Bain & Company work in all sectors but are largely known for their involvement with luxury goods and private equity consulting. Scoring an interview with Bain is an achievement in and of itself, so it’s imperative that you come prepared. Prepmatter advises aspiring business consultants on how to prepare for the Bain Case interview so they can optimize their chances of securing a job offer.
What to Know About Bain
Bain is looking for more than an impressive CV. They want to see and experience your unique talents and ability to decipher problems and formulate solutions under pressure. There is no way to know exactly what type of business situation or problem you will be asked to resolve, but these are the most common types of Bain case interviews:
- Market sizing
- Market entry
- M&A
- Growth strategy
- Profitability
During the case interview, the people from Bain will assess the following:
- Communication & Presence: This ability will be displayed throughout the interview process. The main evaluation criteria are presence, precision, active listening, and relationship management.
- Problem Solving & Insight: This skill will be assessed in the case portion of the interview. This section requires you to show structure, judgment, and rigor, as well as creativity and synthesis.
- Effectiveness & Impact: During the fit interview section, you should demonstrate your effectiveness and potential impact. Interviewers would like to see independence, team contributions, substance, learning, and achievement.
Here are some tips that should help provide a baseline for your Bain case interview prep:
- Take Notes: You will receive essential data regarding the case from the Bain interviewer. So be sure to focus on key points of the company, including the context and case objective.
- Ask Clarifying Questions: Ask questions to help you understand the key objectives of the client as you concentrate on the company. This will help you to determine if the client’s expectations are met.
- Create Your Initial Framework: You will need to create a framework that covers all aspects of the case. This will ensure that you can drive the case independently. Your framework may contain the following areas:
1. Qualitative Aspects:
- Client’s capabilities
- Product segments
- Customer segments
- Competitive landscape
2. Financial Elements (Case-Dependents):
- Revenues, including quantity and price
- Costs, including fixed and variable costs
3. Potential Risks:
- What are some of the risks involved? Be sure to outline these in a concise, accessible manner.
Develop and Test a Hypothesis
Your hypothesis is based on available information. As such, you will refine your hypothesis throughout the process. Do not get too invested. If you need more data to test your hypothesis, ask for it. And remember to answer the Bain case interview questions with relevant information to your hypothesis.
Your hypothesis can be developed as part of your case or later. Our blog post provides more information on proper framework building. We provide an in-depth explanation of how to build your first framework.
Provide Your Recommendation
Your recommendation for the case is presented at the end of the interview. Avoid rambling on about the details and stick to the main points. The interviewer might tell you the outcome of a Bain case if it’s based on a real case.
Prepmatter Prepares You for Your Bain Interview
Prepmatter is a leading authority on management consulting firm interviews. To ensure the best possible outcome of your Bain interview, visit our Get the Offer course today.