Getting ready for that special time of year

So, I’m sure that everyone is really interested in my musings regarding client interactions, company trainings, and general Bain goings-on, but I would have to suspect that of the folks that are reading this blog, at least a measurable portion want to know about the recruiting process. Perhaps stated more directly, they want to know: “What can I do to improve my chances of receiving an offer?” No one has ever directly asked me this question but, you know, I can generally read in-between the lines. Now before I go any further I think it is important to state that everything you’re about to read is just one man’s opinion. I am not saying anything that is official company line or anything like that. Yes I do conduct interviews and contribute my thoughts to offer decisions across multiple positions so I’m not saying you should completely disregard everything that I’m saying, but I do not purport to present any plurality of opinions, only my own.

Ok that said, I think given the time of year it probably makes most sense to focus on the early interactions and we can return to specific interviewing tips a bit later in the year (you can hold me to that). So school hasn’t started and odds are you about to begin your first year of business school or your senior year of college (university for all my Euro readers out there).  Is there anything you can be doing now?

Answer: Yes, two things actually. The first thing you can do is research the consulting industry in general. You’re here, so that’s a good start, but I’d encourage you to really dig into the websites of any company you’re considering. Now sure, you’re unlikely to find anything that is so revolutionary it totally changes everything you know about life, love, and consulting but it will enable two important outcomes:

• You’ll get a sense of what differentiates the various companies in our industry. By understanding how they explain their process, what types of experiences they highlight, and generally the perception that they put forth, you can get a good sense of what that company’s values are. I realize this sounds fluffy, but it’s these fluffy differences that manifest themselves in the smallest ways during your day-to-day, and having a good sense of these differences can help you figure out where your personality and working style are the best fit. Websites such as Vault and Glassdoor can further help to draw clarify how each company is different but trust you me, companies like Bain invest small fortune in getting valuable content on their websites, so ignore it at your own peril.
• You’ll help yourself to better ask second-order questions. In a few weeks, on-campus recruiting will begin and representatives from many of the firms you’re considering will have a presentation, tell you how great they are, how much their clients love them, and how much your life will be wine and roses if you work for them (hey, we’re no different). Then the presentation will end and you’ll have the opportunity to go to a table (or corner) that corresponds with your geographic office preference and talk to folks from that office. Now when you approach that table, please, do not ask what is it like to be consultant. Do not ask what a typical day is like. Do not ask what makes Bain different. Firstly, these questions suggest that you either can’t or unwilling to basic research. But perhaps more importantly, it doesn’t make you memorable, and if I’m going to shake hands with 10, 20, 30, however many people in a given night, your goal should be that when I get back to my hotel room, it’s you that I remember (note: there are many ways to ensure I’ll remember you, but I hope it’s clear that you want me to remember you for being interested, engaged, and well-researched rather than say drunk and disorderly).

The second big action that you can take before classes even begin is to start thinking about your story. I realize this is already starting to sound fluffy again, but I think it basically comes down to this: consulting, in my opinion, is a pretty solid gig, especially right out of undergrad or b-school, and there may be some out there who simply want the work because the comp is good, because it looks nice on a resume, or other, I’ll call them superficial reasons. Having a solid story is how you combat that possibility, and make sure that your interest is genuine and your passion is sincere. At some point, likely at multiple points, in the recruiting process, you will be asked some variation of “Why do you want to do consulting?” You’re answer to this question should connect both to where you’ve been and where you want to go. Now I know you undergrads probably don’t have as much work experience so the past part may be a bit harder, but being able to answer why consulting is interesting to you and how it ties in with your passions, your interests, or your long-term goals (beyond just saying you’re excited by the diversity of work experiences and the opportunity to engage with high-level clients) is huge. In fact given how little time we have in the first round to get to know candidates, usually less than 7 minutes to save enough time for the case, I would argue that being able to confidently, thoughtfully, and convincingly answer this question can really make a significant impact on your interviewer.

Oy, without event trying I already skewed into interview space. Perhaps that means it’s time to cut this puppy off. I did want to add though that if anyone does want to lob questions my way, feel free to do so, and perhaps I can even get answer them in a post. I’ll just apologize in advance if I’m unable to answer in the timeliest of fashions. In case it’s not easily available, I’m at sean.twersky@bain.com.