Bain’s passion for results, emphasis on team, and the friendly work environment set Bain apart in my mind.

• Why Bain?

  During the recruitment presentations and the interview process, Bain's passion for results, emphasis on team, and the friendly work environment set Bain apart in my mind. My impressions have definitely been borne out so far!

• My passion

  At this early stage, I just want to learn as much as I can. The coaching I get from my team members is great. If I ever get stuck, I feel like I can reach out for help from my class or other Bainees, who are always more than willing to help out, even when they are busy themselves.
  
  Outside of Bain, I enjoy singing, and am a member of Vox, the youth choir of the Sydney Philharmonia. We were recently part of a mass choir that performed the Beethoven Missa Solemnis in the Opera House as part of World Youth Day. My colleagues have been very supportive of my commitments outside of work, and willing to be flexible so that I can attend rehearsals.
  

• My favorite case

  I recently worked on a case for the board of a big retail conglomerate, which had recently acquired a poorly performing supermarket. The situation was complicated by the fact that grocery retailing is an industry far removed from the other industries in its portfolio, and so the board were not sure what approach to take when assessing its performance, or how they might see a turnaround eventuate.
  
  Our team put together some materials on the industry - this involved taste testing, interviewing customers, taking lots of photos, and research. These materials were presented to the board in a one day workshop. It was rewarding to hear the feedback from the board - not only that they had a better understanding of the dynamics of the supermarket industry, and the implications for governance, but that they were beginning to understand the magnitude of the turnaround facing them. The case also showed me how varied case work can be at Bain!
  

• A final thought

  The most important thing for the case interviews is practice - get lots of case examples, and practice as much as you can, and with a friend if possible. Talk to people you know who work in consulting. When thinking about which offer to accept, don't forget to think about the culture of the firm where you will be spending a lot of time!