So I just got the call that I moved on to the final round for Bain (undergrad ACI), and while my case performance was good enough, I was told that especially in the beginning of the interview (FIT + beginning of case) it felt mechanical. Apparently partners could have doubts about my authenticity and thus my fit for the firm.
I have a few questions about this:
- While I didn't directly memorize a script, I did rehearse a few phrases/transitions with my fit portion and opening of the case. Should I get rid of these in order to seem more authentic?
- Since the partners/principals in final round interviews are more senior, I assumed that they would consequently require more professionalism, which seems contradictory towards being more conversational and authentic. How should I reconcile my feedback with this new class of interviewers?
- If cases will be more conversational and less structured (which I've heard they often are for final rounds), should I still retain my structure (ex. "Before I go into approaching this, I'd like to do 2 things...") or should I lessen this in order to match the more conversational tone?
Essentially, this seems like the worst piece of feedback I could receive since none of it is actionable. I, of course, will "be myself" during the interview, though I was myself in the last one too, even if I conveyedit in a more rehearsed way.