Bain application - need your guidance

Question

Hello everyone,

Background:

I am working in a boutique consulting firm that focuses on PE projects. I have around 3 years of experience.

I had applied for the Associate Consultant position at Bain around 12 months and got the rejection. I had asked for feedback and the recruiting team told me that I did not pass the online assessment threshold (I had applied via referral which is why I got the feedback).

I again applied last month. This time my test went really well. In fact, I completed the test in 61 minutes whereas it was mentioned that I might need 75 minutes. I did well because I knew what kind of questions are gonna come based on my previous experience.

However, I again got the rejection and the recruiting team told me that I did not pass the threshold.

I am not sure if that's the reason I got the rejection because the test went really well both time-wise and accuracy-wise. Also, this particular office has a huge demand for talent right now (insider info) and they sponsor visas as well.

My question:

I believe the reason is something else. Do the recruiters lie to you because they do not want to sponsor the visa and then blame the test results?

How do I know what is the actual reason?

Extremely disappointed. I had a referral, good CV (got it reviewed by consultants at Bain in that particular office and some coaches also reviewed it), had a connection with this country as I have done my master there, so pretty much everything was perfect but still rejected.

Need your guidance people.

Answer 1

Hi there,

I'm really sorry to hear this - I can't imagine how frustrating it must be to think you were in only to get that news.

Here's the thing, we really can never know the “real” reason when a recruiter gets back to us. Ultimately it could be any combination of the following:

There is a better local candidate available (visa)
The test was not as good as you thought (we are generally bad judges of our own abilities)
Your CV is not as good as you thought (I've looked at candidates resumes that were “given the green light” by consultants but were far from ready)
Your experience isn't enough
The referral was not enough

Ultimately, it's a probabilities game. Nothing is ever 100% in this (even 50% odds are amazing). You can do everything right and still not get in.

I encourage you to keep at it, and, in particular, apply for an office where you have working rights.

Best of luck - keep pushing!

Answer 2

Hi there,

First of all, I am sorry to hear about the disappointing experience you had with Bain!

This is indeed an interesting question which is probably relevant for quite a lot of users, so I am happy to provide my perspective on it:

Generally speaking, I fear that you will not be able to find out the root cause for the rejection eventually for the simple reason that Bain will not provide you with such detailed information.
Moreover, while I am sure the recruiters will not lie to you, it might still be that if the root cause is related to visas they do not want to discuss this openly.
Lastly, I would advise you not ot focus too much on the root cause. While it is meaningful to work on your weak spots (and I'm sure that there still are some if you failed the online assessment again), becoming set on this will not change your situation.

In case you want a more detailed discussion on how to best prepare for online assessments (which are pretty common with most consulting companies), please feel free to contact me directly.

I hope this helps,

Hagen

Answer 3

Your hypothesis makes no sense. If a company doesn't want to sponsor a VISA, the only thing they have to do is reject your application. They don't need to play games and invite for a test whose result they don't want to consider. Why would they play games like this?

As long as you pass the test, it is in the company's best interest to interview you, and make the VISA decision at the end, in case you are an outstanding candidate. Particularly when considering that they are in need of consultants and have previously sponsored other candidates.

This isn't to say that the Visa doesn't play a role here. Sure, the bar may be a bit higher for you. But as I see it, you simply didn't make the cut.

Finally, please realize that these tests aren't easy. The bar is actually quite high, so that only high potential candidates actually get the interview.

Answer 4

Hello!

Sorry to hear about that.

I don´t think that a company like Bain would lie to you here, when they can simply tell you the truth if it was for things such as a visa.

Most likely the test just didn´t go as well as you thought, or other people did better.

Hope it helps!

Cheers,

Clara