Deep Dive on Bain Interviews

Generally, the interviews are very similar to the other companies. The difference lies more in the relative weihs of skills, than in a structural difference. In my perspective, there are two main differences between Bain and some of the other firms:

• FIT is often (but depends on the office) a bit less formal than at other firms. Aim to demonstrate passion for the job, drive and ambition n your career decisions and extracurriculars. Make sure you're well prepared, but don't come across very rehearsed.
• You need to take control of the situation: Think of the case as a role lay: You're the consultant, the interviewer is the client: Just as a client would want the consultant to suggest what they will be doing and then guide them through the case execution, you should take clear leadership: Tell the interviewer what you're going to do, what data you need and then execute against your plan. This aspect is different, especially from the interviewer led case that other firms are deploying and you must not approach it in the same way.

DIfferences do exist across offices and between interviewers, so think of this as a general directional difference. Generally, I would say if you are comfortable with the Bain style of interviews, it is easier to succeed in the interviews of other firms than vice versa.

Hi there,

In general, I wouldn't try to play that game. In aggregate, companies are somewhat different in what they do. I.e. generally Bain is known to have more charts, be candidate-led, be more PE/VC focused.

However, that's in aggregate. Every interviewer is different and no two cases are the same. You need to learn to learn, or, put another way, learn how to think about and approach any case/interview rather than get prepared for a few specific things.

Casing is about flexibility/adaptability!