Meet Harjot, Parika and Bhavi—our new data science associates in Bengaluru, India who joined us recently after completing their internship. We caught up with them to understand their experience of working from home, their favorite moments with the team and their take on life at ZS.
What is your favorite moment of working at ZS so far?
My favorite moment at ZS would be presenting a knowledge cafe of my first project to the ZS leadership team. It was wonderful to see their amazement by the way we were controlling the AI gallery with hand gestures and voice.
Other than that, my favorite moments during working from home were having the daily evening catch-ups with the team to discuss the progress of our ongoing projects. I loved how everyone made sure to never compromise on the collaboration front.
What I love about ZS is the culture and how everyone is treated here. Even the leadership is so humble, and people are more than willing to help. I have realized that hierarchy here means responsibility and to hold individuals accountable for the contributions they make to the firm; and even as an intern, I always felt being a part of ZS in its entirety.
Share your experience of joining a new company in completely unprecedented times.
I joined ZS back in January, when the ramifications of the COVID-19 were still in the dark. I thoroughly enjoyed my first two months at ZS—meeting and working with people who share the same interests felt rewarding. Everyone in the Bengaluru office made me feel welcome with the fun introduction sessions and the energetic biweekly catchups.
ZS announced a week of work from home, a week before the lockdown was announced. I wasn’t sure how this would pan out, as we were used to interacting and brainstorming in the office. But shifting gears and adopting the WFH practices was made seamless by ZS. Despite being at our homes, whenever the team came together for a catch-up—the zeal was infectious, and the energetic discussions acted as the fuel for the entire day. Connecting regularly over Zoom for every aspect of the project ensured a smooth development process. Not to forget the fun in the biweekly sessions continued online!
Any anecdote or a nugget from your experience at ZS so far that you would like to share?
I joined in January as a data science intern and worked on my first project. It was an amazing experience because for the first time, rather than simply implementing an algorithm, we were enhancing and creating one. My four-month intern period in the Bengaluru office was an excellent learning experience. I got a chance to pick up many new skills and learned a lot from the team.
The lockdown was a bummer for everyone, but I still had frequent Zoom calls with the other interns and employees to catch up and joke around. Coincidentally, before the lockdown my workstation in the Bengaluru office was the same one which I had used during the ZS hackathon back in August 2019 before getting recruited. I guess I saved my seat!
