Bain Fit questions

Question

Hi everyone,

I'm preparing for my Bain interview and seeing that their fit interview is conducted on a "CV-blind" basis, I was wondering if anyone had tips on how to best prepare my personal story?

How should I go about explaining a bit about my background? Can I mention that I have a background in financial services industry or is this already too much?

For questions such as "tell me about a time you had failed" or "tell me about a time you had a conflict with a colleague", I have my answers. But I'm struggling more with questions on "why bain/why consulting" if I can't really explain my career trajectory up until now and how this would fit in.

Would be grateful for any tips on this and thank you very much :)

Answer 1

Hi Sera,

First of all, congratulations on the invitation from Bain!

I would be happy to share my thoughts on your question:

First of all, can you please provide a proposal that I can review? There is no universal structure for answering questions like "Why Bain?".
Moreover, and I think this is also explained in an email from Bain, conducting "CV-blind" interviews means the candidate not mentioning any organization names. Of course, you still need to be able to describe your background.
Lastly, please keep in mind that Bain's behavioral interview seems to be about more than only experience-based personal fit questions. As one of the most experienced coaches in terms of consulting, interviewing and coaching, I'd be more than happy to help you prepare for this in great detail.

You can find more on this topic here: How to succeed in the final interview round.

If you would like a more detailed discussion on how to best prepare for your upcoming Bain interviews, please don't hesitate to contact me directly.

Best,

Hagen

Answer 2

Hey Sera!

Great that you’re preparing in detail! For CV-blind interviews, focus on crafting a strong narrative that highlights your leadership, problem-solving, and teamwork skills without relying on specific job titles. You can mention your financial services background but keep it high-level and emphasize transferable skills.

For “Why Bain/Why Consulting?” questions, I always teach my mentees to think beyond the usual and connect personal values with Bain’s culture and approach—this makes answers more unique and memorable. Also, look for experiences from business, university, or extracurriculars to illustrate key competencies. Happy to help you refine your answers in a session if needed! 😊

Alessa