I applied through an employee referral. The process took 7 weeks. I interviewed at Bain & Company (London, England) in May 2012
Interview
First-round interview four weeks after applying online. First interview with an Associate Consultant and Senior Associate Consultant. CV discussion - the questions included why consulting, why Bain, how would I get data from a client or a client's client. Then a market sizing case. Interviewers friendly and asking questions to help you showcase your experience and capabilities. Second interview with a consultant - case study. Essentially candidate led, with interviewer having some questions that he wanted to address. No slides for that particular case. Also the second interviewer was friendly, and created quite a relaxed atmosphere. Overall positive experience.
Interview questions [1]
Question 1
No unexpected questions in this particular interview, both market sizing cases and business problem cases are standard.
Three rounds of interviews, generally 2 rounds in person or remote with live consultants. Each round involves a 2-3 case interviews each, which generally also include a set of behavioural questions.
Drei Interviewrunden, je ein Interviewer: zwei englischsprachige Case Studies (Interviewer-geführt, strukturiert) sowie Personal Fit mit situativen Fragen ohne CV-Bezug - keine Angaben zu Praktika oder Uni gefragt. Stattdessen Reaktionsfragen à la „Wie würdest du in Situation XYZ reagieren?". Mit solider Vorbereitung nichts Unerwartetes. Alle Interviewer sehr freundlich und aufgeschlossen — angenehme, entspannte Atmosphäre throughout.
2 rounds of 3 interviews.
The first round includes a fit interview.
All interviews feel very relaxed, but they still expect you to move through the case fast and in a structured way.
Interview questions [1]
Question 1
How would you handle a client who is feeling anxious/fearful?