Korn Ferry Associate Interview Questions
& Process

You will start with a recruiter call with two TAs and HR to discuss the role and your experience. Then, you'll have a round with a partner to go over your background and aspirations and ask about team dynamics. After that, a managing associate will explain how assignments and teamwork function within the group. Finally, you'll meet with another junior partner for a similar discussion.

Started with a phone call from a recruiter, followed by a chat with the hiring manager. Then, I got to come in for a whole day of interviews with four Sr. Client Partners from different practices and a Sr. Associate. Two weeks passed, and I was invited back for the exact same day of interviews, and then I got a call one morning to come in that same afternoon (luckily I was free). Everyone was nice and the interviews were mostly about if I was a good fit and why I wanted to be a recruiter. Pretty much, they wanted to see if you have the people skills and don't get intimidated by talking to executives.

A recruiter reached out on LinkedIn for an initial call to see if I was a good fit and if I was interested in the Calgary location. We also discussed salary on that first call. The actual interviews started the following week and lasted for four weeks. I had two in-person interviews at their downtown office over two weeks, followed by a virtual interview in the third week. In total, I met seven people from the team. After that, there were about two hours of assessments. They also asked for five references, but none of them were actually contacted. When it came to the offer, I got a text saying an offer would be coming within the week. Then, the senior partner called and wanted me to start a month earlier than my earliest availability, which I had mentioned during the interviews, to fit their timeline. Right after that, they told me a salary that was $30,000 less than what I was initially told. They also said an offer letter would come from head office via DocuSign and that there was no room for negotiation. When I brought up the initial salary figure, the partner immediately went into sales mode, giving lots of reasons to pressure me into accepting the role, even with the huge compensation difference. I was on the phone for 45 minutes listening to why I should take the job, but none of the reasons made up for the $30,000 difference.