Bain & Company careers are some of the most coveted in the industry. In addition to being one of the top management consulting firms, Bain has also been ranked overall as one of the best places to work across industries every year on Glassdoor since the ranking was launched in 2008 (including four times in the #1 spot), and has been recognized for being a top workplace for LGBQT equality and working mothers amongst other awards.
What makes Bain such an incredible place to work? And as we all know, no company is perfect, so what are some reasons you might not want to work at Bain? Continue reading as we highlight 10 reasons to work for Bain, and 6 reasons not to.
10 Reasons To Work At Bain
Extraordinary Co-workers
One of Bain’s best value propositions is its people. The firm invests heavily in bringing in not only people who are the brightest problem solvers, but those who are multi-faceted, kind, and enjoyable to be around. It is common for Bainies to choose to see each other on the weekends even after putting in many hours during the work week. Many remain good friends even after their time at the firm together.
High Profile, Challenging Projects And Clients
At Bain you will get a chance to work on projects with some of the most influential companies in the world across a multitude of industries. Additionally, there are opportunities within Bain to work on projects with pioneers in new fields and world-class non-profits. The projects you will be staffed on aim to crack complex business problems, and you will gain tangible skills and accomplishments to point to from each project. It is not uncommon to be working on a project that your friends and family will later read about in the news. Bain also highly values client collaboration. Many of the solutions you will help put into place will be products of working together with leaders of these organizations.
Ability To Build Your Own Track At Bain
Another benefit of working at Bain is the variety of opportunities to truly forge your own Bain journey. Here are some of the examples: Externships (the opportunity to work for another company or non-profit for 4-6 months). Sabbaticals (taking some time off work to unplug). Experience transfers (company-sponsored living and working for Bain in another global office). Social impact projects. Graduate school application and sponsorship support. There are many career opportunities to make your time at Bain true to you and what you want to get out of it.
Unparalleled Focus On Mentorship
There is a strong emphasis on development and growth core to Bain’s culture. It is common to have regularly scheduled PD (professional development) chats with your manager, partner or other team members. This is often where you grab coffee, or just take time out of the workday to have a candid conversation about strengths, feedback and goals. There is also a strong culture of peer-to-peer teaching and knowledge sharing. For example, it’s not uncommon to see a 2nd year associate blocking time to teach a first-year associate best practices for building a complex financial model if needed. Mentorship is something that is also monitored at a macro level. One of the questions all employees are asked is related to being able to identify specific people within the firm that they feel are sponsors for them both personally and professionally.
One Bain Culture
You may have heard the common saying at Bain, “A Bainie never lets another Bainie fail”. This is one indicator of what the culture is like at Bain: supportive and fun. Bain is a relatively younger and smaller firm, and the local staffing model helps create strong bonds within offices to make sure no individuals “get lost” as can happen at much larger firms. Bain makes a concerted effort to invest in helping Bainies make connections within their start classes, teams, and broader office through events and experience sharing. It is also remarkable how the Bain culture carries between offices across the world. Between Bain World Cup (the annual global soccer tournament), global trainings, and cross-office affinity groups, there are many opportunities to interact with Bainies globally who share and value the Bain culture.
Involvement Outside Of Case Work
“Extra 10s” at Bain give you the chance to get connected with other Bainies who have similar interests. There are well established groups like Women at Bain, Blacks at Bain, BGLAD (The LGBTQ network at Bain), Inspire (pro-bono consulting for non-profits), Bain Band, etc., as well as an open invitation for Bainies to start their own grassroots initiatives, events and groups. A few examples are: Run Club, the Green Team, and volunteering in the community. Extra 10s help people feel more fulfilled at work. It gives Bainies a chance to connect around things they are passionate about. They also don’t look too shabby on future b-school or job applications.
Strong Private Equity Practice
Another career opportunity at Bain is to be staffed to a rotation in the Private Equity Group (PEG). Bain is the leading consulting partner to the private equity industry. It has a global practice in this area over 3x larger than any other consulting firm. This means that in addition to getting strategy and implementation experience, you can gain valuable experience serving private equity, financial investors and portfolio companies across the investment life cycle. This includes deal generation, due diligence, portfolio value creating, and exit planning.
Fantastic Exit Opportunities
A career at Bain & Company will also lead to a wide range of attractive exit options if and when you decide to move on to a different role afterward. Your career at Bain will equip you with a toolkit of skills that will be applicable across industries and roles. Additionally, having Bain on your resume is a signal to future employers. It shows that you are smart, versatile, and someone they’d likely enjoy working with on a personal basis. Bain alumni move onto a wide diversity of roles including leading top organizations and starting their own. There will be no shortage of options for you as you tap into the lifetime Bain network.
Support After You Leave The Firm
Another benefit of working at Bain & Company is the career support you will continue to have access to after you leave the firm. Bain has a strong, responsive alumni network, as well as job search and professional development resources. For example, you get access to interview and job application resources and an exclusive Bain job board. Other companies post roles on that board that they are looking to fill with ex-Bainies.
Amazing Benefits
Bain is known to take good care of its employees through generous compensation and benefits packages. All-in compensation includes a competitive base salary, bonuses, profit sharing, and generous retirement contribution, just to name a few elements. Additionally, Bain offers a myriad of benefits:
- comprehensive health benefits plan
- flexible spending accounts
- generous parental leave
- budget allocated for office
- team and case bonding events
- access to learning and development programs,
- and the list goes on!
Resume + Cover Letter Edits
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- 2 Rounds of Edits each on 1 Resume and 1 Cover Letter
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Black Belt Deluxe
- 8 hours 1:1 Zoom sessions with MBB coach of your choice
- All access pass: 500+ cases, 10K+ math/structure drills, 9 video courses, 12 chatbot cases
- 2 Rounds of Edits each on 1 Resume and 1 Cover Letter
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6 Reasons Not To Work At Bain
Even If You Have An Industry Preference, You Will Be A Generalist Early On
At Bain, ACs and Consultants start their first few years as generalists. This means they can be staffed on projects in any industry. While your preferences are taken into account, there is no guarantee you will be able to be on projects in a specific field of interest you have.
Choice Of Projects Limited To Your Local Office
Because Bain operates with a local staffing model, your options for cases to be staffed on will generally be those allocated to your local office. (i.e., You will not have access to all of the projects at Bain as options to be staffed on). For this reason, there is also generally less travel at Bain than some of the other firms. At Bain you travel approximately 40-60% of your time vs. 80-100% at other firms. This may be a positive or negative aspect depending on your preferences.
Work/Life Balance, Or Lack Thereof
Talk to any Bainie, and they likely will have had times where work interrupted their personal lives. A moment at dinner or when they were outside the office and they needed to whip out their laptop to respond to an urgent email. Or another time where a request required them to give up a weekend day to finish a client ask. While there definitely coordinated efforts within Bain to ensure employees retain as much of their personal lives as possible, hours are often long and may require late night or weekend work.
The Job Can Be Stressful
Bain consults for high-profile clients, and with that comes the expectation of impeccable delivery of value and results. Each consultant is given a lot of responsibility very quickly and is expected to turn work around quickly and accurately. It is not uncommon to feel like you are working under pressure.
Not All The Work Is Glamorous, Particularly Early On
As with most jobs, there will be parts that you like, and parts that you do not. When thinking about consulting, it is easy to get caught up in the idea of working with high profile clients on their strategic questions. However, there are many necessary parts of consulting that are less than glamorous. For instance, tasks such as formatting slides or cleaning up messy client data can take hours and often fall to new ACs or Consultants.
Can Feel “Fratty” At Times
Of the 3 firms that make up MBB, Bain is sometimes thought to have the most “fratty” culture, or environment similar to a college fraternity. Bainies come from all different backgrounds and personality types. Yet, as a collective it can feel like a very outgoing, “work hard play hard” environment. This is particularly at office and firm events. This should definitely be a consideration based on your personality and social preferences.
Conclusion
Hopefully you now have a better sense of what a Bain career might look like. Not only that, but why working for Bain & Company might be a great fit for you, and what cultural considerations you should also be aware of. Bain is known to give its employees the opportunity to work on some of the most complex business problems with the most influential companies in the world, next to some of the smartest (and most genuine) people you can find. The best way to gauge the for yourself is to connect with some consultants at Bain.
Additional Reading:
- Land an offer at McKinsey, Bain, BCG, or Deloitte
- Bain Case Interview: How to shine
FAQs
By being specific about Bain as well as the exact office you want to join: talk about people who work there, highlight the office's projects and industries, and mention Bain's reports and intellectual capital that interest you.
What are the benefits of working at Bain and Company? ›
Bain & Co provides employees with a lot of the basics you see in most benefit packages: health insurance, 401k and retirement plan, stock purchase plan, vacation and paid time off, maternity and paternity leave, flexible spending accounts and free lunches and snacks.
What are the values of Bain people? ›
We seek out people and clients who challenge themselves to be exceptional—and champion that spirit in others. We're guided by True North, our unwavering commitment to always do the right thing by our clients, people and communities.
Is it good to work at Bain and Company? ›
Bain & Company has been named one of the world's best places to work, offering a wide range of career options for undergraduates, MBAs, advanced degree holders and experienced professionals.
What qualities is Bain and company looking for? ›
At Bain, culture is critical. Here are Bain's values with clients: Passion & Commitment, Honesty & Openness, Practical, One Team.
Why are you interested in working in consulting? ›
A good answer to the “why consulting” interview question
I've thought about it a lot and there are three main reasons. First, the opportunity to work on really challenging business problems. Second, the opportunity to work closely with talented colleagues. And third, the variety of work you experience as a consultant.
What is different about Bain? ›
Bain's philosophy of 'a Bainie never lets another Bainie fail', essentially means colleagues help each other out, especially when someone is facing challenges.
What is the lowest salary of Bain and Company? ›
For Analyst the minimum salary is ₹9.9 Lakhs per year, for Senior Analyst the minimum salary is ₹11.4 Lakhs per year and so on.
What is the motto of Bain? ›
One firm, one spirit.
What are the four major values? ›
The Four Values Framework: Fairness, Respect, Care and Honesty | SpringerLink.
You have very little room to negotiate. Even if you have an offer from McKinsey, Bain, and BCG, you may not be able to leverage your other offers to negotiate for an increase in compensation at another top firm.
How many hours a week do Bain consultants work? ›
Typically, both single and married consultants average 56.6 hour work weeks, but about a quarter of single consultants routinely put in between 60 and 70 hours per week. About six percent of the responding consultants say they average between 70 and 80 hours a week.
Does Bain have good work life balance? ›
About 32% of the employees at Bain & Company work eight hours or less, while 19% of them have a very long day - longer than twelve hours. The Majority of Bain & Company employees do not feel burnt out.
What is the pass rate for Bain interview? ›
Now here's the good news: if you make it to a final round interview with McKinsey, BCG or Bain your odds of receiving an offer are ~50% and therefore higher than the ~25% chance of passing a first-round interview.
How do you ace a Bain case interview? ›
Bain Written Case Interview
- 8 Steps to Ace Your Bain Written Case Interview.
- Understand the business problem and objective.
- Read the list of major questions.
- Skim the materials.
- Create a framework.
- Read and analyze the material.
- Decide on a recommendation.
- Create your slides.
During interviews, we're looking for more than a résumé. It's the whole of you that's important. Whether you're still finishing your education or have years of experience, your unique talents and perspective can make our global consulting team stronger. Here are a few tips when you're ready to take the next step.
How do you introduce yourself in a consulting interview? ›
The “tell me about yourself” answer needs to spotlight the skills that directly relate to your ability to tackle the issues and opportunities facing your prospective employer. Your response should highlight topics that are relevant and intrigue the interviewer to want to delve deeper as the interview continues.
Where do you see yourself in 5 years? ›
Answer for “Where do you see yourself in 5 years?” “In five years, I see myself as an integral part of the company who has helped contribute to the growth and success of the organization. I would like to continue developing my skills and knowledge in order to be able to take on more responsibility within the company.
What do you say in Tell me about yourself? ›
Your answer to the "tell me about yourself" question should describe your current situation, your past job experience, the reason you're a good fit for the role, and how you align with the company values. Tell the interviewer about your current position and a recent big accomplishment or positive feedback you received.
What does Bain look for in resume? ›
Profile (only if you have 10+ years of work experience) Education. Professional Experience. Leadership Experience.
We're a global consultancy that helps the world's most ambitious change makers define the future. Across 65 cities in 40 countries, we work alongside our clients as one team with a shared ambition to achieve extraordinary results, outperform the competition, and redefine industries.
What makes Bain different from McKinsey? ›
On a standard McKinsey or BCG team, there may be only 1 analyst. In contrast, a team from Bain will have 2 analysts and fewer people who are more senior. This could mean you'll have more responsibility early on at Bain, and at the end of the day play a larger role in the team's success.
Does Bain and Company offer remote work? ›
Employees work in the office most of the time but have flexibility to work remotely. Employees work remotely most of the time, with occasional visits to the office or other locations for team building, collaboration, and training. Employees have flexibility to choose where they work.
Does Bain Capital pay well? ›
The highest paying salary package reported for a Human Resources at Bain Capital sits at a yearly total compensation of $284,200. This includes base salary as well as any potential stock compensation and bonuses.
How much does Bain pay McKinsey? ›
Going into 2023, however, Bain and McKinsey will offer $192,000 base salaries and BCG will offer $190,000.
What is the bonus for Bain AC? ›
Bain Consultant Salary & Bonuses
Master's-level hires get performance bonuses of up to $22,500 and signing bonuses of $5,000.
How much does the CEO of Bain make? ›
The estimated total pay for a CEO-Founder at Bain & Company is $241,677 per year.
What rank is Bain Consulting? ›
Bain & Company has earned recognition around the world as a great place to work. The firm ranked as the top consulting firm on Glassdoor's list of 100 Best Places to Work, ranking #1 in the UK and #3 among large U.S. companies.
Is Bain a big 4? ›
The Big 3 is one of the names given to the three largest strategy consulting firms by revenue: McKinsey, Bain & Company, and Boston Consulting Group (BCG). They are also referred to as MBB. The Big Four consists of the four largest accounting firms by revenue: PwC, Deloitte, EY, and KPMG.
What is Bain Capital known for? ›
Bain Capital is an American private investment firm based in Boston. It specializes in private equity, venture capital, credit, public equity, impact investing, life sciences, crypto, tech opportunities, partnership opportunities, special situations and real estate.
Bain is one of a number of international companies that have acknowledged playing a role in misconduct at state companies during Zuma's rule, during which funds were funneled out to private entities in a practice known locally as state capture.
What are the 7 pillars of values? ›
This is the starting point for the GVV curriculum. GVV consists of seven principles, or pillars, that represent ways of thinking about values, our identity, and our own capabilities. The seven pillars of GVV are: Values, Choice, Normalization, Purpose, Self-Knowledge & Alignment, Voice, and Reasons & Rationalizations.
What are the 3 main core values? ›
Integrity, kindness, honesty, and financial security are typical examples of personal core values. Others often see these values as your character traits. For example, someone is known for always doing the right thing likely values integrity. Suppose you have a core value of freedom.
What are the 7 human values? ›
Human values are, for example, respect, acceptance, consideration, appreciation, listening, openness, affection, empathy and love towards other human beings.
What are the elements of value in Bain and Co? ›
The Elements of Value Pyramid
Products and services deliver fundamental elements of value that address four kinds of needs: functional, emotional, life changing and social impact. In general, the more elements provided, the greater customers' loyalty and the higher the company's sustained revenue growth.
What is the hierarchy of needs in Bain and Company? ›
Bain & Company has echoed Maslow's hierarchy of needs with a pyramid that defines four levels of value: functional, emotional, life-changing and social impact. When properly used, the 30 identified elements of value can drive customer loyalty and revenue growth.
Which of the following is the concept behind Bain's elements of value pyramid? ›
They have arranged the elements into a pyramid: 'functional' at the bottom, 'emotional', then 'life changing', and 'social impact' at the top.
Is Bain the best Company to work for? ›
Employees praised Bain & Company in their reviews on Glassdoor, lauding the firm's dedication to creating and upholding an inclusive, supportive culture, high performing, and congenial teams, intellectually challenging and rewarding work, flexible career paths and overall culture of success.
What is the average tenure at Bain and Company? ›
The average tenure of employees at Bain & Company is approximately five to six years.
How long does it take for Bain to negotiate? ›
The amount of time required for negotiations is 5 seconds plus 10 in Payday: The Heist and 30 in PAYDAY 2 for each civilian whom the crewmate has killed, and is indicated by the timer next to the crew member's name at the bottom-left corner of the HUD.
The typical length of time for consultants to stay at top firms like McKinsey, BCG or Bain is two to four years. Some statistics indicate that 2.7 years is the average length of time that a consultant works at a top management consulting firm before moving on.
How hard is it to get a job at Bain? ›
Bain's recruitment process is one of the most selective as well: It is common for only 1% of consulting applicants to receive offers.
How many interview rounds at Bain? ›
The Bain interview process can vary slightly between offices and regions. Yet, it typically consists of two rounds of case interviews, with a brief behavioral portion right before each case. In the first round, candidates are generally given two 30-minute cases by consultants or case team leaders.
Is working at Bain fun? ›
Bain is honestly a great place to work at. The people are great, the work is interesting and the benefits are also amazing. The worst part is the hours but if you know what you're getting into that shouldn't be a problem.
Why are you interested in Bain? ›
Here is a sample answer to the “why Bain?” question: Good example: “First, when I worked at [Company Name], I worked with Bain's Consultants to design the new [Company Name]'s strategy in the HNWI segment. [Company Name] was losing its leadership position in this market, and a new strategy was immensely needed!
Which Company has best work-life balance? ›
In no particular order, these are the companies with the best work-life balance in 2023, according to employee reports.
- Dropbox. Employee Rating: 4.6 / 5. ...
- Microsoft. Employee Rating: 4.5 / 5. ...
- IBM. Employee Rating: 4 / 5. ...
- Lockheed Martin. Employee Rating: 4.1 / 5. ...
- Fidelity Investments. Employee Rating: 4.3 / 5.
Talk about specific examples of how you can help this company achieve their goals and highlight any relevant transferrable skills that will make you stand out as the right candidate. Write down any recent achievements you can talk about or any challenges you've faced recently that might be related to this new job.
What do people at Bain call themselves? ›
The team of leaders at Bain understand that their employees, or "Baineys," as they proudly call themselves, are their greatest asset.
Why choose Boston consulting Group? ›
Collaborative Working Model
While working in teams is common across consulting firms, BCG is known for an especially collaborative culture. BCG works with clients at all levels, not only with executives, and co-locates with clients and within teams to encourage increased co-creation.
How prestigious is Bain and Company? ›
Bain & Company recognized as the #1 consulting firm on Vault's “Consulting 50” list. BOSTON—Feb. 18, 2021—In a highly competitive consulting industry, Bain & Company earned the number one spot on Vault's 2022 “Consulting 50” list, ranking the best consulting firms in North America.
What Is the GPA Cutoff for BCG, Bain, and McKinsey? McKinsey, Bain, and BCG don't have a strict GPA cutoff, but they do typically consider anything from 3.6 up as a strong GPA.
Are Bain interviews hard? ›
Bain interviews are on the same level as the other consulting companies, but at the same time - they all are tricky sometimes and highly depend on the interviewers. Just keep on practicing and get accustomed to different cases.
What attracted you to apply for this position? ›
Focus on the company
History - a popular angle when answering this question is to highlight your interest in the company due to its reputation, history or innovation within the industry. This shows you are involved in the company's growth, understand its current position and want to be part of that journey.
How do you respond to why should I hire you? ›
How to Answer Why Should We Hire You
- Show that you have skills and experience to do the job and deliver great results. ...
- Highlight that you'll fit in and be a great addition to the team. ...
- Describe how hiring you will make their life easier and help them achieve more.
I specifically want to work here because I read your company's mission and vision. After finding out more information about your company from social media, I can clearly see how my goals align with that of the company.
