What criteria does Bain uses to select a candidates for an interview? Do they only invite candidates which they think are highly qualified?

Hi,

Bain is hiring less than other MBB companies globally, thus their application filtering process may be even more strict in some countries. That's why you should be either highly qualified or being well qualified but having a referral. 

Pls find more information regarding the referral here:

https://www.preplounge.com/en/consulting-forum/what-is-a-referral-really-1103#a2129

As for the general criteria, they mainly look at:

• Education and GPA - they are looking mostly for top schools and best score
• Work experience - if you have a lot of relevant experience, education is less important. Both brand and your role in the company are important

You can also increase your chances by having additional qualifications: tests, technical skills, extracurricular activities, achievements, etc.

Best

I recently spoke with a recruiting specialist from Bain's Zurich office. They said they look at the following 3 areas:

1. Education: school you have studied, GPA. 
2. Work Experience: strong focus on consulting or Private Equity. Other work experiences are ranked only secondary (according to the recruiting specialist I spoke)
3. International Experience: whether you have worked/studied in another country

For interns, it might differ a bit and they might look at extracuricular activities instead of work experience (but that's an assumption).

Hi Anonymous,

for new graduates, criteria would be the following, in order of importance:

1. University reputation
2. Degree (less relevant in some countries)
3. Academic performance
4. Work experience
5. Extracurricular activities
6. Experience abroad

For experienced hires, your career path would also be relevant. In general terms, the best work experience would be the following:

• Other strategy consulting firms
• Business development/Strategy roles in top brands
• In case you join as an expert for a specific practice: top brands in that field

As for your second question: yes, they won’t invite you unless you show excellence in the previous areas, or, as Vlad mentioned, can compensate any missing points with a strong referral.

Best,

Francesco

See a couple of previous threads on specific scoring criteria of resume/profiles below:

https://www.preplounge.com/en/consulting-forum/how-do-recruiters-filter-applications-first-phase-1218#a2417

https://www.preplounge.com/en/consulting-forum/what-can-i-add-to-my-resume-to-pass-screening-1300#a2760