ABC Consultants
ABC Consultants interview process for recruitment consultant roles, plus how ABC screens candidates for its client companies: rounds, questions and FAQs.
- 428 open jobs
- 1969 founded
- New Delhi headquarters
About ABC Consultants
ABC Consultants is one of India's oldest and largest recruitment and executive search firms, founded in 1969 and headquartered in Gurugram, with offices in Mumbai, Bengaluru, Chennai, Hyderabad, Pune and Kolkata. It places mid-level, senior and leadership professionals across banking and financial services, consumer, pharmaceuticals and healthcare, technology, manufacturing, infrastructure and professional services, and works with several hundred client companies including many of the country's largest employers.
There are two ways you may meet ABC Consultants in a job search. You may be applying to work at ABC itself, typically as an associate consultant, consultant or research analyst who sources and assesses candidates for clients. Or you may be a candidate whom an ABC consultant is presenting to a client, in which case ABC runs the first screening interview before the client's own rounds.
For its own hires ABC looks for strong communication, persistence, an interest in industries and people, and comfort with targets, since consultants are measured on placements. MBA graduates, people from HR backgrounds and sales professionals are common entrants.
ABC Consultants hiring process
This section covers joining ABC Consultants as a recruitment professional. The rounds section below also explains what to expect when ABC screens you for a client role.
1. Application and resume screening
Apply on the ABC Consultants careers page, LinkedIn or a job portal such as Jobaaj, or through a referral from a current consultant. Resumes are screened for communication skills, any recruitment, HR or sales exposure, and academic background, usually a graduate or MBA degree.
2. Telephone screening
A 15 to 20 minute call with an internal recruiter or team lead to assess spoken English, motivation for a recruitment career and salary expectations. Practice-area preference, such as BFSI or technology hiring, is discussed here.
3. Interview with the practice head
A 30 to 45 minute video or in-person interview with the leader of the practice you would join. It covers your understanding of the industry, how you would approach sourcing candidates, and behavioural questions on persistence and handling rejection.
4. Case or sourcing exercise
Some teams give a short exercise: draft a job brief from a client scenario, outline a sourcing plan for a hard-to-fill role, or role-play a candidate call. It tests structured thinking and how you speak to senior candidates.
5. Leadership and HR round
A senior partner or director meets shortlisted candidates for a culture and fit conversation, followed by an HR discussion on compensation, which combines a fixed salary with placement-linked incentives, and the joining date.
ABC Consultants interview rounds
Rounds 1 to 4 describe interviews for a consultant role at ABC. Round 5 describes the screening interview ABC conducts when it represents you to a client.
Round 1: Telephone screen
A short call with an internal recruiter. The main tests are clarity of speech, energy and whether you understand that recruitment is a target-driven, client-facing job.
- Why recruitment and why ABC Consultants
- Your exposure to hiring, HR or sales
- Preferred practice area and location
Round 2: Practice head interview
Thirty to forty-five minutes with the head of the practice. Expect a mix of industry awareness and behavioural questions.
- Name the top employers and current hiring trends in your chosen sector
- How you would find a candidate for a niche role with few applicants
- A time you kept going after repeated rejection
Round 3: Sourcing exercise or role-play
A practical exercise, sometimes take-home. You may be asked to write a job description from a brief, list sourcing channels and search strings, or conduct a mock call with an interviewer acting as a passive senior candidate.
- Structuring a job brief and must-have versus nice-to-have criteria
- Pitching a role to a candidate who is not actively looking
- Assessing fit and flagging red flags on a resume
Round 4: Partner and HR discussion
A senior leader assesses long-term fit and ambition, then HR covers the fixed-plus-incentive pay structure, targets and notice period.
- Career goals over three to five years
- Comfort with monthly placement targets
- Compensation expectations
Round 5: If ABC is screening you for a client
A consultant calls or meets you for 20 to 30 minutes before submitting your profile. They verify your experience, reasons for leaving, current and expected salary, notice period and interest in the client, and brief you on the client's process.
- Walk through your resume with dates and reasons for each move
- Current CTC, expected CTC and notice period
- Any other offers in hand and your genuine interest level
ABC Consultants salaries
| Designation | Average salary |
|---|---|
Senior Manager Experience: 9 - 14 years yrs |
₹ 38 Lakhs /year Typical range â‚ą28 L – â‚ą48 L/yr |
Manager Experience: 5 - 9 years yrs |
₹ 25.6 Lakhs /year Typical range â‚ą19.2 L – â‚ą32 L/yr |
Consultant Experience: 2 - 5 years yrs |
₹ 13.6 Lakhs /year Typical range â‚ą9.6 L – â‚ą17.6 L/yr |
Analyst Experience: 0 - 2 years yrs |
₹ 7.2 Lakhs /year Typical range â‚ą4.8 L – â‚ą9.6 L/yr |
Figures are estimates based on typical market ranges for this role and sector, not company-published pay. Actual offers vary by location, skills and negotiation.
ABC Consultants interview questions
Question banks most relevant to roles at ABC Consultants, with model answers.
ABC Consultants interview FAQs
Q1How many rounds does ABC Consultants hold for its own consultant roles?
Usually three to four: a telephone screen, an interview with the practice head, sometimes a sourcing exercise or role-play, and a final partner and HR discussion. The process is quick, often finishing within two weeks, because recruitment firms hire continuously and move fast on good candidates.
Q2What happens when ABC Consultants calls me about a client job?
The consultant is screening you before presenting your profile to the client. Be precise about your experience, salary and notice period, ask about the client and role, and confirm you have not already applied there directly. If the client shortlists you, the consultant will schedule the client's rounds and usually coach you before each one.
Q3Why do you want to work in recruitment?
Give reasons tied to the actual work: interest in people and industries, enjoyment of a target-driven role with visible results, and the chance to build relationships with senior professionals. Mention any experience persuading or assessing people, such as college placements committees, sales or HR internships.
Q4How would you source candidates for a role that has very few qualified people?
Describe a structured approach: understand the role deeply with the client, map competitor organisations where such people work, use LinkedIn and job-board searches with well-designed keywords, ask for referrals from people already in the field, and approach passive candidates with a tailored pitch. Show that you would track responses and refine the search.
Q5Tell me about a time you handled rejection or a setback.
Recruitment involves candidates dropping out and clients rejecting shortlists, so interviewers want evidence of resilience. Pick a real example, describe how you responded without becoming discouraged, and what you changed in your approach. End with the eventual positive outcome or lesson.
Q6What is the salary and incentive structure at ABC Consultants?
Consultants typically earn a fixed salary plus incentives linked to successful placements, so total earnings depend heavily on performance. Entry-level fixed pay is usually in the low-to-mid single-digit lakhs, with experienced consultants in executive search earning substantially more through incentives. Ask HR how targets and incentive slabs are calculated before accepting.
Quick facts about ABC Consultants
- Is ABC Consultants a public or private company?
- Ownership: Private.
- Who founded ABC Consultants?
- ABC Consultants was founded by Dr Bish Agrawal.
- Who is the CEO of ABC Consultants?
- As recorded on this profile, Shiv Agrawal leads ABC Consultants. Leadership can change - check the company's own site for the current position holder.
- What does ABC Consultants do?
- ABC Consultants operates in Executive search and recruitment.
428 open jobs at ABC Consultants
Apply on Jobaaj, and use this guide to prepare before your first round.
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