What it’s like to be placed as a Research Analyst at Nielsen? -By Siddharth Kumar from KJ SIMSR

Nielsen Holdings PLC operated in over 100 countries, is American information, data, and market measurement firm. I felt amazing when I got to know that my CV was shortlisted for the role of a Research Analyst at Nielsen after various rounds.

The 4-phase placement process

Nielsen has a 4-step process for hiring a Research analyst. Each round was carried for an average of 40 minutes.

I did not prepare much, to be honest. I attended classes with full attention as most of the content in the 2nd year of Marketing is just a revision of what is taught in the 1st year. I reminded myself - If you can be just yourself and not act over smart, you can crack this interview!

Also, I knew my weak point. I had an idea that I will be grilled on some of the listings on my Resume so I was prepared to take ownership of my mistakes (low score in graduation and 3 years of gap in education). Also, a friend once told me that they always ask about sampling in interviews so that was the only topic I focused on. I would advise any future candidates in the same field to remember this. 

There was no GD. The aptitude test was fairly straightforward but lengthy. It required long calculations. As a backup plan, I was also preparing for IBPS and SBI PO so that helped me in the aptitude test. When the aptitude results were declared, I was in the 3rd position. This gave me a great amount of confidence. 

The ultimate interview experience

I felt that the Interview process was very smooth and conducted professionally. The HRs were punctual and communicative. The role and job function were very crisply explained in the pre-placement talk and our doubts were also cleared. The entire placement process was wrapped up on the same day.

For the Technical round, the person interviewing me was a Senior Manager. I felt that he was helpful and made me comfortable before the interview started. During the interview, he asked me the 4 stages of a Product Life Cycle, however, I could not recall the answer and denied it. He responded by telling me the first 2 stages and asked me for the last 2, luckily I was then able to recall and gave him the answer. In the HR round, the tension was high as I was constantly grilled on my resume but I knew that they were just testing my personality and how I respond under pressure.

One inch closer to the dream

My dream profile has always been Consulting and the company in which I am placed is into Market Research. Although market research is a step below consulting, they are still interrelated and I’m quite happy with the position as Nielsen is the number one company in the world when it comes to Market Research. Also, with a revenue of 5 Billion dollars with only 44 thousand employees, it speaks volumes about the productivity it can bill out of its employees.

Another thing that I loved is that it provides work from home option up to 2 days in a week which shows that the company values work-life balance. But satisfaction is not the goal. I always want to learn and move forward. I want to work for at least 2-3 years in Market Research and if luck permits will try to switch to management consulting or AI (ML).

Never lose hope!

During my 1st year, I was amongst the last 40 students to get a summer internship in a batch of 520 students. This had completely shattered my confidence after failing in nearly 20 interviews. During the lockdown, I started focusing on my health and lost nearly 12 kgs which significantly boosted my confidence. Fast forward to the final placement season, I was not shortlisted in the first 9 companies that I applied for. Nielsen was the first company where I was shortlisted and I knew I had to crack this interview given my poor resume and also the pandemic situation. Overall, I am very happy with the way this entire MBA journey has turned out for me.

Check out some other inspiring stories:

• Rohit Chakraborty beats all the odds and bags placement at Bausch and Lomb
• How to prepare for placements | Gokul’s journey to Colgate Palmolive 
• My experience in retail risk at IDFC First Bank -By Apoorva Bansal from IIM Shillong
• My journey at Cisco in the shoes of a Project Manager -By Shivam Aggarwal from SIBM Pune