Am I in over my head? In the midst of a Bain application

Question

I have applied for Bain in a Consultant role after 5 years at PwC in their Deals Advisory practice in London (Value Creation). I have taken leadership roles on projects since I was a second year associate as a couple of Partners and Directors took a gamble with me and trusted me to lead workstreams as a just-23 year old with next to no experience ha. I still think they were crazy but we're here now.

When I submitted my application it seemed obvious to apply as a Consultant rather than a more junior Associate or Associate Consultant role due to 4 years of experience leading workstreams on large projects and leading small projects independently. I also have experience pitching and winning work independently. However, now after some further research, I am under the impression that the Consultant role is mostly taken by individuals with MBAs (I 'just' have a First in an Arts degree from a top 5 UK uni) or who are older than 27 and have a few more years of experience than me.

I have passed the CV screening and am now preparing for the SOVA assessment. My concern is that I am in over my head and that maybe I should speak to the recruitment office following the SOVA results (if I pass) and see if I can change my entry level. I am not entirely sure of the expectations of a Consultant at Bain - I am a very comfortable Manager at PwC and have been consistently exceptionally rated at moderation throughout my time at the firm.

I also wonder how this would impact expectations in interviews. A lot of the advice online seems geared towards entry level applicants.

So my questions are: (1) Is my experience sufficient to succeed in the role I have applied for? and (2) What will be different about an experienced hire interview versus an entry level Associate position?

Answer 1

Hi there,

Congratulations on your career so far; you have already accomplished a lot at a young age! In terms of your questions:

1) Is my experience sufficient to succeed in the role I have applied for?

With 5 years in consulting and currently in a manager role, I would say the Consultant position looks like the right one. The fact you passed the CV screening seems to confirm that.

2) What will be different about an experienced hire interview versus an entry level Associate position?

The structure of the interview should be the same in terms of case and fit. However, the expectations in terms of performance for a pass are normally higher for a Consultant (meaning fewer mistakes/more robust answers expected).

Good luck!

Francesco

Answer 2

Hi there,

Congrats on your trajectory!

Yes, most definitely!
The format of the interviews will be the same however expectations are higher in the case (mainly on business sense and judgement, maturity and confidence, structure and communication) and in the fit interview (stories and experiences with more impact, responsibilities and larger teams).

All the best,

Florian

Answer 3

Hallo, also einen generellen Hiring Freeze wird es nicht geben und schon garnicht für Experienced Hires. MBB sind se... (read entire answer)

Hallo, also einen generellen Hiring Freeze wird es nicht geben und schon garnicht für Experienced Hires. MBB sind sehr gut darin Krisen gewinnbringend zu manövrieren und krisen... (read entire answer)

Answer 4

Hi! With a yearly income of 100,000 EUR gross you are already in the top 3.3% in Germany. See the graph below. But th... (read entire answer)

Hi! With a yearly income of 100,000 EUR gross you are already in the top 3.3% in Germany. See the graph below. But the starting salary is not even so relevant for consulting job... (read entire answer)

Answer 5

Hey there, First off, don't worry too much about the language barrier. While knowing German would be a plus, it's no... (read entire answer)

Hey there, First off, don't worry too much about the language barrier. While knowing German would be a plus, it's not always a deal-breaker, especially in big international fir... (read entire answer)