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Tell me three things that are not mentioned in your CV

Bain interview CV personal experience interview
New answer on Nov 23, 2020
10 Answers
2.3 k Views
Elena asked on Feb 24, 2020

Hi all,

in my first round interview at Bain last week, the interviewer asked me to tell him three things about myself that are not mentioned in my CV. My CV covers pretty much all important stages from school, internships, etc. including detailed information about specializations, projects, etc.

What exactly are interviewers really interested in, when asking such a question? What are dos and don'ts when answering this type of question?

Thanks in advance & looking forward to reading your answers.

Elena

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Anonymous replied on Apr 18, 2020

Hey Elena,

This is an opportunity for you to take charge and highlight key points you want to get across, so use it wisely. There are a few potential topics you can address when asked this question.

  • Explain your motivation in your career transitions; make a coherent story of what drives you to interview for a consulting career
  • Tell your key strength areas or your working style; make sure they fit the culture of the firm
  • One hobby or activity outside work that can showcase your determination and resilience

Hope it helps,

Emily

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Ian
Expert
Content Creator
replied on Feb 24, 2020
#1 BCG coach | MBB | Tier 2 | Digital, Tech, Platinion | 100% personal success rate (8/8) | 95% candidate success rate

Hi Helena,

That's a tricky one! In a way, this is a "what are your 3 greatest strengths" question disguised ;)

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Luca
Expert
Content Creator
replied on Feb 25, 2020
BCG |NASA | SDA Bocconi & Cattolica partner | GMAT expert 780/800 score | 200+ students coached

Hello Elena,

Try to think something related to your personality and your soft skills that could impress your interviewer. You can use the answer that I imagine you prepared for the fit question "what are your strenghts?"
Do not forget to be fact based, prepare some good examples that can prove your sentences.

Best,
Luca

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Anonymous replied on Apr 30, 2020

Hi Elena,

talk about your social engagement, extra curricular activities, hobbies&interests.

Maybe you could bring some fun facts which will make the interviewer smile or laughing.

Anyway be yourself!

Best,

André

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1
Clara
Expert
Content Creator
replied on Feb 24, 2020
McKinsey | Awarded professor at Master in Management @ IE | MBA at MIT |+180 students coached | Integrated FIT Guide aut

Hello!

As you say, a good CV emcompasses all the relevant aspects from the experience and studies of a person.

Hence, in this case, I believe he was referring to things related to your personality, what passionates you, the things you like, etc.

Hope it helps!

Cheers,

Clara

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Anonymous A replied on Feb 24, 2020

Tell about your hobbies, you as a person, how good of a friend you are etc.

Something that will make them remember you, it doesn't have to be professional.

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0
Vlad
Expert
updated an answer on Feb 24, 2020
McKinsey / Accenture Alum / Got all BIG3 offers / Harvard Business School

Hi,

  • Don't talk about weaknesses
  • Talk about positive things
  • Since you have everything in your resume - most probably should be work related
  • The objective is to understand you as a human beyond work. Talk about your hobbies and interests
  • You can also mention some interesting / funny stories from the past

Best

(edited)

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Antonello
Expert
Content Creator
replied on Feb 29, 2020
McKinsey | NASA | top 10 FT MBA professor for consulting interviews | 6+ years of coaching

I would talk about 2 strengths supported by impactful stories + a nice hobby

Best,
Antonello

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Thomas
Expert
Content Creator
replied on Apr 17, 2020
150+ interviews | 6+ years experience | Bain, Kearney & Accenture | Exited startup| London Business School

Interviewers want to hear a mix of personal and professional stories. Therefore, don't be afraid to share a personal hobby or personal story. In terms of professional stories, prepare one or two stories that are not on your CV (above all your CV is only 1 page) beforehand.

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Gaurav
Expert
Content Creator
replied on Nov 23, 2020
#1 MBB Coach(Placed 750+ in MBBs & 1250+ in Tier2)| The Only 360 coach(Ex-McKinsey + Certified Coach + Active recruiter)

Hi,

Basically the question behind this question from the interviewer is to get an understanding how is your experience, skills and accomplishments make you an ideal candidate for that specific role.

So, to answer brilliant on this question take out from your resume the most relevant experience and structure your narration in a way that will reply to the following questions:

  1. How led you to that role?

  2. What did you learn from that role?

  3. How did that influence your next steps?

Also, you can mention your motivation in consulting, in this company and how you can be useful as a potential candidate.

Does it make sense to you?

GB

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