Interview with the Recruiting Director

It is true that BCG is very selective. In CIS and globally, we hire one to two percent of applicants, the vast majority of whom come from top universities. On the positive side, this makes BCG a unique place that will give you an opportunity to work with the very best people. On the negative side, it means that you have a lot of competition. But, luckily, there are ways for you to distinguish yourself from other applicants.

Practice cases. The BCG interview process consists of a number of interviews in various formats. The first level is an “online” case, a multiple choice questionnaire answered on a computer. Then there is a “written” case in the form of a simulated assignment. The candidate works on this simulation for two hours before presenting his or her results to an interviewer.

If the candidate passes both of these stages, he or she is admitted to the first round of interviews.  This involves three elements: two case interviews with BCG consultants and one group interview during which multiple candidates work together to solve a case. Successful candidates then move on to a second round where they go through case interviews with two or more BCG partners.

Although these “cases” are the focal point, our interviews also contain a “behavioral” element. Candidates are asked to talk about their personal achievements and to discuss their best and worst experience in a team setting and to touch on other things such as their leadership qualities.

As you can see, a candidate will be expected to solve as many as six to ten cases (some interviewers will present multiple “mini-cases” in one interview) throughout the interview process. Therefore, a strong performance on these cases is crucial to your receiving an offer from BCG. 

A case presents a hypothetical problem with which a hypothetical client is faced. As a candidate, you will be asked to find a solution to that problem. You will have up to 40 minutes to do so.  Your interviewer will give you the setup of the case and may even help by offering comments or answering any questions you have along the way.  However, it is you who must “solve” the case.

Our cases are based on actual BCG projects, so you can be sure that they will be representative of the type of work with which you’ll be faced once you have joined BCG.

Solving cases takes a lot of practice. In a behavioral interview, you just need to talk about yourself. In a case interview, you will be judged, among other things, on how you structure your responses, how quickly you get to your answers, and the accuracy of your calculations.  We understand that solving cases is not something that you do every day, so we advise that you practice ahead of the interview.  As such, we recommend you practice solving at least 40 cases before interviewing with BCG.  However, the exact number is up to you. Once you feel you have mastered the art of the case interview, we encourage you to apply.

There are plenty of materials and methods to help you improve your skill at solving a case in real time.  We recommend books like Case in Point (by Marc P. Cosentino) and Ace the Case guide. Both are available in hard and soft copy from online sources. Also, we strongly encourage you to visit our website at www.bcg.com to peruse our library of cases. Finally, find a partner—or better yet, a couple of partners—with whom to practice and trade cases.

It might be surprising how much of an improvement in performance you’ll see from your first practice case to your last. The first case can be a painful experience. You’ll feel awkward and, chances are, you won’t get the correct answers. By case 20, you’ll probably have found your feet and feel more comfortable, confident that you will do a creditable job in front of an interviewer.  Beyond that, by tackling cases from varied industries, and by working with different partners, you’ll simply be polishing your case interview skills.

A real interview is more stressful than practicing mock cases with friends. When I interviewed with BCG, I was sure I’d failed a case in the final round.  Apparently, I was wrong.  I did get an offer. My advice, therefore, would be to try to enjoy the process. An interview with BCG means meeting great people and talking about interesting things. The more you view it as an opportunity to do these things, the less stressful the process is likely to be.  Remember, you are not the only interviewee; during the process BCG is being interviewed by you.  Try to build a strong impression of what BCG is as a company and try to learn about the people who work here. Do you like them on a personal level? Do they seem nice? Are they smart? Are they interesting to be around?  How would you feel if you had to spend a week with these people stuck in some remote client location with a bad internet connection and nobody to talk to but them?

Let’s split the question into two. Why did I choose strategy consulting? Then, within strategy consulting, why did I choose BCG?

I chose strategy consulting because I get tired of doing the same thing for too long, because I enjoy being around smart people and because I like being in the middle of important events. Strategy consulting is case based, which means you have a new job—a new client, a new team, and, possibly, a new location—every three months or so. Strategy consulting attracts top students from top universities globally—the best of their class from places like Harvard, LBS, and Moscow State. And finally, strategy consulting, especially in emerging markets like Russia, is at the forefront of industry and economy-shaping events. When I open Vedomosti, I routinely find two or three of our clients mentioned on every page.

The top three strategy consulting firms—BCG, McKinsey, or Bain—offer a similar set of opportunities: interesting cases, exposure to senior clients, cool travel, and smart colleagues. Three years ago, I had to choose between two of these companies. The process was not pretty. At first, I took a scientific approach with a list of criteria, such as size, prestige, alumni network, growth opportunities, and life-work balance, to be checked off for each firm. Still I could not decide. One firm would rank top on one criterion, while the other ranked high on another. I had to throw out the checklist and go with my gut feel. BCG felt like the better fit, based solely on the people I met here through the interview process. To me, and to other consultants you might ask, it is the people you work with that make the difference. You spend a lot of time at work, so you’d better like the people you spend that time with. In my case, BCG has delivered on this promise. I am consistently amazed by the people who work here (their intelligence and agility, their humility given their personal achievements, and their style). To me, this is BCG’s most important magnet. The question is: what will yours be?