How to stand out in an MBB Internship

Hi there,

First of all, congratulations on the internship offer from Bain!

I would be happy to share my thoughts on your question:

• First of all, I would advise you to focus on the immediate tasks in front of you and try to excel at them as best as possible. Being visible and a helping hand on the team is also something that is highly sought after in potential full-time candidates.
• Moreover, I would advise you to focus on learning common MS Excel functions as well as MS Excel and PowerPoint shortcuts. There is an almost infinite number of free resources to help you with these applications.

If you would like a more detailed discussion on how to best prepare for your upcoming (temporary) consulting career start, please don't hesitate to contact me directly.

Best,

Hagen

Hi there,

you should be engaged in a number of ways:

• be proactive with your team and offer support where you can, don't just wait passively until they talk to you or give you tasks
• proactively ask your manager for regular feedback and make it a point to work on it so that you can showcase a learning curve in the highlighted areas
• participate in team discussion and don't be afraid to share your own ideas, suggestions and observations (it's not about being right or wrong compared to more senior consultants, it's about your underlying rationale) - consulting firms want people who think for themselves so demonstrate that
• network within the company, both inside and outside of your project team - have chats with people at the office, make sure they know your name, participate in office/practice events and the likes

I hope that helps to give you an idea.

Best

keep your head down and work hard. They are primarily testing you for resilience, willingness to learn, and coachability. Tag on the willingess to voice out your thoughts and opinions

Hi there,

Congrats! :-)

To make the most out of it and get a return offer, there are a few things you should do.

1. Perform well at your core tasks (ownership of your work, analytics, double checking your work, visualization, communication) and improve quickly (your manager and partners evaluate not only what you can do right now BUT how quickly you develop and what potential you have for the future.

1b. Learn from your peers, either by asking (don't be afraid to ask) and by observation.

2. Be visible in front of your team, client, partners, and office. Speak up, take the opportunities to lead meetings, present, and contribute your opinion (this is the single biggest reason why interns do not get a return offer if they fail to show that they are here).

3. Network, make sure people know you across the office/practice.

4. Manage your stress. Find a way to balance work and life. I have recorded a session for PrepLounge on this topic: https://youtu.be/4VK8wL_xsmQ?si=go1vmIEiAmwLz76T

Reach out if you want to learn more! I coach people on getting the entry right and have also written a book about the topic called Consulting Career Secrets. It's on Amazon.

All the best,

Florian

Hey! 

I can understand your situation, as I also did internships at BCG and McKinsey and received offers from both. To excel at Bain and increase your chances of getting a return offer, make sure to be proactive, create a strong network, and be supportive within your team. Always go the extra mile, and don't hesitate to ask for feedback to improve. Focus on sharpening your Excel and PowerPoint skills since they are crucial for consulting. Strong communication, combined with these technical skills, will make a big difference in your performance and impact during the internship. That approach really helped me, and it worked out well!

Best, Alessa :)