Lux Research Analyst Interview Questions
& Process

I interviewed for an Analyst/Consultant job. A director reached out the day after I applied to schedule the first interview. The overall interview process was a mix of good and bad, which I feel reflects the company's culture and the consulting industry broadly. The first interview was with a research director who had a technical PhD and was very professional and honest. Our conversation flowed easily, covering everything from daily tasks to strategic discussions on the future of metaverse, automation, and robotics. We both felt confident about my fit, and he even suggested I could be a project leader immediately. We also briefly discussed salary expectations, and I got the impression they had a specific budget for the role, but the difference wasn't significant. Impressed, he arranged a second interview with a colleague. The second interview was with an MBA graduate from an Ivy League school (starting with W). This was very disappointing. He seemed to be trying to impress or intimidate me throughout the interview, not listening but focused on using business jargon he'd learned in business school, though not effectively. We couldn't even have a proper discussion. I had a high opinion of the firm and the business school before this, even considering it for an MBA, but this experience changed my view. I never heard back after the second interview, presumably because of how it went. He didn't learn anything about me, and his interviewing skills were poor, which I say confidently as a coach and hiring manager. I was initially excited about this role, especially since the firm prides itself on being highly technical. Now I understand why the company reviews are often poor. To be fair, this might be an isolated incident and not representative of the whole firm, but it's my honest experience and feedback for them. Sometimes things don't work out as planned, but perhaps as they should.

I had a phone interview, and we mainly talked about my resume. It's still ongoing, and I have more calls scheduled with both HR and the hiring manager. I'll also get a writing test an hour before one of the calls.

It was intensive. I had an unannounced phone interview with a senior analyst, then another scheduled one with HR, and finally an in-person meeting with office staff. I had to prepare a 20-minute PPT presentation on a technical topic with 4 days' notice. With three days left, I received an email asking me to create a 3-page factsheet on a completely different subject. On the day itself, the entire process took 5 hours. It was intense and very tiring. They said they were very impressed with my work, and then I never heard from them again.