Final Round Bain

Hi there,

1) Do they meet, debrief and decide together? one NO when there are just 2 interviewers is an instant rejection at Bain?

In general both interviewers have to agree that you are good for a pass.

If there is a “yes” and a “maybe”, some firms (eg. McKinsey) organize an additional round to check the parts which are not clear.

2) When should I email them again if I get no response?

If you don’t hear from them, I would contact HR 1 week after the interview.

Good luck!

Francesco

Hi there,

First of all, congratulations on having gone through the final round of 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:

• First of all, the fact that you haven't heard back from them does not have to mean anything. You were interviewed by the most senior employees who have very busy schedules thus it might take some time for them to schedule the decision committee. In this committee, eventually, both partners need to approve - but it will still be a discussion where weaknesses in a part of one interview might be outbalanced by a strong performance in that specific part of the other interview.
• Generally speaking, the second round interviews - whether with Bain or most other consulting companies - are mainly there to confirm the positive impression you have already made and to have people from senior leadership approve recruiting you.
• If you have not heard back from them after a week, I would advise you to contact the recruiter and politely ask about when you might possibly hear back from them.
• In case you will still get a rejection, listen to the feedback, think about it once again accurately (there are just so many reasons to reject a candidate that do not have to do with his performance in the interviews, unfortunately), and in case it still makes sense, improve upon it.

In case you want a more detailed discussion on the (hopefully) upcoming offer, please feel free to contact me directly.

I hope this helps,

Hagen

Hello,

A lot of candidates feel like one of their final round interviews went less well than the other one(s) - it is perfectly normal and does not necessitate a rejection. Allowing several people to assess you in the final round means that even if you slip up in one interview, you can still demonstrate a high degree of competence in the others. 

So, to answer your questions - yes, the partners along with everyone else who was interviewing candidates on that day will meet, debrief, and decide together. One “no” isn't necessarily an instant rejection if the other is a “strong yes” - it will depend on a variety of factors such as how strongly the first partner felt (ie. was it a “strong no” or more of a “maybe”), what the rest of the candidate pool was like, and how many candidates they have room to hire.

I would email the recruiter if a week has gone by and you haven't heard a response. Best of luck and try not to worry about it too much - you have done everything you can at this point, the rest is totally out of your hands.

Hi!

Yes, they meet and decide together. Hard to tell whether you actually got a no and whether it would lead to rejection.

Wait 1 week and then send an email if you don't hear back from them.

Good luck,

Anto

Hi there,

In general, both need to say yes. If one is a “strong” yes, and the other is a maybe, you can still get through.

They do indeed meet and debrief/decide together, particularly if it's a close call.

If you don't hear back in 1-2 weeks you should feel free to email for an update.

Fingers crossed for you!

Decision is collective, and an intersection. Meaning, all interviewers must say YES. The Yes/No of each interviewer is based on the scores they give you on the interview performance.

The company will definitely give you a response - even if it is a NO. So don't worry about a “no response”. If you feel itchy - typically wait for 1-2 weeks before pinging HR.