Bain 2nd Round - Middle East

Hi there,

Q: I have been invited for the second round bain interview next week. However, I doubt I will get enough time to prepare. In this case, would it be better to say no to the second round and try again next year?

I would rather ask to postpone the interview, usually they are quite flexible.

Good luck!

Francesco

Hi there,

You can't really just say no and then expect to be invited to interview next year. This is a really bad look as they've already invested time/effort on their end!

Rather, ask to delay by a few weeks. Say you would like time to work through some areas of improvement.

Also, remember, if you're time poor….get a coach. They can get much more progress from you per hour than you doing this on your own.

Hi there,

First of all, congratulations on the progress thus far with your application at Bain!

I think this is an interesting question that may be relevant for many people. I would be happy to share my thoughts on it:

• First of all, I would highly advise you not to simply abort the application process because you do not have sufficient time at the moment, and not to assume that you can just continue the application process next year if you abort it this year. This would leave a very negative impression with Bain, especially if you do not communicate your decision.
• Instead, I would highly advise you to reach out to the recruiter, explain your situation, and politely request to postpone the second interview round.

If you would like a more detailed discussion on how to best prepare for the second interview round with Bain, please don't hesitate to contact me directly.

Best,

Hagen

Congratulations on being invited to the second round! That should give you loads of confidence that you've met the bar.

You could postpone but I'd ask you what your priorities are at the moment. Applying for jobs is really hard work and there is rarely a good time to do it. If you'd really like to go to Bain, you have an amazing opportunity to get there, you just need to get through the next round of interviews. To be honest, what have you got to lose by taking your foot off the pedal at your current job for a week, focusing on the interview and seeing what happens? I suspect that the detrimental impact to your current role wouldn't outweigh the benefits of landing the Bain role. 

I always recommend that people seize the opportunities when they come their way - there is no guarantee that they'll come again.

Hi,

thanks for your question and congrats on being invited to 2nd round.

I would advise you to openly discuss the situation with the recruiter and find a solution. Postponing by a longer time period might mean you will have to go through first round again. I am sure there is a solution you can find.

Good luck!

Andreas

The reality is that it is not likely you can postpone an interview for a year - lots of things can change in a year!

What is a more reasonable ask is to postpone it by a month and use all or most of your free time on weekends and evenings to prepare for it. A lot of people work intense jobs and interview at the same time it can definitely be done but requires a lot of effort.

Hi there, 

No, I'd ask for them to postpone the final round. 

You can be very transparent with them about the professional and personal challenges you have at the moment and explain that because of them you will be unable to perform well during the interview. 

Then work with them to find a different date in a couple of weeks from now when you believe your schedule will be more predictable. 

Worst case scenario, if they refuse to postpone (which I seriously doubt), then do the interview anyway and give it your absolute best shot. 

You might also want to consider getting a coach since it's the best ROI on the short time you have available before the interview.

Best,
Cristian