Amanda Hardin

How did you end up working at Bain?

My career journey started a little later than most, I think. I didn’t have my first full-time position until I had completed my schooling. I wanted to gather all the knowledge I thought would be helpful to my goal. In undergrad, I studied business and marketing. Then I got my Juris Doctor and an MBA focused in Spanish. I always wanted to find an intersection of my two interests: law and business. There are lots of fields that combine those, like contracts law, employment law, and even being a sports agent, and I wanted to have as many opportunities as possible.  

Now I’m in a position where I get to use everything at Bain. I continue to learn and use my research skills every day, which is important to me. I want to be challenged to always be learning new things.  

Why Bain?  

The first thing that comes to mind is the culture. I’m sure this is true for a lot of people, but the pandemic was a time for me to reflect on what was most important. I wanted to work for a place that reflected my values, like diversity. Here, that was true in the interview process and all through my internship. I found my community here in the Houston office through Black at Bain and find it really allows me to be myself both within that group and with the whole company.  

How has it been changing roles within Bain? 

I came in doing a 10-week summer internship. That was invaluable for learning the language of work here and about operating principles like “A Bainie never lets another Bainie fail.” It helped me understand what to expect, how to move forward, and how to become a knowledge specialist.  You get a lot of support when applying and interviewing, from my supervisor, from colleagues, from partners, from anybody I reached out to. Everybody was happy to go for a walk.  

What project are you most proud of? 

I was part of publishing a new page on our internal database. It helps consultants go to one place when preparing for a client call, to find case studies,  deck templates, and more. It's fun to be that immediate help for a case team. 

Do you think of Bain as a diverse place?  

Definitely, and I think the company really endeavors to uphold that. I would not be here without the 10-week internship program for diverse talent. The Knowledge Management Internship led to my permanent position and positioned me well for it. It made me feel comfortable and supported and showed me I could do the work.