This past summer (Summer 2025), Jake interned with ZS Associates as a Business Technology Solutions Consultant Intern in their San Francisco Office. ZS is a consulting firm that specializes in pharma clients, and his role was to provide support on three separate projects over the course of the summer.
Name: Jake Hoffman
Class Year: Class of 2026
Major: Computer Science and Mathematics
Internship: ZS Associates
Internship Location: San Francisco, CA
What skills or knowledge did you gain from this experience?
This was my crash course into the consulting realm! As a technology consultant I got to use more software and became incredibly knowledgeable on CRM building and aspects, however I also got to gain a lot of the “typical consultant” skills such as storytelling when presenting PowerPoints, time management when working on three projects at once, as well as cohort leadership when organizing a volunteer-day activity with my fellow interns to give back to the community.
How did this experience shape or confirm your career interests?
I feel like it’s a really special thing to love what you do for work, and without a doubt I was incredibly engaged and passionate on the projects I worked on this summer. I would frequently “nerd out” explaining the specifics of my work, automating key functions a CRM that can later be sold to clients. My work also related to three different pharma sectors (medical technology, major clients, and small clients) so my experience this past summer confirmed how different projects in different spaces really aligned to my interests!
What advice would you give other students looking for similar opportunities?
I applied to 230 internships that year, and got accepted to a role that was my 3rd application (applied in June, a full year in advance). The job market is really unpredictable, but I found myself taking chances, finding ways to align my experience, and always being up for the challenge. I truly believe that such a mindset is what will help you stand out from the typical application pool.
What was the most meaningful or rewarding part of your summer?
At the end of my time at ZS Associates, I got to have “transfer of knowledge” meetings with my team. This meant that the work I did this past summer amounted to something that would continue being built out, and that my contribution truly made a difference and could be referenced in the ongoing project I was assigned. It was a little strange being on a Teams call with a whole bunch of adults and teaching them how to code certain things as an itsy bitsy college intern… but it was also a confidence boost, and a reminder that my work matters!
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