Maru Group Interview Questions
& Process

A recruiter reached out, and I stressed my qual research background. The initial interview went well. Then, I was given an exercise to complete. The subsequent interview was okay, though the panel seemed focused on quant research, which was a bit unexpected given the job description's emphasis on qual. They didn't appear very open to new ideas or innovation. It sometimes felt like talking to bots.

Applied through the careers website and HR got back to me quickly to set up an interview. It was mostly a resume review and behavioral questions. The HR person didn't know much about the role and could barely explain it, so I had to fill in the blanks. She also asked if I'd consider other roles, but again, couldn't explain the differences. She mentioned she'd check my salary expectations with the hiring manager and get back in 2 days, but I heard nothing. After a week, I followed up via email, still no response. They didn't even send a rejection email, which I find unprofessional, especially since they offer salaries significantly below market rate.

The hiring manager handled the interview process directly, and it wasn't super smooth. When I interview with smaller consulting firms, I'm a bit skeptical at first and want to learn about the organization during the initial call. I also prefer a personal touch if the first screen doesn't work out since I took the time to introduce myself. I was told the next steps would take two weeks, which is a long time, and then I was rejected the next day, which is odd considering the two-week timeline. They didn't share any information about compensation at this stage. There needs to be a match in interest, and I think this is largely due to how busy I am with other projects and opportunities. So, if you're really passionate about the work and the organization, it could be a good fit.

The interview started with an hour-long Excel test focusing on pivot tables, which wasn't too hard. After that, I had a panel interview that lasted another hour with both my direct manager and her manager. They seemed really nice and were easy to chat with.