Bain Behavioural interview - Hypothetical

Question

Hi everyone,

At the Bain new behavioural interview format, where you get asked 8 questions, 4 of them will be hypothetical.

How would you advise answering to the hypothetical question such as: “Your teammate is suddenly sick and asks if you can do his work; what would you do?”

Are we allowed to ask clarifying questions or they want us to directly make a few assumptions such as: “I assume the work is urgent and that cannot be postponed. I assume there is nobody else who can take it. etc..".

Would it be appreciated if we say “This actually happened to me and I did his work during the weekend because it was important for the case”, for example?

Answer 1

Hey Eduardo, good question! I'd not clarify the question instead highlight YOUR assumtions, like this for instance:

"Assuming the work is urgent and cannot be postponed..."
"I would first assess my own workload and commitments..."
"If it aligns with my existing priorities, I would willingly take on the additional tasks..."
"However, if it jeopardizes my current commitments, I would explore alternative solutions such as..."

Then it would be nice indeed to make reference to real world and indicated if this happened to you.

Warm regards, Frederic

Answer 2

Hi Edoardo,

First of all, congratulations on the invitation from Bain!

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

First of all, while asking clarifying questions in an actual work scenario is advisable, in an interview context, it may be more efficient to state your assumptions clearly as part of your response. This showcases your ability to make swift, logical decisions based on reasonable assumptions.
Moreover, I would highly advise you to focus on answering the question posed, rather than drawing extensively from past experiences. If a similar situation has occurred, you can briefly mention it to support your hypothetical approach, but keep the focus on the scenario at hand to demonstrate your critical thinking and adaptability.

If you would like a more detailed discussion on how to best prepare for your upcoming Bain interviews, please don't hesitate to contact me directly.

Best,

Hagen

Answer 3

Hi Edoardo,

What they're looking for are a few things:

Answer the question (you'd be surprised how many don't)
Use sound logic/judgement
Be clear/concise in your communication
Be structured in your response
Be ready for follow-up questions

Do NOT do the whole “let me tell you about a time” - per point 1 on answering the question :)

Answer 4

Hi Edoardo,

Q1: Are we allowed to ask clarifying questions or they want us to directly make a few assumptions?

Both questions and assumptions are okay as long as you:

Answer the exact question you have been asked
Be structured and direct in your communication
Build a logic answer

Q2: Would it be appreciated if we say “This actually happened to me and I did his work during the weekend because it was important for the case”, for example?

Yes but as a closing statement. First answer the question following the three bullets above and only then you can close with any related experience of your own to build more credibility.

Best,

Alberto

Answer 5

Hi Edoardo

These are great follow-up questions.

Yes, do ask clarifying questions. This entire interview is meant to be a conversation, so if you take assumptions about everything it will only consist of you speaking :)

Second, yes, do answer with situations from the past where you exhibited exactly the sort of skills / attitude as the one that you're claiming now. That will give more confidence to the interviewer that what you're saying is true.

Good luck!
Cristian

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Answer 6

It's important to provide a genuine response that aligns with your personal values and professional goals. Here's a s... (read entire answer)

It's important to provide a genuine response that aligns with your personal values and professional goals. Here's a structured approach :Reflect on Personal ValuesRelate to Prof... (read entire answer)