I applied through a staffing agency. The process took 3 weeks. I interviewed at Bain & Company in May 2014
Interview
Received interview offer after about 1 month. Did first round of interviews with managers and received outcome on same day and also received feedback on how I had performed. The first case was involved figuring out how a company could increase its profits. The second case was about determining whether a market was worth entering into.
The second round of interviews was with partners. The first case was about determining whether a cost cutting initiative was worth it (focused on my numbers because I had made some errors in the first round, I had eventually corrected them but they do like you to get them right the first time before you share them). The second case was about understanding the revenue contributions of a company's product portfolio.
All four interviews also had a behavioral component i.e. why Bain, why this particular office and what can you offer Bain. The first 3 interviews lasted 30-60 minutes. The last one was over in 15 minutes.
The interviewers were all very pleasant and I got the impression that they all really wanted the candidates to do well. The cases were all pretty straightforward. I had to dig deep to get to the answers but there were no trick questions or scenarios. They are really just looking out for the following:
- first, second and possibly third level structure
- ability to prioritise
- ability to communicate though process and assumptions
- number crunching. Some interviewers were okay with rounding off, one wanted exact numbers to the second decimal.
- likeability. Even the partners were pretty informal and it felt like a conversation amongst peers.
The HR personnel were all pretty helpful too. I felt like I had my own personal cheer squad every step of the way.
Three rounds of interviews, generally 2 rounds in person or remote with live consultants. Each round involves a 2-3 case interviews each, which generally also include a set of behavioural questions.
Drei Interviewrunden, je ein Interviewer: zwei englischsprachige Case Studies (Interviewer-geführt, strukturiert) sowie Personal Fit mit situativen Fragen ohne CV-Bezug - keine Angaben zu Praktika oder Uni gefragt. Stattdessen Reaktionsfragen à la „Wie würdest du in Situation XYZ reagieren?". Mit solider Vorbereitung nichts Unerwartetes. Alle Interviewer sehr freundlich und aufgeschlossen — angenehme, entspannte Atmosphäre throughout.
2 rounds of 3 interviews.
The first round includes a fit interview.
All interviews feel very relaxed, but they still expect you to move through the case fast and in a structured way.
Interview questions [1]
Question 1
How would you handle a client who is feeling anxious/fearful?