Partner Interview at Bain - what to expect

Question

Hi, I made it on from the first round of case interviews for the role as a Senior Consultant at Bain in the Nordics and now only have two partner interviews left.

I asked HR what to expect from these 2 x 1 hour interviews and she told me personal questions combined with a business case - very similar to the first round but “less structured”.

Does anybody have experience from Partner Interviews from Bain and can help me understand what to expect more in depth? For example, what do they actually mean with less structured, what kind of case questions will be given, the interviews are over Zoom will they share graphs, ask me to do in depth math etcetera, am I expected to use pen and paper or do they want me exclude that and be even more free and conversational?

Thank you kindly in advance for in detail examples of what it could look like :)

Kind regards,

Answer 1

Hello,

Congratulations on securing a second round interview!

Exactly as your HR rep pointed out, the second round interviews are very similar to the first round interviews, so focus on any feedback you got in the first round, and otherwise continue with the same preparation. You will be given a case that will involve some structuring, math, graph interpretation, synthesis, etc. You will be allowed to use a pen and paper. You will also have some behavioral questions - sometimes interviewers will prefer to start with these, sometimes with the case. So in any case your experience in the first round should be a good example of what to expect.

Regarding the “less structured” point, they could mean that the case is more candidate-driven, in which case I recommend you focus your preparation on those types of cases. In my experience as a candidate, I found my second round interviews (also with partners, but at McKinsey) to be less structured in the sense that they felt more conversational - at the end of the interview we talked about how the cases related to the actual work they did, the questions they asked in the behavioral portion felt less like reading from a script and more as if they were genuinely asking questions that interested them about my experiences, and so on. If anything, this only made the interviews more enjoyable - and again, the same preparation you did for the first round would apply here too.

Good luck!

Answer 2

Hi there,

In terms of process, nothing is different. However, they have made a note of areas you showed strengths/weaknesses in. Look for them to test you weaknesses to see if they're 1) A fluk or 2) Workable.

In general, you should expect and prepare for the same things you've already been preparing...that is...anything!

Of course, you should be ready for it to be potentially a little more intense, or to dive more into business concepts or be more unstructured, but it's all generally the same!

So, focus on improving in areas you know you underperformed in - at the end of the day, same preparation as you should have been doing before!

Unstructured/Brainstorming

First, remember that casing isn't just about memorizing every step, industry, case type, etc. It's about learning how to be adaptable and nimble. So, always be prepared for the unexpected.

1. All cases are structured, wheather you realise the structure or not. It's your job to keep it organised and keep it to a good flow/framework!

2. Figure out what data/information you need and ask for it: The interviewer won't just give it to you (just like your client won't know what you need from them). Use your framework to dive into areas! If your interviewer insists they don't have data in that area (after you've gone specific), then go into another area of your framework (or expand out).

3.In this case try and keep a mini framework in your head. You can write as you talk as well.

Q&As

https://www.preplounge.com/en/consulting-forum/bcg-final-round-4311

https://www.preplounge.com/en/consulting-forum/how-to-prepare-for-unstructured-cases-appearing-in-2nd-round-6125

https://www.preplounge.com/en/consulting-forum/what-to-expect-from-a-final-partner-interview-for-internship-at-roland-berger-middle-east-8203

https://www.preplounge.com/en/consulting-forum/final-round-interview-4271