Dentsu
Dentsu India interview process for media, creative, client servicing and data roles: screening, assignments, team and leadership rounds, plus common questions.
- 809 open jobs
- 1901 founded
- Tokyo headquarters
About Dentsu
Dentsu is one of the world's largest advertising and marketing groups, headquartered in Tokyo with a large network across the Americas, Europe and Asia Pacific. In India it operates through agencies covering media planning and buying, creative, digital, performance marketing, customer experience and data, with major offices in Mumbai, Gurugram and Bengaluru and teams in several other cities.
The group hires across a wide range of functions: media planners and buyers, performance and programmatic specialists, creative writers and art directors, account management and client servicing, strategy and planning, data analysts and marketing technologists, along with finance, HR and operations. Freshers typically join as executives or trainees in media, client servicing or performance marketing, often from mass communication, marketing and management programmes, and experienced professionals are hired laterally for managerial and specialist roles.
Dentsu looks for people who are curious about consumers and brands, comfortable with numbers and platforms, and able to present ideas clearly to clients. Interviewers value a working knowledge of digital media, familiarity with advertising platforms and measurement, and a portfolio or examples that show you can think about business outcomes, not just campaigns.
Dentsu hiring process
Dentsu's process is run by the individual agency and team rather than a single central pipeline, so stages vary. Most candidates go through the steps below.
1. Application and portfolio screen
Apply on the Dentsu careers site, through a job portal such as Jobaaj, via campus placements or a referral. Creative candidates should attach a portfolio; media and performance candidates should highlight platforms, budgets handled and certifications.
2. Talent acquisition call
A recruiter confirms your experience, expected compensation, notice period and interest in the specific agency and client portfolio. For freshers this is a short screening of communication and basic awareness of advertising.
3. Assignment or aptitude test
Many teams set a take-home task: a media plan for a given budget, a performance campaign structure, a creative brief response or a short data exercise. Campus hiring may use an online aptitude and reasoning test instead.
4. Team and functional interviews
One or two interviews with the team lead and a senior colleague, typically 30 to 45 minutes each, where you present your assignment and discuss your understanding of media, creative or data work relevant to the role.
5. Leadership interview
A business head or agency leader assesses client-readiness, ownership and cultural fit, and for senior roles, how you would grow a client relationship or a practice.
6. HR discussion and offer
HR discusses compensation, joining date and background verification. Offers usually follow within a week of the final interview.
Dentsu interview rounds
The rounds below describe a typical media planning or client servicing hire; creative and data roles swap the assignment and technical content accordingly.
Round 1: Screening and aptitude
A 15 to 20 minute recruiter call, and for campus or fresher roles a 30 to 45 minute online test on reasoning, basic numeracy and English.
- Percentages and budget arithmetic
- Reading a simple performance table
- Written communication and grammar
Round 2: Assignment presentation
A 30 to 45 minute session where you walk the team through your take-home task. Interviewers probe your assumptions, channel mix and how you would measure results.
- Build a media plan for a product launch with a fixed budget
- Structure a search and social campaign for a lead-generation client
- Respond to a creative brief with two concepts
- Data roles: analyse a campaign dataset and recommend optimisations
Round 3: Functional interview
A 30 to 45 minute discussion with the team lead on platforms, metrics and how you work with clients and partners.
- Difference between reach, frequency, CPM, CPC and ROAS
- How you would allocate spend across digital, TV and print for a regional brand
- Experience with advertising platforms and analytics tools
- Handling a client whose campaign underperformed
Round 4: Leadership interview
A 20 to 30 minute conversation with an agency or business head on ownership, client relationships and career direction.
- A campaign or project you are proud of and what you learned
- How you keep up with changes in digital media
- Why Dentsu over other agency networks
Round 5: HR round
A 15 minute discussion on compensation, location, notice period and documentation.
- Salary expectations and current breakup
- Willingness to work on multiple clients and tight deadlines
Dentsu salaries
| Designation | Average salary |
|---|---|
Creative / Account Director Experience: 9+ years yrs |
₹ 37.7 Lakhs /year Typical range ₹26 L – ₹49.4 L/yr |
Manager Experience: 5 - 9 years yrs |
₹ 20.2 Lakhs /year Typical range ₹14.3 L – ₹26 L/yr |
Senior Executive Experience: 2 - 5 years yrs |
₹ 11.1 Lakhs /year Typical range ₹7.8 L – ₹14.3 L/yr |
Executive - Creative / Media Experience: 0 - 2 years yrs |
₹ 5.9 Lakhs /year Typical range ₹3.9 L – ₹7.8 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.
Dentsu interview questions
Question banks most relevant to roles at Dentsu, with model answers.
Dentsu interview FAQs
Q1How many rounds are there in the Dentsu interview process?
Typically three to five. Most roles include a recruiter screen, a take-home assignment or test, one or two interviews with the team, a leadership interview for mid-level and senior positions, and an HR discussion. Fresher hiring through campus is shorter, usually an aptitude test followed by two interviews.
Q2How long does Dentsu take to make an offer?
Two to four weeks is common for executive and manager roles because assignments and team interviews are scheduled around client work. Senior roles that need a business head's interview can take longer. Campus offers are usually made within a few days of the placement drive.
Q3How would you plan a media campaign for a new product with a limited budget?
Start with the objective and the target audience, then choose channels by where that audience actually spends time, allocate most of the budget to measurable digital channels for a launch, reserve a portion for testing, and define success metrics such as reach, cost per acquisition and return on ad spend. Show that you would optimise weekly based on results.
Q4What is the difference between CPM, CPC and ROAS?
CPM is the cost per thousand impressions and is used for awareness buys; CPC is the cost per click, used when driving traffic; ROAS is revenue generated per rupee of advertising spend, used for performance campaigns. Explain when each metric is appropriate and note that optimising for one can hurt another, which is why the objective must be set first.
Q5Tell me about a campaign or project you are proud of.
Pick one example and structure it as brief, approach, execution and result. Quantify the outcome with numbers such as leads, engagement or sales, describe one problem you solved along the way, and be honest about what you would improve. Freshers can use a college project, an internship campaign or a personal social media growth effort.
Q6What qualifications and salary can freshers expect at Dentsu?
Freshers usually hold degrees in mass communication, marketing, management or analytics, and platform certifications from Google or Meta help. Entry-level executive roles in media, performance and client servicing typically pay in the low-to-mid single-digit lakhs per year, with faster growth for people who take ownership of clients early. Confirm the role band and increments during the HR round.
Quick facts about Dentsu
- How many people work at dentsu?
- dentsu employs approximately 40000+. Headcount figures move over time and are indicative.
- Is dentsu a public or private company?
- Ownership: Public Company.
- Who founded dentsu?
- dentsu was founded by Hideo Hoshi.
- Who is the CEO of dentsu?
- As recorded on this profile, Wendy Clark leads dentsu. Leadership can change - check the company's own site for the current position holder.
809 open jobs at Dentsu
Apply on Jobaaj, and use this guide to prepare before your first round.
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