I did one two-on-one behavioral style interview at my university's campus. They asked me to answer in the STAR format. The interviews were very friendly, but it is clear that it is a very competitive program.

The first round was through my college recruitment process. I was interviewed by a current ELP Associate and someone at a Director level. They were both very nice and engaging. The interview was entirely behavioral; however, it was more challenging than any other behavioral interview I've been a part of. Even still, it was conversational and relaxed. I was invited to the second and final round in NYC, which included three 1 on 1 interviews with Senior Vice Presidents, a case presentation, and a personal presentation. The two associates who interviewed me first round reach out to me to answer any questions I had moving into the final round. Everyone was friendly and everything felt more casual and comfortable than I anticipated. These interviews were also very conversational and the day flew by. I felt good about them and really loved Nielsen, but I ultimately did not get an offer. The only negative thing I have to say about Nielsen is their method of rejection. I got a generic email late at night from a recruiter I did not know. After numerous interviews, meeting with multiple people in the firm, and interviewing alongside a small pool of candidates in the final round, I did expect a phone call or at least an email from someone I became familiar with throughout the process. My immediate reaction was that it must have been a mistake because I could not imagine that after such a positive experience with Nielsen, they would reject me in such an impersonal way. Overall it was a good experience. I felt valued until the last (and most critical, I would argue) moment.

I applied online for the role. About a week later I got an email to set up a phone interview for about 45 minutes. It wasn't more of a phone screen but an actual structured interview with questions. The beginning was more of a tell me about yourself and then we got into the questions which were some basic questions and some behavioral based ones. I thought the interview went pretty well. A couple of weeks later I received an email that they decided to move forward with other candidates. I was really surprised because I felt that I was a great candidate but it was otherwise.