1st round interview Bain

Hi there,

Congrats on the interview!

1. Is there anything specific to the recruiting for this region, role, and firm I should know before my first round to help better prepare?  

Be flexible and ready for anything. Unconventional cases are far more common…you literally need to be prepared for any case type.

That said, it doesn't hurt to slightly overindex on knowledge in the industries/functions in that office. (Southeast is very general so I can't tell you what industries just from this)

2. What time of day are interview slots usually released? I have to travel for work and am nervous it will coincide with the interview schedule. 

It's highly variable. When they come through, try to make it work. If you truly can't, you can message the recruiter.

3. What % of applicants make it to first round for this role?

2.3453245 %

Or is it 62.45336%

Does this answer change anything? Nope. Stop worrying/wasting time on things that don't matter…focus on getting the offer!

HEre's some further reading to help:

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

https://www.preplounge.com/en/articles/how-to-shift-your-mindset-to-ace-the-case

Hi there!

Congrats! It's great to hear you were invited for the first round. 

Let me take your questions one by one:

1. Is there anything specific to the recruiting for this region, role, and firm I should know before my first round to help better prepare?  

Nothing specific for this region. If you are applying for a generalist role then you should be prepping across the board.

2. What time of day are interview slots usually released? I have to travel for work and am nervous it will coincide with the interview schedule. 

I'd expect 9-5 when most recruiters work. If the slots don't work for you then get back to them and try to find a different date. They're quite understanding but make sure that you're also as flexible as possible. 

3. What % of applicants make it to the first round for this role?

Really depends on the region, cycle, many things. But I'd say somewhere between 2-20% of the people who submit their application. Most likely on the lower end in your case.

Best,

Cristian

Hi there,

1) Is there anything specific to the recruiting for this region, role, and firm I should know before my first round to help better prepare?  

I would do the basic due diligence (website of the company, talk with your connections there if any, prepare a solid answer for “Why Bain”) – this should be enough. Additionally, if you know the interviewers, you can check any information on their industry/experience for better questions at the end.

For “Why Bain”, you can find some tips below:

▶ How to Answer "Why us" in a Consulting Interview

2) What time of day are interview slots usually released? I have to travel for work and am nervous it will coincide with the interview schedule. 

Interview days are usually at the end of the week but this might vary depending on the availability of interviewers. 

If the time doesn't match your needs, you can ask if there is a different option. In general, I would highly recommend taking the whole day or at least half of it off to be fully focused.

3) What % of applicants make it to first round for this role?

This depends on the firm/position/competition/economic environment but a 20% to 30% passing rate in each round is reasonable for many firms.

Good luck!

Francesco

Hello,

To answer your questions:

1. Is there anything specific to the recruiting for this region, role, and firm I should know before my first round to help better prepare?  

Research their website, the basic company structure and work processes (e.g., staffing model), what industries/practices they are known for. Additionally, you could look up the people who will be interviewing you to learn a bit about their background so that you can ask targeted questions.

2. What time of day are interview slots usually released? I have to travel for work and am nervous it will coincide with the interview schedule. 

Interview slots can be any day of the week! If they schedule you for a day that doesn't work for you because of work travel, it's absolutely fine to reach out, let them know, and ask them to reschedule. This kind of thing happens on occasion, and firms can generally be quite flexible.

3. What % of applicants make it to first round for this role?

This depends on firm/region/role/candidate quality/how many hires they need, so there's no hard and fast rule. Around 20-30% is fairly typical.