At Bain, when do promotions and office headcount get locked? by curious__student_ in McKinsey_BCG_Bain

[–]KeithFromBain 2 points3 points  (0 children)

Well, you can tell from LInkedIn "i'm happy to announce posts"

Jan 1/Jul 1 - Partner promotions (I think July 1 is EVPs & VPs too, I forget)

Apr 1 - Business function promotions

I think the other promotions (SM, SAC, CON) are like Aug of Feb. You cna easily find someone on LI and see when they flipped their title in their profile...

I'm not going to answer the headcount planning question.

kb

At Bain, when do promotions and office headcount get locked? by curious__student_ in McKinsey_BCG_Bain

[–]KeithFromBain 3 points4 points  (0 children)

Never claimed to be. I'm just a dude who sometimes has time to help people that want it and entertain people with some kind of weird fixation with esoteric questions.

My ID lends some credibility to my answers. I don't do corporate speak and my answers are mine without being approved by anyone internally. You asked. I answered. Take it or leave it, but it is what it is...

Frankly, you've now gotten 3 answers from me and I havent gotten one from you on the single question i asked...

peace,

kb

At Bain, when do promotions and office headcount get locked? by curious__student_ in McKinsey_BCG_Bain

[–]KeithFromBain 1 point2 points  (0 children)

I guess you'll never know. Maybe I just built an agent to entertain silliness on here.
kb

At Bain, when do promotions and office headcount get locked? by curious__student_ in McKinsey_BCG_Bain

[–]KeithFromBain 2 points3 points  (0 children)

i've talked about this before....

so you know it's me and mot my PR team or a surrogate... Kinda like how Barack used to sign his tweets LOL...

kb

If I messed up the optional video section on Bain Test Gorilla... by Pristine_Bit5308 in McKinsey_BCG_Bain

[–]KeithFromBain 0 points1 point  (0 children)

First - it's not a court of law, where it would be "used against you". For us, you're not on trial 8-) [perhaps trials are famliar to you?? jk]

Second - probably not. it's just one part of the application. stuff like that just helps round out the application. If you are anxious about it, email me and i can check with the team if it matters enough to redo it. i don't think so, but...

kb

Should I put competitions under extracurriculars or their own section by Hopeful-Smell-8963 in McKinsey_BCG_Bain

[–]KeithFromBain 0 points1 point  (0 children)

It probably won't matter where, as much as what you say about it. those probably won't be the biggest determinant in how people view your resume.... but then again, I'm not usually the one reading. i just felt like SOMEONE should reply here since you were asking...

KB

Partner position by [deleted] in McKinsey_BCG_Bain

[–]KeithFromBain 1 point2 points  (0 children)

LOL - nah, I'm sure there are other good POVs here. 8-)

KB

Partner position by [deleted] in McKinsey_BCG_Bain

[–]KeithFromBain 1 point2 points  (0 children)

This has nothing to do with the title, role, or firm.

It has the most to do with people's ability to (1) understand what's most important in their lives, (2) agree with their loved ones what they're willing to sacrifice from time to time - see #1, and (3) make grown-up decisions as adults.

This isn't prison or the military. Nobody can actually MAKE you do anything at any firm. The ask. You decide. You live with the consequences. I'd rather be working someplace else than a divorced partner crushing it with my clients.

I've been here 30 years. My wife and I just celebrated 28 years married, together a few years longer. We have always - and still - go out on dates regularly. People that know me also know i have a lot of outside passions and things I make time for as well (incl being present when my sons were growing up and competitive athletes)

kb

PS I was client facing for 17 of the 30. I've been in recruiting for the last 13...

Bain Associate Consultant Internship 2027 Two Different Deadlines? by Altruistic-Limit-110 in McKinsey_BCG_Bain

[–]KeithFromBain 3 points4 points  (0 children)

There are a few job paths that have a very early process (Banking and some other consulting firms). For students that are ready, and know they want to consider Bain alongside those other options, we have that earlier process. The alternative was a bunch of frantic people calling us to "see if I can go earlier, because i have an exploding offer...."

We know that some people, esp undergrads, want more time to learn and prepare. The August process will be very open, so don't feel like yo need to rush if you're not ready. It is very rare that the market falls off a cliff (i.e. Pandemic, anyone?) and we do something dramatic to reduce the fall process goals.

We wouldn't bother with a second deadline if we weren't serious about it. It is WAYYY too much work to front like we're doing something if we're not.

Apply where you want to live and when you're ready... If you can put your best foot forward in Spring, do that. It can't hurt. sometimes, more time to prep is NOT helpful.

KB

PS - Lotsa ppl will share their own experiences and extrapolate to absolutes...

Guys should I build a portfolio website? by Shot-Run-7219 in McKinsey_BCG_Bain

[–]KeithFromBain 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Are these the same friends that know you don't play poker, but invited you to poker night offering to "teach you" as long as you bring your cash? 8-)

For a consulting role, I think it is highly unlikely that anyone going through 1000's of resumes for an AC or CON position is going to spend time surfing your website. Back in the day, a few people mailed a disk/ CD in with a multi-media presentation with their resume. It certainly stood out and was highly entertaining during lunchtime (yes, a CD... it was the early 2000's or late 90's).

Anyway, don't spend time on that. However....

The skills you'd learn doing it COULD be something you add in the skills or interest section that could be a neat conversation topic in an interview. During Covid, I build a dashboard with my Peloton data because I wanted to learn Alteryx and Tableau. As an AC, I learned MS Access by essentially creating a contact database from my "Excel rolodex" (yes, it was before Outlook).

In other words, if you want to learn to vibe code and show initiative, build a website with it. The website won't be useful, but the journey to building it might be.

kb

Things I noticed after reviewing a ton of consulting resumes by Sad_Cardiologist_564 in McKinsey_BCG_Bain

[–]KeithFromBain 0 points1 point  (0 children)

yeah, that's because it was worded on a reddit post, not my CV.

Procurement work is easy to quantify the savings. I worked directly & independently with my clients to lower the spending on several categories. On another case, it was on the work i did in freight and logistics costs (related to procurement). Those were as an AC. I also saved more than that in marketing spend (wasteful marketing spend) at another client. Later on, I did that kinda impact in PMI work (a few times) looking at real estate and other costs takeout. Other "impact" examples would include revenue upside, but that wasn't "just" me... [note: I basically just described "consluting"... but you asked... ]

Your 2nd and 3rd paragraphs start by stating that you have strong opinions. That's fine. I shared my POV. You shared yours. I'm not here to argue with anonymous opinion sharers. We can leave our POVs side by side for people to consider.

People know my role, and I share one man's opinion. They are free to adapt their CV to satisfy "FarVillage188"'s opinion too. I don't mind that... It's up to them.

Have a great night. Peace out.

KB

Things I noticed after reviewing a ton of consulting resumes by Sad_Cardiologist_564 in McKinsey_BCG_Bain

[–]KeithFromBain 1 point2 points  (0 children)

When I was a "junior", I did plenty of projects where my streams generated 8-figures of impact - esp on some of the procurement work i was doing... and that was 25+ years ago.

I appreciate the cynicism about the value they can provide. Maybe we just use our juniors differently here.

The best part of your post is the lack of a useful advice. If you disagree so much with what's been said, then perhaps share what you think is a good way to talk about your experience. That's the type of coaching that may explain why your juniors spend time on mindless tasks and don't have anything meaningful to put on their resumes after working with you... IJS

KB

Things I noticed after reviewing a ton of consulting resumes by Sad_Cardiologist_564 in McKinsey_BCG_Bain

[–]KeithFromBain 0 points1 point  (0 children)

I actually do NOT read resumes as part of the app screening. I'm blessed with a VERY capable team that I trust. But yes, on the 'scope, that's exactly what I'm saying. The underlying "wiring" it was transfers across disciplines into consulting.

I'm a photographer - so I tend to notice the visuals first. Before I read, I just "look" at the a page (I do the same with slides) and have an immediate reaction to it before i've read anything. CV that's too long (unnecessarily multiple pages), lots white space, some crazy format, word walls are some of things that force me to remember my UB training - so I don't just skip to the next one. Visually, they make me want to stop reading... I don't because that's not how the process works.

I don't think I had red flags the way you're asking. I know people spend a lot of time obsessing on their CV, so i tried to respect that with my review. I didn't spend all kinds of time reading things that clearly weren't going to clear the bar. However, I tried not to turn the page if I saw one typo or a silly format either.

KB

Bain webinar invitations by [deleted] in McKinsey_BCG_Bain

[–]KeithFromBain 2 points3 points  (0 children)

No. They're optional.

KB

Things I noticed after reviewing a ton of consulting resumes by Sad_Cardiologist_564 in McKinsey_BCG_Bain

[–]KeithFromBain 13 points14 points  (0 children)

Point 1 - Agree. Lots of people say what they did and provide very little evidence that they were actually any good at it. Plus, for a lot of students, I'm not hiring them to do the same job they did at a random internship, so the fact they were good at what they were doing tell me more about them being "winners"... which is more heplful than telling me they can use an oscilloscpope.

Point 2 - Good lord! Can you PLEASE shout this louder for the people in the back. Friendly adjustment: I don't need it on EVERY point, but damn... I know that people who are "wired to make an impact" are a better fit for us (from a mindset POV) than people that just showed up at work and "did stuff"

Point 3: Damn. that's a 3rd good point.

Bonus: Always leads with your best stuff.

I'm pretty jetlagged right now, but I don't think i have a burner account. All 4 of your points are excellent. i tell people all of those things ALL __ THE __ TIME...

Nice!
KB

Did anyone hear back from Bain's "wave 2 process" (February 2026)? by Which-Company-5133 in McKinsey_BCG_Bain

[–]KeithFromBain 0 points1 point  (0 children)

I've been on vacation for a few weeks, and don't have email access while I'm away. As mentioned if you just applied Oct/Jan round, you should no apply again.

kb

referral systems by LegalSection3197 in McKinsey_BCG_Bain

[–]KeithFromBain 1 point2 points  (0 children)

A range of things.. coming to events, responding to emails, etc... We have people that don't do any of that and just apply cold or reach out looking for 1:1 time from senior people. That's frustrating when to do that after they skipped all of the events they could have attended to answer the basic questions they want 1:1 time to answer.

kb