Hi there,

Congrats on the internship and for having this pathway setup for you!

A. Should I do the final rounds in the next few weeks after intensive prep, or do it sometime closer to my desired start date (next year?)

I agree with Francesco - when you're ready. I'd have to guess you're already mostly ready and so the next few weeks would probably be best, but you know you best.

I would learn earlier rather than later, because you still have people going to bat for you at the firm (from your internship). I like striking while the iron is hot!

B. Do you have any more information about this process at Bain DACH and any other handy information you could share?

Expect a classic case + fit interview. Hope for the best (chit chat) but prepare for the worst (case+ fit)

Hi there, 

To be safe, just expect a proper final round. 

That requires proper preparation. In terms of when to best do it, it comes down to a self-reflection of where you currently think you are. 

If you feel you are 80-90% ready, then it might make sense to put in some time to prep over the following period and getting done and over with. Worse case scenario - it doesn't work, then you can apply for other firms. 

It might be worth taking on a coach to assess your readiness for the interview. This way you'll have more clarity on what is the gap that you need to close and how to best do that. 

Best,
Cristian

Hello,

I’d advise you to prepare as if you’re going in for a proper interview. If it’s a glorified chit chat, you can just be pleasantly surprised. Better be safe and overprepare than miss out on an opportunity!

Regarding when to do the interview, I think Bain should be reaching out to you and suggest some dates, probably within their regular cycle? If it’s totally up to you and you can choose to do it now or push it back by a year, I think you should think carefully about when you’d have more time to prepare and how comfortable you feel doing case interviews. Most candidates need a couple of months to master them from beginning to end, but if you’re already familiar with the process you may not need so much time.