BCG Personal Fit

Hi Rob,

usual topics for BCG are leadership, flexibility, teamwork and tenacity. In practice, questions will be mostly the same.

The usual differentiator between other firms is: “Why BCG?”. Many people provide a generic answer to this question (top company, good culture based on the people I talked to, etc) that doesn’t really stand out as unique for BCG. My suggestion would be to be very specific in you answer, and in particular provide details that would be unique for the company when presenting a point. The reason why the ask this question, indeed, is not simply because they want to hear that BCG is the best company for the candidate – they know you have likely applied for McKinsey and Bain and may even prefer one of the other MBB. Rather, they want to know if you are able to do due diligence on a company/client, before approaching them. Thus, you should show you have done such due diligence. For example:

• If you mention the fact that BCG is a recognized leader, mention also the growth rate of the company/increase in the number of offices worldwide in the last years
• If you mention people and culture, explain the specific things these people mentioned about the culture (eg specific example of training programs/opportunities)
• If you mention learning opportunities, refer to the actual programs in place that could allow for your personal growth (when I was at BCG, was common to apply for example to the “Ambassador programme”, allowing to move to another office for one year and then come back).

The rule of thumb is: could you substitute in your answer the name “BCG” with “McKinsey” or “Bain” and have an answer that still makes sense? If so, you probably want to customize it more as it would not be unique for BCG.

Best,

Francesco

Hi Rob,

I believe it is quite similar to McKinsey, although BCG might be slightly more biased towards teamwork and interpersonal communication. So they want to hear from you how you function in a team, how you persuade others, overcome challenges, etc. They're also in general interested in you as a person; are you fun to hang out with? So make sure to smile every now and then during your interview, also when cracking the case :)

Good luck,

Ralph

Hi,

In general BCG personal fit interviews are a bit less structured and detailed. They declare that they test Leadership and Making Impact. In reality, they will test competencies like Leadership, Impact, Teamwork, Achievement. If you prepare several backup stories for McKinsey questions - it will be more than enough.

Here are some ideas of what you can use to structure your thoughts around "Why Company" question:

• You can start with general facts about the local office. Something like “Sidney office is the fastest growing McKinsey office worldwide.”
• If you have an interest in a particular industry or client this may also be a great reason. For example, Bain can be the only consulting firm working with airlines in your region.
• You may address to different Global opportunities and office initiatives. Using 1-year relocation as an opportunity to learn about business in a particular country can be a valid reason
• Try to combine professional and Non-business rational. If you have friends working in that company, don’t forget to mention them and what you’ve learned from their experience.
• You may use your other personal experiences like working with this company on a client side.

Here are the typical "Why our company" mistakes

• The most common mistake here is to use the Facts applicable to any company like "BCG serves the largest Fortune 500 companies". All big 3 companies work with top companies in all industries.
• Candidates also tend to use outdated facts or historical misconceptions like "BCG is the best in strategy." Try to use only up to date facts
• Finally, stop blindly Repeating company marketing materials

Good luck!

(edited)