1. Think like a consultant
Approach the interview as if preparing for a meeting with a new client. On arrival, you’ll be given an overview of the case, the key questions and a number of fact-based slides.
2. Use the time wisely
You’ll now have 55 minutes to review all the case details, develop a hypothesis and ultimately craft your recommendation, doing the necessary calculations to support it.
3. Craft your recommendations
During this time, prepare three slides describing your hypothesis and the key insights that led to it, your recommendation and potential risks and immediate next steps.
4. Now the floor is yours
Now it’s time for a 40-minute meeting with your client (interviewer) structured as a 10-minute presentation followed by a 30 minute discussion about your recommendations.
5. And that's it!
The interview is designed to simulate a vibrant client meeting based on an actual Bain case. Just remember to relax, enjoy yourself and learn a little about the work we do at Bain.
Your job is to review your client's situation, present a persuasive recommendation that considers the trade-offs of each possible action or choice and then participate in a rich discussion with your interviewer to determine how your client could best achieve results.
Many consultant and summer associate candidates interviewing with Bain can expect one of their second-round interviews to be a written case. Some candidates applying to the associate consultant or associate consultant intern position can also expect a written case. Please visit the office pages you are applying to for what is included in their interview format.
Expectations
Bain will provide you with 20–30 PowerPoint slides describing a client's situation. You will then have about 55 minutes to review the slides, identify key insights and handwrite a brief recommendation(s) before the interview begins. Bain will provide all the necessary materials.
You will then have approximately 40 minutes to present and discuss your recommendation(s) with your interviewer, who may challenge your assumptions or interpretation of the facts in order to see how you might handle a real client situation.
Tips
The most important things to consider during your interview are…
- Trust your instincts. There is no one "right" answer. The goal is to present a persuasive recommendation and participate in a rich discussion about how to achieve results for your client.
- Prioritize. Prep time goes quickly so put aside case slides that seem less important.
- Be concise. Have your key messages outlined in your summary. Save the details for your discussion.
- Do the math. Figure out what analytics are necessary for your recommendation and piece together the required data from the slides.
- Be pragmatic. Craft a recommendation that can actually be implemented by the client.
- Consider both sides. Strengthen the rationale behind your recommendation by working through the strongest arguments against it.
