Quick question about referrals at Bain

Hi there,

I’d go for the more genuine referral first. If you have a strong relationship with your current contact, then that’s preferable to a ‘one coffee’ contact. Ultimately, you’d rather have the non-local referrer who is prepared to fight (or at least advocate) for you than one that says ‘oh yea, I met [your name] once… nice [guy/girl] but I don’t really know them.’

One other thought – is there any reason you wouldn’t establish a relationship with both?

Hope that helps.

B.

Yes!

A referral is helpful. Period.

Now, if you can get higher level and closer to home, then yes, absolutely go for that in addition to the one you have locked in.

Nice networking!

Here's some reading to help you prep right:

https://www.preplounge.com/en/articles/pitfalls-case-interview-preparation

And some to help with the application itself:

https://www.preplounge.com/en/articles/how-to-get-a-consulting-internship-tips-and-tricks

Hi there,

Q: I can get a referral from someone at Bain, but they're in a different office on another continent. Should I try to find someone from the same office instead?

If you can find someone in your target office at the same or higher level of seniority, that could help to increase the chances of receiving an invitation. If that's not possible, you can leverage your referral from the other office.

Referrals from aboard still work and are better than no referrals at all. I was referred by a BCG Partner in the US for my application in Italy and got the invitation.

You can learn more about referrals below in case you want to look for one in your target office:

▶ How to Get Referrals for Your Application

Good luck!

Francesco

Hi,

this is already good. Either the person you have the referral from could help put you in touch with someone at your target office or you just use that referral. It is still better than applying without a referral.

Good luck

If you have one, you have what you need. And in general it may be better to be one from someone who knows you vs. someone who doesn't know you that much.

Hi there, if you can same office stronger, if not from different office better than no referral ;-) Easy as that. Good luck! Warm regards, Frederic

Yes, ideally aim for the same office, at a seniority level that is at least similar to the one that you're applying for. 

If you can't secure that, a referral from a different office is still better than nothing.

Sharing with you two guides on how to get referrals. Hopefully you get a few ideas from those:

• Expert Guide: How To Handle Networking Calls and Get Referrals
• Expert Guide: How To Get Referrals Via LinkedIn? 

Good luck!
Cristian