corporate culture during the Christmas party or the company-wide networking days at zeb.Uni and use our inviting office spaces for a beer after work or a foosball match! Find out what other benefits you can expect as a Consultant.
What we expect
We are looking for people with excellent academic achievements, the courage to take on responsibility, who enjoy trying out new things and who inspire others through their actions. Have you already gained practical experience outside of your studies? So much the better.
- You are team-oriented, communicative and responsible.
- You enjoy questioning the status quo as a team.
- Excellent university degree (MBA, Master’s or PhD).
- First experience in consulting, in the financial sector or with a tech company through internships or vocational training.
- You are fluent in English, ideally German and the respective national language.
Typical daily routine as a Consultant
In consulting, no day is like the other. If you want to get a first impression of your possible tasks and daily routines on a typical Office Friday as a Consultant, click through our photo gallery.
Traveling to the office
8.30 a.m.: This Friday, Marvin has decided to go in to the office. He wants to follow up on some things he didn’t quite finish during the project he returned from the night before. He also needs to talk to a few colleagues today. Because this works much better in person, Marvin knew that he didn’t want to work from home today.
Arranging meetings
8.45 a.m.: Once Marvin has arrived in the office, he looks for a comfortable workplace, fetches a coffee and looks in his calendar. He makes a few notes about important topics. Good preparation is everything.
Video conference
9.15 a.m.: Marvin’s first appointment today is a video conference with his project team. Using Skype, the whole team—which is currently spread across various zeb offices and home office locations—can get together virtually. Progress on the project is discussed and to-dos for the following week are determined.
Preparing a presentation
10.45 a.m.: Marvin has until noon to do work on a typical Consultant’s task—a PowerPoint presentation that needs to be finished. The storyline is already in place, but some analyses still have to be carried out. Marvin uses specific reports and analyzes the data with an Excel tool. He adds the results to his presentation. Luckily for him, PowerPoint provides Marvin with numerous tools that make it easier to present the results.
Lunch break
12.30 a.m.: Marvin decides to go to lunch with some colleagues. The small café right next to the office sells freshly brewed coffee and light snacks.
Phone call with the client
1.15 p.m.: After the lunch break, one of the client’s staff members calls Marvin. An item on the current status report for the project needs to be clarified.
Practice Group Call
1.30 p.m.: The practice group that Marvin is assigned to is having one of its regular phone calls this afternoon. PG calls are usually on Fridays, as Consultants are no longer at the client’s premises at that point. Thematically, it is about news including current figures, PG-specific acquisition approaches as well as internal topic work and cooperation between practice groups.
Running a workshop
2.30 p.m.: To support zeb’s employer branding, Marvin joined his office’s graduate recruiting team. The team maintains contact with student groups and university chairs and organizes a wide range of events. This afternoon Marvin is running a workshop about agile methods and following a SCRUM approach together with an intern and another consultant.
Travelling home
5.30 p.m.: It’s now the end of the working day for Marvin and he can ride his bike into a well-deserved weekend.
What have you learned as a Consultant in Finance & Risk?
Expertise is important. But what matters more is the willingness to learn, curiosity and intrinsic enjoyment of the topics.
Why did you decide to take the job as a Consultant at zeb?
As a recent university graduate, I wanted to start with a job where I could experience and learn a lot. Starting in consulting was therefore ideal for me.
What was the most exciting task as a Consultant and why?
In my first year at zeb, I had the opportunity to develop a market entry strategy for an international challenger bank together with three other colleagues. Developing an innovative business model requires a high degree of innovative ability on the part of the consultants in addition to classic strategy development, which enabled me to learn several new skills.
What do you like most about your position at zeb?
At zeb, everyone can shape their own career from day one. It is entirely up to you which path you want to take. In addition, you receive the best possible support from all sides to help you grow by taking on new tasks.
Further information
Do you want to know more? Take a look at the following pages and get to know us even better.
