Bain & Company Associate Interview

Interview Details – Bain & Company rarely interviews PhD candidates for associate positions, so I was surprised and flattered to land this interview at all. I attribute my success mainly to meeting a partner from Bain & Company for coffee who was one of the first PhD hires ever at Bain and also an alumnus at the institute where I am pursuing graduate studies. This partner was so impressed with me that she/he told me I had to apply.

The interview was standard consulting fare. There were two back-to-back case interviews. The first one with with an engagement-manger level associate, and the second one was with a principal level consultant. I had great rapport with my first interviewer; he even told me about the time half the office dressed up like vikings and "pillaged" the other employers with plastic weaponry. My first interviewer even remarked that I was not their typical interviewee, but he noted that the partner I met had recommended me.

From the start, my second interviewer seemed disinterested in me in general. He gave me a case, but he preceding it by telling me it would not very serious or structured. He delivered on his promise and the case was pretty open-ended. He didn't even ask me to sum up my findings when it was over. We had some pleasant Q&A after the case, but I could sense that he was just clearly not interested in hiring me.

The nicest thing about Bain & Company is that they call you right away. They don't leave you hanging in any sense; I got the rejection call that same evening--I was expecting a rejection of course. My first interviewer made the call--no doubt since he actually like me. He told me it was great to meet me, but that I wasn't "at the level they needed me to be at" for a call-back to interview for round two. I'm not sure that feedback was particularly helpful, but I did appreciate the quick phone call.