Jennifer Rybak Kiernan

​I joined Bain in 2009 as an Associate Consultant Intern in the Boston office, before spending three years in the New York office as an Associate Consultant through Senior Associate Consultant. In those first three years, I embraced the generalist model and worked across many industries: from Private Equity and Financial Services, to Retail and Consumer Products, to Healthcare, Industrial Manufacturing, and Telecomm, I was excited to learn as much as I could in a broad way. During this time, I also got the opportunity to do pro-bono work in global entrepreneurship in developing countries, and took time away to complete an externship with Teach for America.

After attending Harvard Business School, I transferred back to the Boston office, which is where I spent my time as a Consultant, before being promoted to Manager and then Senior Manager. Focusing in on Retail and Consumer Products, I have worked on many capabilities and products in the spaces, and continue to expand and sharpen my tool kit.

While in Boston, I have led our Amherst and Harvard Business School recruiting teams, served as the Professional Standards Manager, and had the role of Manager-Mentor to the office's Inspire Board. I also took advantage of our "take two" program, and took two months off when my now-husband and I got married last May.

Each role has brought with it new challenges and learnings - as I think about the job, the thing that I love the most is that I am constantly challenged and learning new things. The work we do is constantly evolving as our clients and their problems evolve, and it forces me to continue to push myself to learn and grow. Whether it was learning a new analytic tool, or managing a new client or team situation, new situations are always popping up that drive me to develop.

When I think about the Boston office, it is the feeling that this is a family which most inspires me. We take our home office model seriously - from the formal processes like case team surveys and feedback to the informal Personal Development chats, relationships, and mentorship, this place creates a safe, collaborative environment for each person to be him or herself. I have felt supported throughout my time at Bain, both professionally and personally, and I would not trade the culture here for anything.

We expect a lot of our people, and that starts with the recruiting process - we want you to put your best foot forward, so take the time to talk to folks and really understand the culture and the work, so that you can really evaluate if this is the right place for you. If it is (and we hope it is), invest your time in preparing for the case interviews... they aren't easy, but they will give you the best view of the job and a sense of whether it will be a good fit for you.

Lastly, don't hesitate to ask for help - we encourage our colleagues to rely on and trust each other so I'd suggest that the same spirit is true in recruiting so don't hesitate to shoot an email asking to chat or prep, and I think you'll be surprised how warm and supporting the environment is.