Hi,
I have a call scheduled with a Bain partner tomorrow morning (am in EST) and I was just wondering how to network with a partner? what are some of the questions I can ask about his experience and the firm. Hoping to build a rapport with him but unsure how to do so.
Thanks,
Hi!
There are a few important things you want to get right in this call :
Hope that helps !
Julie
Hi Daisy,
Good question! First of all, great of you to start networking and already getting offers for referrals. Definitely the way to go!
Your referees have a strong interest that you’re prepared well in case you get invited to an interview. Hence, I would discuss with them directly the level of your case preparation.
There’s basically 2 options:
In my case, I was invited by McKinsey and asked for 8 weeks extra time. No problem at all since recruiting is on a rolling basis and it makes no difference to consulting firms when they interview you. Hence, I would recommend option #2.
However, best is to discuss with your contacts directly. That‘s what alumni are there for!
Hope this helps. Best of luck!
Hi Alice,
1) But I'm wondering other than that is there any other reason to do so that would be helpful to a candidate?
Yes. If you get a referral you will increase substantially the probability they will call you for interviews. As simple as that.
2) I also heard that you should network with associates-- specifically in the office that you are applying to - so during interviews they recognize your name in the room. Is that true?
Actually the higher the seniority the stronger the referral, so I would recommend to network from manager and above. Associates can still refer you though.
Yes, it is better if you are referred by someone in the same office. Although also consultants in other offices can refer you.
Associates don’t normally conduct interviews – they are usually conducted from manager and above.
Not sure what you mean by during interviews they recognize your name in the room – consulting companies don’t usually do group interviews. Also, if an interviewer personally knows you well, they can ask to be changed to avoid conflict of interest.
I wrote down some tips below on referrals, hope can be useful.
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To find a referral, you should follow three main steps:
As general tips:
You should prepare three main things before the call:
- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
You can find more on how to get referrals here:
If you need more help, I also do a 30min session with scripts to use, access to my network and every other info to land one. Please feel free to PM for more info.
Best,
Francesco
Hi Daisy,
First of all, nice work! You're networking and preparing at the same time which is exactly how to do it. Additionally, it sounds like you're networking effectively - well done!
My strong advice is to strike while the iron is hot. Life is about timing - if they are interested in you now and will refer you, you need to followup in a timely manner. If you said you will send them the CV+Cover Letter next week, do so. Otherwise, you will appear to them as lazy/dis-organized, etc.
Ultimately, the process does take a while so you likely have a few weeks at a minimum to get ready. Additionally, you can always delay the interview itself - when they reach out to schedule you can ask for 1-2 months to fully prepare.
Well done and good luck!
Hey Alice,
Networking helps in two aspects :
Gain better understanding what the job entails and if it fits your interests: By Networking and asking Associates what their day in the life looks like you can get an understanding of whether you would want to follow in their footsteps. Too many candidates get enamored by the prestige that an MBB or a similar consulting firm name carries but they fail to critically evaluate whether they will like the job. The hard part starts when you get in the firm, if you don't like the work you will find it very difficult to succeed
Signal to interviewers that you are serious about consulting and the firm: When I was interviewing candidates and if someone mentioned a colleague's name and that they have indeed spoken to them, it did act like a ice breaker , there was a common thread for us to connect on. Also, it indicates to the interviewer that you are initiative driven because of the 100 candidates he has interviewed you are among the few who has taken the additional effort to talk to people in the office you
However, keep in mind that networking is only a hygiene factor, it might get you in the door and help you create an initial rapport with the interviewer but if your case performance and fit interview are not above average its unlikely you will get an offer solely on the basis on networking.
Hi there,
Well done on being invited to the event. In terms of your questions:
1) I have a consulting event day coming up and there are several dedicated time slots for networking with consultants, what is best way to approach this?
Events are great opportunities to create a strong connection with current consultants for referrals. To do so, you should:
The key things I would recommend to prepare in advance are the following:
You can find more networking and events here:
▶ How to Network to Get an MBB Referral
2) Should I also try connect / network with some of the consultants prior to the event on LinkedIn?
Agree with Cristian, no need to do this in advance. Just study their profile in order to ask better questions.
Hope this helps,
Francesco
Hi Daisy,
you are doing a great job getting both the networking and the case preparation right here :)
I would also recommend you to take the referral straight away, as the follow up and handling through HR will take some time, and you have additional flexibility when scheduling the interview.
However, you were talking about ‘Alumni’ - if you mean people who already left the company you are applying to, I would advise you to get a referral from an active consultant within the company (difference) who actually knows you and is not just an accidental LinkedIn connection (big difference) to make the referral more real and effective.
Best
Stephan
Hi Alice,
Networking basically works by you reaching out to have conversations with people (about their job, the company etc.).
The reason you network is 1) To understand the job but 2) To drastically increase your chances of getting invited to interview.
Yes you can/should network with Associates but you also shouldn't limit yourself! Network with all levels of the company, and, specifically, you want to aim to get high level referrals.
Feel free to reach out if you'd like to learn more about how to network optimally!
Hi there,
There's two types of networking (from your perspective):
Both are perfectly valid but if you want to land a job at firm X and there's people from firm X at an event, you need to get your mindset shifted to the second approach.
For that, you need to actually have an overarching objective in mind i.e. join firm X end of the year in location Y and role Z.
This is how it translates into networking objectives:
As for referrals - you don't just ask people for it randomly. Instead, build rapport first and come across as a likeable and capable person. Somewhere down the line, if you have a good feeling about the connection, ask for contact details and if they might be willing to “help” with the application process.
If they like you and have a good feeling about you being a potentially good candidate, they are incentivized by their firm to actually help you and maybe refer you.
So my advice is to be clear on what you want and then go after it confidently with conviction and always friendly and likeable.
Best of luck!
Hi there,
These sort of events are great opportunities to learn more about the respective firms and the consultant life.
To make the most out of it, I recommend the following:
And as a last point, there's no need to network with the consultants on Linkedin before the event. It makes more sense to do it afterwards once you actually met them in person.
Best,
Cristian
Hi,
For your call, I would advise you to think about the following:
Do not hesitate to DM if you need to further discuss those points.
All the best,
Mehdi :)
You should take the opportunities as they come. So if someone want to refer you, you should accept it. Don't risk postponing / turning down and then not having one when you need it.
The fact is that you can defer your first interview, so when they reach out regarding scheduling, ask for a timeline that suits you. It won't be a problem.
I agree with the previous answers so no need to repeat here.
I just want to additionally point out that such networking day is obviously a recruiting tool used by consulting firms. So while the atmosphere is meant to be “relaxed and informal”, don't forget that you are still being tested.
This ranges from your ability to carry conversations, the kinds of questions you ask, how you interact with different seniority levels and other candidates at the event to how you eat your meal. The HR recruiting team will usually collect feedback (e.g. consultants' impressions) on each candidate after the event.
The consultants at the event also know that each candidate will try to shine and wants to get a referral from them of course. The best way to get there, in my experience, is to be as authentic and genuine as possible while remaining professional. Give them the chance to get to know you as a person and try to refrain from dropping “pitches” that might come across as rehearsed.
On the flipside, you should also use this as your chance to “test” the firm. Do you like what you see in terms of company culture and chemistry? Can you envision working with the people you meet?
Best of luck and enjoy the experience
Hi there,
There are some specific steps to follow to get a referrals.
As general tips:
You can find more details on the steps to follow at the following link:
https://www.preplounge.com/en/consulting-forum/hey-everyonehope-all-is-well-3176
Best,
Francesco
Hi there,
A referral is still useful, even if you are from a target school. The reason is that you can distinguish yourself from other good candidates from your school who don’t have one.
I coach a lot of candidates from target schools (eg INSEAD) and always recommend they look for referrals – exactly because there are still many candidates from target schools they compete with.
- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
To find a referral, you should follow three main steps:
As general tips:
You should prepare three main things before the call:
- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
You can find more on how to get referrals here:
Best,
Francesco
Hi Alice,
fair question!
Networking should be useful to:
1. Find out more about the firm from unofficial source…about the company, culture, people… to see if you like it, if you would fit, etc.
2. Understand better how the recruiting works, eventually find out jobs you wont find on the web
3. Potentially hope you can get a referral, which ensures your CV will be checked. BUT overall referrals are overestimated here in the forums… they dont allow you to skip any step of the process, nor give you advantage in the process, hence if you see it would be difficult to get a referral, dont overestimate time on that, rather put all your effort to have the best CV and cover letter.
All the best,
Lucie
Was this answer helpful?
Hello,
I would use this opportunity to understand the job better through someone's personal experience, rather than trying to impress the person.
Whenever I'm trying to understand someone else's job, I ask some of the the following questions
- What were their motivations when they joined that company?
- Were these expectations met? What are the things that they love about their job and what are the things they wish they had known before?
- How does their day look like? What are some examples of problems that they are working on?
- What were your most/least interesting/impactful projects?
- What are the growth (and career) prospects in that sector?
I hope it helps.
Best,
Réka
Hi there,
I think it would help to answer these questions to help you frame the discussion:
By answering these questions on paper, you would force yourself to truly think about what you want to talk about in order to meet your objectives.
It is hard for someone to give you "good questions to help you build rapport" without knowing the background behind this call, your motivation, and the partner's motivation.
I hope this helps.
Khaled
No, definitely not. They are already offering you networking slots. Why would you try to network before the networking session? It's like showing up to a friend's house 3 hours before the party starts.
What you may want to do is network with other people and make sure you are prepared for that session.
And the advice I can give you is to use it as a genuine opportunity to learn about the company, your counterpart's experience on the job, and understand how to prepare for the recruiting process. I.e., show genuine interest and develop a bit of a connection. Of course, be ready to deliver a bit of your “selling pitch”, but don't be aggressive about it. It is more important to have an intelligent conversation than having a mechanic pitch.
Good luck with the session.
Be comfortably prepared with:
1) Why Consulting
2) Why Bain
3) Why this role
You need to have your story ready, and convince them you are passionate + serious about joining Bain AND that you are an impressive candidate that they would want.
Furthermore, make sure you know the company. I.e. What the service ops practice does, the Partners that run it, what some of their recent insights/projects have been, what the job looks like day-to-day, etc.
In Terms of Specific Questions
It's hard to tell you "ask x question". Rather, you need to show that you're engaged, inquisitive, insightful, and curious. Your questions should combine what he/she is saying with insights/knowledge of your own, to then form new hypotheses/questions. Ideally you even prompt their thinking/reflection a bit as well. Basically, your questions/discussion are actually an opportunity for you to show them how you think.
You can ask some quetions specific to the office, but make sure you're not asking silly questions that you should have found out before from some research! Demonstrate your interest, competence, and likeability.
Ask For Yourself
While a coffee chat is a way for you to make a good impression, please remember that it's also about you making sure this job + path are right for you!
To prepare, think about things you'd like to learn about the company. Ask about your person's experience at the firm, where they've come from, if they have any advice for you etc. Be inquisitive and interested in what they have to say, and feel free to ask thoughtful follow-up questions.
Most importantly, remember this is a conversation! Keep it dynamic, two-way, etc.
Have Your Pitch Ready
In terms of what they'll ask you, make sure you have your 30 second pitch prepared! Who are you in a nutshell and why are you interested in Bain and strategy consulting?
Ask About Them
People love to talk about themselves. Just ask them what they've worked on recently or what their journey at BCG has been like. Importantly, do your research beforehand - find out what they've done and try and pick something from their past that looks interesting to you. Tailor your questions just like they tailor their FIT questions to your resume.
"So, how did you end up in the Industrial Goods sector?" "I saw you worked on a big digital transformation for a financial services company - I experienced one myself and it seemed so hard to move such a big organisation. What did you see as the major challenges and breakthrough moments?"
Dear A,
It's great that you have a chance to talk with Bain partner.
Well, in general, you need to be lightly person on order to do so you need to google the most relevant information about your partner with whom you are going to talk about his background, his competence and focus, past projects. Maybe, you can even find any publications where he was an author. Through this, try to ask him the questions and find similarities with yourself: maybe you cam from the same school, town, or interested in the same topics. This will help you to establish both profesional and personal link.
Listen more than you speak, be an active listener. Partners normally like those person who are smart and listen to them. So make the partner feel great during this conversation. And I'm pretty sure that afterwards he will be eager to help you to get into the firm, which is your ultimate objective.
Hope it helps you,
If you need further tips, just drop me a message,
Good luck,
André
Hello!
I think it does make sense to reach out to associates or even BAs (depending on your own tenure), since your success rate would be higher than with more senior people.
However, the target you mention is wrong: is not for them to know your name in the room, but to 1) get to know the job better and 2) get a referral that helps in the process.
Hope it helps!
Cheers,
Clara
Hi there,
This call is more of an initial screening, no need to have detailed/specific questions in mind. You just need to have an enjoyable conversation with your interviewer for him/her to let you in the interview pipeline - the safest way to go about it is to ask him/her about himself/herself (people like to talk about themselves)
If you want to ask about the office, you could ask questions pertaining about the specifics of that office vs. Bain global (because you don't want to ask questions that have their answers available of the web)
I hope this helps
Khaled
Hi there,
I would avoid to ask questions about the firm. Instead, you should try to ask questions related to the experience of the person in the firm. People love to talk about themselves.
Generally speaking, good questions should:
Best,
Francesco
Hi Anonymous,
The main idea is making the most of the very limited face time available with your interviewers. As a consequence, questions probing personal insights from your interviewers make sense to learn more about the firm ... and that might even lead to some interesting insights. Some questions I am thinking of are e.g.
Hope that helps - if so, please be so kind and give it a thumbs-up with the green upvote button below!
Robert
Hello,
in general, partners take a lot of space in meetings and talk a lot.
However, they can also tell you "ok what are the objectives of this call"? In this case prepare a well structured response e.g. in 3-4 bullet points.
But you need to tell us more about the context of this call :)
David
Hello!
Ensure you do a good reserach a priori, this will help you find common points, that is always a plus (perhaps same Uni, or something in common)
During the talk itself, focus on geniune questions to learn more about his career, experience, choices, challenges, etc.
Don´t be transactional , he knows at the end of the day you want a referral, but don´t be too upfront about it. Be enjoyable, as if you met your partner´s parents!
Hope it helps!
Cheers,
Clara
Hi there,
Some quick thoughts on this.
Cheers,
Emily
Hey there,
You want to differentiate yourself in a pool of candidates with similar backgrounds, successes, grades, work experience, etc.
Most people from your school have a similar profile. To stand out, networking will help you to get your foot in the door more easily. Ian's chart (love it btw - first time I am seeing data on that) brings the point home.
Network with intention!
The outcome of your networking should be one or several referrals, the more senior the better.
All the best!
Cheers,
Florian
Hi there,
#1 don't put too much pressure on yourself. The more natural and “relaxed” you are (while staying professional), the better. Remember, these are people. They'll like you more if they see you as not just capable but also personable.
I would not message them on LinkedIn before.
Good luck!
Hi
There are a lot of other topics that you can touch upon including Bain's culture, the culture in the particular office you are applying to, global trainings, the industry and project exposure of the office you are applying to, etc.
I would try to think about what is important for you to know about when potentially joining a consulting firm (just avoid embarrassing questions about comp, travel policies, etc.).
-A
Hello,
This meeting will give you the opportunity to prepare the fit part of an upcoming interview and more specifically to help you answer the question "Why Bain"?
You can ask him questions on : the organization of the office, the internal initiatives in which you could recognize yourself (eg associations for the protection of the environment, organization of festive events etc ...) or on the international tranfers process....
So on the day of the interview you can be really specific about your motivations for Bain.
I hope this helps you. David
Hi,
It would help if you could provide more context:
Best
Hi,
A few suggestions here but depending on the context of your call.
1. Have an agenda for the call that you present at the beginning
2. Make sure you have your 1-2 minute elevator pitch ready where you present yourself and your background, establishing some common ground
3. Prepare some great questions in advance, typically around their experience in the firm
-A
Hi,
Great question! In general yes you do not need to network as hard at a target school because the process is very standardized. However, going to events, showing up at discussions and generally building a relationship with the on campus ambassadors will give you a great shot at being invited to interview. Being at a target school does not guarantee an interview, so you want to show enthusiasm and desire to be at the firm and that will help tremendously with scoring an invite. It will also help with getting many insider tips on how to prepare for the various rounds. In short networking will only help you with the interview process if done right.
Best,
Udayan
Here's research I did while at my FT MBA (all data points are from MBAers at a target school).
Source: NYU Stern (and SpencerTom)
Conclusion: The data speaks for itself. Network. It improves your odds of getting invited to interview.
Hello!
And indeed they have a great point, so measure your efforts: networking can be one of the most tiring and time consuming things to do.
If you have people coming to campus, I would wait and see how that plays out and what the follow up is, first of all, and take it form there.
Hope it helps!
Cheers,
Clara
Hello!
On top of the insights already shared in the post, the "Integrated FIT guide for MBB" has been recently published in PrepLounge´s shop (https://www.preplounge.com/en/shop/tests-2/integrated-fit-guide-for-mbb-34)
The Q&A at the end, for instance, is considered by most part of the FIT. However, it´s a grey area, and it´s not evaluated
It provides an end-to-end preparation for all three MBB interviews, tackling each firms particularities and combining key concepts review and a hands-on methodology. Following the book, the candidate will prepare his/her stories by practicing with over 50 real questions and leveraging special frameworks and worksheets that guide step-by-step, developed by the author and her experience as a Master in Management professor and coach. Finally, as further guidance, the guide encompasses over 20 examples from real candidates.
Feel free to PM me for disccount codes, since we still have some left from the launch!
Hi, I recommend showing your enthusiasm for the firm. About questions, I suggest to study her LinkedIn profile and ask her something related to her practice experience or working/MBA background
Best,
Antonello
Hey there,
That's a tricky one. The more senior the person the harder it is to get their attention. As an MD he probably gets north of 1k emails per day, which are sorted by his EA.
In order to get a chance to be seen do the following:
Chances are he will take the call or forward this to someone else for you.
Fingers crossed!
Cheers,
Florian
Hi there,
Reach out to him and do the following:
1) Introduce yourself with a quick sentence (I am x and I do y)
2) Connect with him on the point you've made (I moticed you're in x industry where I also have 6 years experience)
3) Ask. Tell him you're interested in learning more about the work he does there and that you have some questions if he has time to spare.
Hope he answers and suggests a call + days/times!
Good luck :)
Dear A,
Ideally, there are questions hat could show your intrinsic interest in the company, person, or both ideally. So one of the greatest question could be for example the following:
"Now, look at your career XX long, what is the one project assignment, by looking back, makes you very proud of accomplishing smth great?"
Why did you choose Bain in you life?
Which project you're working on?
Hope it helps,
Good luck,
André
A lot of great points are covered here. Below are questions I always found thoughtful when candidates asked me about the role
1. How does my role differ from others on the team and how do I get ownership of my work
2. What impact have I had in this job and what has it taught me
3. How do I deal with the challenges of the consulting life - especially handling senior clients as a young graduate
4. What is the mentorship model like? How easy does the firm make it to find mentors? How did I find my mentor?
5. What did I wish I know before I joined McKinsey
6. What makes me excited to come to work every morning
All the best with the call,
Udayan
Hi Anonymous,
The main idea is making the most of the very limited face time available with your partner. As a consequence, questions probing personal insights from your interviewers make sense to learn more about the firm ... and that might even lead to some interesting insights. Some questions I am thinking of are e.g.
Hope that helps - if so, please be so kind and give it a thumbs-up with the green upvote button below!
Robert
Hello,
Francesco said it best - I would recommend emailing the partner with a brief introduction, and try to set up a call. Definitely try to indirectly ask for a referral in the call too. You can find more advice on that in previous PrepLounge threads.
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