Russell Reynolds Associate Interview Questions
& Process

I had two phone screens, a personality assessment, and two onsite interviews. Honestly, I would not recommend interviewing with this company. They scheduled my onsite during a snowstorm, so I had to reschedule to get into Manhattan from an outer borough. They were cool about rescheduling, and I met with two associates. After that, I waited alone in a room for TWO AND A HALF hours for the Managing Director. Nobody told me to reschedule or anything. When the MD finally showed up, she was late and eating a salad (like I wasn't waiting all morning), spent maybe 15 minutes talking, and was clearly stressed about a client issue. She left pretty quickly. The interview felt rushed and she didn't really ask much about my background or work views to make any kind of decision. On top of that, it took them over a month to respond, even after I followed up weekly. The final response was a generic email, which felt like a slap in the face after all the interviews (two onsites) and the 1-2 hour personality/IQ test. Total waste of time. If I wasn't qualified, they should have figured that out sooner or at least given me a decision over the phone considering everything.

Interviews involved multiple rounds through in person, phone, and video. I met with my direct potential colleagues and other leaders in the group. They wanted to get a feel for my personality and how I would fit in. Some key people weren't available on the scheduled interview days, so we had to reschedule some parts.

It was a long process with 7 rounds, starting with a screening call with HR. They really make sure both sides are sure about each other. They try to keep you engaged with frequent check-ins and give feedback if they think you're the one. There were also some tests for the job.