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The Nielsen Company Professional Services Analyst Interview Questions & Reviews

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Updated Mar 21, 2012 – Interview questions and reviews posted anonymously by interview candidates.

Difficulty Rating [?] Based on 12 ratings

3.2

“Average” Interview

Interview Experience [?] Based on 12 ratings

Positive	58%
Neutral	33%
Negative	8%

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1–10 of 12 The Nielsen Company Interviews

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4.0

Difficult Interview

Overall Neutral Experience

Received and Declined Offer

Interviewed Mar 2012 in Chicago, IL (took 5 weeks)

Met multiple times at career fairs and was offered interviews each time. Finally accepted interview which consisted of a 1:1 interview after passing the analytic test a week or two in advance. I was contacted approximately two weeks later for an on-site interview which consists of a lunch and three interviews.

Interview Questions

Describe a time you failed.

Answer Question

Other Details

The interview consisted of a 1:1 Interview, an IQ/Intelligence Test and a Skills Test.

Helpful Interview?

Yes | No

Inappropriate?

3.0

Average Interview

Overall Positive Experience

Interviewed and No Offer

Interviewed Dec 2011 (took 3 weeks)

After submitting a resume, I was invited to write the Analytic Test. Since they were pleased with my results, I was offered an interview - first with someone from the HR department, and then with two managers. The interview was arranged via email and phone. They were very accommodating of my school schedule.

I had a positive experience with the people involved. The two interviewers were very welcoming and made me feel at ease. I felt at ease throughout the interview as they were very laid back.

The work culture was amazing. They strongly promote a work-life balance, which I loved.

Interview Questions

This job is very fast-paced and you could have many projects on the go at once. How do you handle this?

Answer Question

Describe a time you had to explain something to someone.

Answer Question

Other Details

The interview consisted of a Group/Panel Interview and an IQ/Intelligence Test.

Helpful Interview?

Yes | No

Inappropriate?

3.0

Average Interview

Overall Neutral Experience

Received and Declined Offer

Interviewed Oct 2011 (took a day)

First round was at my school through the career center...basic behavioral questions with some analytical ones thrown in. The questions posted previously on this site were in my interview and helped me a lot. There was also a written test, I think 10 or so math problems, a writing sample, and a case study. I'm a very fast test taker and I finished with only about 15 minutes to recheck my answers. Pretty easy over all though.

Second round was an office visit, first went out to lunch with a current employee, then was interviewed by three managers. Questions were similar to the first round questions.

Interview Questions

The Listerine question

Answer Question

Other Details

The interview consisted of a 1:1 Interview and a Skills Test.

Helpful Interview?

Yes | No

Inappropriate?

3.0

Average Interview

Overall Neutral Experience

Interviewed and No Offer

Interviewed Mar 2011 in Markham, ON (Canada) (took 7 months)

I applied through on-campus employment service back in September 2010, and I didn't hear about them until March 2011, when they asked me to pass analytical test. The test was pretty straightforward(10 math questions and 2 essays). Now waiting for their next action, maybe in couple of years...

Interview Questions

Using Venn-diagram calculate number of people. Total number is 100 people. out of them 70 read nightly newspaper and 40 read morning. 20 read neither. Calculate number of people who read only one newspaper, who read both and who read at least one

View Answers (2)

Calculating break even sales of one company based on the results of another one

Answer Question

Other Details

I got the interview through a College or University and the interview consisted of a Skills Test.

Helpful Interview?

Yes | No

Inappropriate?

3.0

Average Interview

Overall Positive Experience

Interviewed and No Offer

Interviewed Nov 2010 (took 3 weeks)

Started with a one-one interview, then had to complete a math/writing test. After passing the first round, traveled to Wilton, CT for a on-site interview, which involved 3 1:1 interviews.

Interview Questions

How would you figure out the number of people in NY who drank coffee today?

Answer Question

Other Details

The interview consisted of a Skills Test and a 1:1 Interview.

Helpful Interview?

Yes | No

Inappropriate?

3.0

Average Interview

Overall Neutral Experience

Interviewed and No Offer

Interviewed Nov 2010 in Chicago, IL (took 1 week)

It was fairly straight forward. I had an in person interview at my school's career services office. The interview lasted roughly 30 minutes. Then I had to take an exam that surrounded some basic to more complex mathematical principles.

Interview Questions

"Why do you want to work for Nielsen?"

Answer Question

Other Details

I got the interview through a College or University and the interview consisted of a Skills Test and a 1:1 Interview.

Helpful Interview?

Yes | No

Inappropriate?

3.0

Average Interview

Overall Positive Experience

Interviewed and No Offer

Interviewed Oct 2010 (took a day)

The interview was very insightful. The interviewer was helpful answering all of my questions and we both connected, sharing many of the same interests. The behavioral interview included a market sizing question some industry questions and the typical personal questions. The written exam was semi-tough. Make sure to freshen up on your basic statistics (union, non-union, etc.)

Interview Questions

The statistics questions on the written exam.

Answer Question

Other Details

I got the interview through a College or University and the interview consisted of a 1:1 Interview.

Helpful Interview?

Yes | No

Inappropriate?

3.0

Average Interview

Overall Negative Experience

Interviewed and No Offer

Interviewed Nov 2010 (took 2+ months)

I was selected through college recruiting to participate in an initial interview. I met with a Nielsen executive. This was a very easy interview, and the interviewer was very friendly and helpful about providing information about the company. I had to take a test (basic statistics, a few case studies), but that was no problem. I then went to their office, where I interviewed with three executives. The first seemed very disinterested and even mentioned that we should just try and get this over with, and pretty much immediately alerted me that I wouldn't be getting an offer, before I even began to talk or was asked any questions. I then met with the two other executives, who were much better at portraying an interest, and seemed like very nice people. Therefore, these interviews went much better. I got the gist that the company may be running into financial problems, due to a failed IPO (they are owned by private equities). Not shockingly, I did not get an offer. They have also failed to reimburse anyone (i've talked to the other candidates) for travel expenses, leaving me with a sour taste, given that it took a day of driving to get there, a day of interviewing, and a day to drive back, all to find that I was dismissed as soon as I walked in the door (they also "supposedly" put me up in a very nice hotel, which I will apparently have to pay for). Also, they took over 3 weeks to get back to me on whether or not I would receive an offer, which was nice, as they have yet to respond to anyone else from my school.

Interview Questions

Tell me about your budgeting experience

Answer Question

Other Details

I got the interview through a Recruiter and the interview consisted of a Skills Test and a 1:1 Interview.

Helpful Interview?

Yes | No

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Inappropriate?

4.0

Difficult Interview

Overall Positive Experience

Interviewed and No Offer

Interviewed Nov 2010 in Chicago, IL (took 2 weeks)

I applied online through their online portal. I received a phone call a few weeks later, stating that I had been selected for a phone interview. I completed the interview on a Tuesday and the next day was told that Nielsen was interested in further pursuing me as a candidate. They scheduled an analytical test for that Friday. It was not easy, consisted of 10 problems and 2 case studies. I received an email that following Monday stating that I had passed the exam and was scheduled for an on-site interview. I interviewed that Friday in their Chicago, IL office. The first interview was lunch with a new Analyst, which amounted to a candid, low-pressure conversation. From there I met with one Director/VP of each of the 3 Professional Services units, individually. These each lasted about 45 minutes. Finally, we (myself and other candidates) concluded the interview in a round-table type setting with HR, some VPs, and some SVPs.

I left the interview feeling confident, but received an email about 2 weeks later stating that they decided to pursue other candidates.

Overall the interview process was positive. It seems like a great company to work for if given the opportunity.

Interview Questions

Name a time when someone you had a disagreement with someone you worked with? How did you resolve it?

Answer Question

Name a time when you had to make a quick decision.

Answer Question

Name a time when you had conflicting priorities, all on similar deadlines.
(lots of "name a time when..." questions)

Answer Question

Other Details

I Applied Online and the interview consisted of a Phone Interview, a 1:1 Interview, a Group/Panel Interview, an IQ/Intelligence Test and a Skills Test.

Helpful Interview?

Yes | No

Inappropriate?

3.0

Average Interview

Overall Positive Experience

Interviewed and No Offer

Interviewed Oct 2010 (took 5 weeks)

Applied through university career site and was granted an interview. Interview was mostly behavioral (how do you describe a difficult idea to a group of people? tell me of a situation in which you did not get along with someone you were working with, etc) and there was one case-like question (you are consulting with a company who's market share is growing but with flat product sales...how do you advise them or explain the situation)? There was also an analytic assessment test w/ some basic microeconomic and probability questions.

Interviewer was very nice and the entire process was pretty comfortable. Received notification in about 2 weeks that I did not get a second interview.