Planning to apply to Bain (Stockhom) in a couple months.

Question

Hey guys,

I currently study in Kenya and I am planning to apply to Bain (Stockholm) in the fall. I have reached out to the recruiter and she assured me that my application will be holistically reviewed - I have good grades but I was worried that being from a country Bain is not present in would be somewhat of an issue.

I'd like to ask: How competitive is the Stockholm office? What are they known for? And how should I prepare to make that I at least have a fighting chance through the interview process?

Answer 1

Hello!

Is good that you are in contact with HR for sure. the only thing that I would tell you is the language, but I am guessing this came up in the conversation.

In terms of prep is totally the classic, you have 2 main workstreams ahead:

1. FIT INTERVIEW

The "Integrated FIT guide for MBB" has been recently published in PrepLounge´s shop (https://www.preplounge.com/en/shop/tests-2/integrated-fit-guide-for-mbb-34)

It provides an end-to-end preparation for all three MBB interviews, tackling each firms particularities and combining key concepts review and a hands-on methodology. Following the book, the candidate will prepare his/her stories by practicing with over 50 real questions and leveraging special frameworks and worksheets that guide step-by-step, developed by the author and her experience as a Master in Management professor and coach. Finally, as further guidance, the guide encompasses over 20 examples from real candidates.

You can see plenty of reviews from candidates who purchased it already.

It provides an end-to-end preparation for all three MBB interviews, tackling each firms particularities and combining key concepts review and a hands-on methodology. Following the book, the candidate will prepare his/her stories by practicing with over 50 real questions and leveraging special frameworks and worksheets that guide step-by-step, developed by the author and her experience as a Master in Management professor and coach. Finally, as further guidance, the guide encompasses over 20 examples from real candidates.

Furthermore, you can find 3 FREE Expert Articles on PreLounge, in a sreies dedicated to preparing for the different parts of FIT:

1. https://www.preplounge.com/en/articles/cv-interview-questions

2. https://www.preplounge.com/en/articles/motivational-fit-interview-questions

3. https://www.preplounge.com/en/behavioral-interview-questions

Feel free to PM me for disccount codes for the Integrated FIT Guide, since we still have some left from the launch

2. BUSINESS CASE

1. Practice cases with partners asap, as many as you can do.Find experienced partners who can provide a good feedback

2. Practice your math skills, both in your cases and with ad hoc exercisess, such as:

1. Multiplying double digit numbers (you can find videos about this in Youtube, unfortunately we cannot post the link here but they are easy to find)

2. Leveraging math tools (Mimir math for iOS), Math tool on Viktor Cheng website to practice

Furthermore, you should practice as much as you can, and ensure that you cover:

1. Profitability cases- basic profitability framework.

2. Idea generation cases: for any specif issue

3. Growth cases: market penetration, new product launch, product mix change, etc.

4. Pricing cases

5. M&A cases

6. Valuation cases

7. Value chain cases

Given you are under this much time contraint, consider working with a coach to foster speed and ensure you have a tailored plan to be very targeted. PM me interested!

Hope it helps!

Cheers,

Clara

Answer 2

Hi there,

The most important thing you should do is to find a referral. That’s because if you have no connections with a country and simply apply online, your chances to be invited are extremely low (I did this mistake myself the first time I applied).

To find a referral, you should follow three main steps:

Identify the people that can help you
Write them a customized email
Have a call and indirectly ask for a referral

As general tips:

Don’t use LinkedIn for your communication – emails work better. You should target 30% conversion for your messages; if you are not achieving that, there is space for improvement
When sending emails, your goal should be to organize a call, not to ask questions – you can then use the call for the questions
You need to close the call with an indirect request for a referral – don’t leave that to chances. There are specific ways to phrase it

You should prepare three main things before the call:

Your own pitch. 3-4 lines should be enough
3-4 questions on the personal experiences of the person. Avoid to ask questions about the company
A closing question for the referral. It should be an indirect request to avoid being too pushy

You can find more on referrals here:

▶ How to Get an MBB Referral

The advantage of getting a referral is that this could also help you to get information on the Stockholm office from real insiders.

In terms of how to prepare for the interview itself, you can find some tips here:

▶ How to Prepare for an MBB Interview

If you need help please feel free to PM me, I do a 30min session on referrals, including scripts and all the steps to follow, at 50% discount. I used this process myself and got 6 invitations out of 6 applications – including all MBB.

Best,

Francesco

Answer 3

Hi there,

Sounds like an interesting case. Let me take your questions one by one.

1. How competitive is the Stockholm office?
It's mid to low range competition, especially if you compare it to offices such as London and New York. The one thing to consider here is that you'll be competing with both Nordics as well as people with your background. On the other hand, the advantage is that Sweden is one of the most multi-cultural countries in Europe, so they are mindful of diversity and they make sure to minimise bias in the selection process.

2. What are they known for?
One of the best lifestyles in Europe. Among consultants, the Nordics and Netherlands are known as the chillest offices in Europe and everybody wants to do projects there. So it's a good place to be.

3. And how should I prepare to make that I at least have a fighting chance through the interview process?

One key thing to have in mind is to have a good story of why you want to apply to Sweden and not somewhere else. If you're Swedish, of course it makes sense to apply in your own country, but if you're from Kenya you could be applying to many other offices. Try to find some sort of link. Usually having done some education in the country where you're applying or having some sort of personal link helps.

Hope all of this helps and feel free to reach out if you have further questions!

Answer 4

Hi there,

You need to network extensively! Make sure to get a referral (if you can) before you apply.

Additionally, have your resume professionally reviewed beforehand. And, if you can, get some consulting experience by doing part-time/pro-bono consulting work (there are a bunch of sites for this).

Good luck!

Here's some reading on Fit prep: https://www.preplounge.com/en/articles/tell-me-about-yourself-interview-question

And some reading on case prep: https://www.preplounge.com/en/articles/how-to-shift-your-mindset-to-ace-the-case

Answer 5

Dear candidate,

great plan. If you have time, get a referral too, beforehand by networking, for example on LinkedIn. For preparing, get ready for both fit and case interviews. Especially prep early for the case interviews, it is usually the aspect most candidates need the most time for. For example, read up on the prep material here or in case book, do 10 live cases with peers to see where your strengths and weaknesses lie, to get first practise and to give yourself a sense of how long you might need to practise, can be very different from candidate to candidate. By doing live cases you get a great idea of where you are and what you might want to practise. Besides this practise structuring, quant, top down communication, chart interpretation, composure.

Best regards

Answer 6

Dear candidate,

Being from a country Bain is not present in should not be an issue. I have have worked in offices with various consultants that came from countries in which there are no offices. What is important is that you give a strong reason as to why Bain and why specifically the Stockholm office in your cover letter.

It would be great to reach out to people from the Bain Stockholm office via linkedin before applying. You can use this time to ask them what sets the Stockholm office apart, for any interview tips, and to gage whether you think the office and company are a right fit for you.

In order to have a fighting chance through the interview process you should definitely take the time to prepare for your cases and fit interview. Practice cases with other applicants, not alone. The amount of cases you need to prepare depends completely on your own pace and comfort.

Good luck!

Answer 7

Building a little bit on the answers. I would recommend a couple of additional things.
1. Use the website and see the partner specialities to better understand which industries are covered. That is usually a good representation of the industries the office does projects in.
2. Build a why stockholm case. Firms are familiar that candidates use tier 2 offices as an entry point to firm. So build a story around maybe the type of work the office does and why you are interested in that or have personal reasons or whatever your reason might be.

Answer 8

Hi there -

thanks for sharing the context. Regarding your questions, here's how you should look at it.

1. How competitive is Stockholm office? In general, it's quite competitive but not comparable to the likes of London, Paris and Germany in terms of # of applicants, local language requirements etc. That said, Bain in Stockholm is well known to be open to international candidates, so you will definitely get a fair chance. I can offer you to connect you with my network there (I have 3 close connections at that office from my MBA cohort) - depending on the strength of your profile, may be able to help you get a referral.

2. How to prepare? Feel free to reach out on this and we can have an informal chat on how to exactly plan out your preparation workplan and focus on ALL the core skills you'll need to succeed.

Hope this helps! Feel free to reach out via PM for further info, as mentioned above.

Cheers, Andi