Job Descriptions

Job Descriptions
Associate consultants
Associate consultants (the “analyst” position at most consulting firms) are
recruited during the senior year of college (or after a non-business master’s
program). They are typically responsible for identifying information sources;
interviewing a client’s customers, competitors, suppliers and employees;
gathering and interpreting data; and presenting findings to team members.
Like regular consultants, associate consultants are staffed on two projects
simultaneously.
As an associate consultant, you will:
• interview client-related employees, customers and competitors.
• perform research in Bain libraries.
• make presentations to engagement teams.
• write summaries and memos of findings.
• discuss client-related research with team.
• help organize presentations for clients.
• assist in the identification of future trends in a client’s industry.
• meet frequently with consultants and other associates.
• be involved in recruiting and pro bono work for Bain.
Consultants
Consultants at Bain gather data in the field, analyze their findings, make
client presentations, and work directly with clients to implement
recommendations. After being hired, they are placed on two client case teams,
ostensibly to help them gain as much experience as possible (although many
consultants complain that their dual work assignments keep them working
efficiently on any one case).
As a consultant you will:
• travel to interview client customers and get on-site opinions.
• write analyses of client industry strategy.
• ensure team recommendations are in place.
• read and summarize client-related articles.
• clarify and refine research.
• discuss research findings with team.
• organize presentations for clients.
• identify future trends in client’s industry.
• meet frequently with team leaders.
• be involved in recruiting and pro bono work for Bain.
Summer program
Bain’s summer internship program receives rave reviews from participants.
Reports one insider, “Bain manages the summer program extremely well.
Interns are given meaningful pieces of work and all the support required to
have a rewarding, productive experience.” Another Bainie says, “My summer
internship provided me with an excellent insight into the work as a consultant
at Bain & Company. I was doing work comparable to that of being a starter
already and was also with the team on the client site. Bain tries to provide a
‘real’ case experience for three months to get a taste for the work and then
‘fun time’ to get to know the people, the culture, etc.” Another participant
gives us the lowdown: “The summer involves one case and a whole lot of
socializing. Spend the first week training in Cape Cod, then during the
summer go rafting in Maine, summer meeting in New Hampshire, baseball
games, dinners to get to know everyone at different levels in the office. It’s
pretty great. The case experience is real with a real piece of work, but there
is a heavy emphasis on the fun part.” Another former intern says, “I had a
‘true’ consulting experience. I had significant client contact, I owned a
discrete workstream on the case and I interacted with both partners and
managers on the case. I also had a great social experience where I participated
in a lot of different activities and met people at all levels of the company.”
For those entering their senior year in college, Bain also offers “unique and
meaningful” associate consultant internships. While not quite unheard of in
the field, such internships are unusual among top consultancies, who prefer to
mine the mental resources of MBAs. Undergraduate interns learn basic
business skills such as financial statement analysis and cost accounting; they
are mentored by associate consultants.
For undergraduates
To become an associate consultant, or AC, one must graduate from a leading
college or university and possess remarkable academic credentials, strong
analytical skills and almost superhuman motivation. (ACs spend many a late
hour in the Bain office.) Associate consultants work as members of a case
team in roles that vary according to individual performance levels and general
team objectives. As an associate consultant gains more experience, she will
42 © 2004 Vault Inc.
Bain & Company
On the Job
be given more responsibility, including the opportunity to create client
presentations, perform financial analysis and serve on various in-office task
forces. Associate consultants are placed on two cases at one time, which can
mean exposure to many different industries and thought processes, but also
can increase workload and travel. In some cases, however, working for two
clients cuts down on travel, as clients know the associate consultant has to
meet the demands of another client.
To help prepare employees for these new endeavors, Bain offers rigorous and
frequent on-the-job training programs. Within their first few months, new
Bain associates can also expect off-site training, often in exotic locales. These
getaways serve a double purpose: Bainies gain analytical and business skills,
but perhaps more importantly, they interact with other newly hired associates.
Considering the strength of Bain’s existing alumni network, it is not
surprising that the firm encourages close bonds between fellow employees.
New recruits at Bain shouldn’t get too comfortable. Associates typically stay
at the company for two or three years. Staying for four is extremely unusual.
To return to the firm, you’ll need an MBA, which Bain may or may not pay
for, depending on how enthusiastic they are about you. “Very few people
make it to manager without an MBA,” remarks one insider. However, with an
MBA in tow, returning consultants can quickly climb the ranks to become
case team managers and even vice presidents. The Bain advancement track
almost always includes large doses of client management and business
development.
For MBAs
MBAs join Bain as consultants and immediately join client case teams and
become involved in the creation and implementation of strategic
recommendations. Case team managers and vice presidents lead formal
training programs that are meant to expand upon business school training as
well as to offer practical experience. Like ACs, consultants work on two cases
at one time. This approach offers exposure to a cross section of industries and
people, but it can also overburden time-strapped newcomers. Those who
endure usually acquire the training and experience to become case team
leaders. Consultants who meet Bain’s stringent standards and who aren’t
shown the door after two years can expect to move up to case team leader and
then to vice president fairly quickly. Vice presidents have the opportunity to
develop new business relationships or even to open regional offices. In its
official literature, Bain professes to be looking for MBAs from “the most
highly rated business schools” who possess “a high level of energy and the
desire to effect change.”