I have my interview with Bain next week and am mostly concerned with the high-level "Why consulting" and "Why Bain" question. I've long deliberated on those questions and have written down my thoughts but they seem quite long and generic. How do I keep my replies succint (how short exactly do I have to be?) and engaging. My main issue is that if I include stories to make it engaging, my responses end up taking a long time.
(edited)
Hi,
These answers are not supposed to be engaging. They are supposed to demonstrate that you know how consulting works and how the particular company works.
“Why consulting?”, “Why McKinsey” or “Why BCG” questions are used to assess your motivation to be a consultant in general and to work in that particular firm. They will check how you have done your homework and what you’ve learned about them. They also want to make sure that you have a clear intention to work in consulting.
Why consulting
When answering “Why consulting” questions, provide three reasons why you want to pursue a career in a consulting firm. A general rule is to find the reasons that are important for you and logically fit everything you have done before (e.g. you want to grow further in financial services and get exposure to these clients). You can always use some personal rationale like your experience of working with consultants on a client side.
Why our company
It should be your personal research since the reasons may vary in different geographies. Here are some ideas of what you can use to structure your thoughts:
Good luck!
Hi Khalid,
I agree with Vlad that you don’t need stories equivalent to those used for leadership, drive, impact etc. for these questions, although you can definitely put some personal elements in them to make the answer more interesting. In general I won’t need more than one minute to deliver a good answer, you can use a timer to be sure you don’t go too long when practicing.
For “Why Bain”, you can find some suggestions at the following link:
Hope this helps,
Francesco
Hello Kahlid
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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.
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Behavioural questions (ENTREPRENEURIAL DRIVE) >https://www.preplounge.com/en/management-consulting-cases/fit-interview/intermediate/behavioral-questions-entrepreneurial-drive-fit-interview-preparation-211
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