Vault’s Verdict

There’s no disputing Bain’s position at the very pinnacle of the consulting profession—and even less room to argue that it provides the best overall employee experience of any of the firms that breathe the same rarefied air it occupies. Year after year, in every region of the world, Bainies take our survey to rave about every aspect of their work life, from generous compensation and thoughtful perks to challenging assignments and well-designed training and development plans.

This year is no different: consultants in APAC once again come in singing their firm’s praises—something that is made possible by the firm’s truly global governance model. As such, there is little more for us to do than to underline that, if you’re thinking about a career at the top of the consulting industry, then Bain really does walk the walk on the promises it makes. 

Firm Culture

“A truly wonderful place to work.  I can't imagine working anywhere else.”

“Best in class culture and genuine focus on people development and happiness.”

“Everything I'd hoped for, more than I imagined. Life-changing friends, learning and opportunities.”

“Our recruiting process is designed to give you a 360-degree view of Bain, so invest to get to know us as we invest to get to know you. Then we can all make really well-informed decisions that will lead to you having a great career.”

“Unique culture.”

Quality of Life

“Bain is really flexible and has added more flex options over time.”

“Hands down the most thoughtful people I have ever worked with. They always have your back, always ready to lend an ear, and they will never let you down. Just an amazing culture.”

“Over time, you learn how to be efficient and manage your time while still being effective.  It's quite manageable for me.”

“Post-covid we are still working out what normal travel looks like. My travel is much more discretionary now, which puts more control back in my hands.”

“Provides good balance of learning and sustainability.”

Compensation

“Best: Full coverage for therapy sessions. Worst: No parking stipend.”

“Generally, it's a great system, rewards high performance and we are constantly reviewing market benchmarks and our internal policies to see if we can improve it.”

“Generous pay for high performance - that's great but also demanding.  (The way it should be.)”

“Great rewards over a career, with flexibility.”

“Very competitive.”

Career Development

“Extremely high bar for early promotion opportunities but low bar for normal promotions, therefore encouraging people to work minimally.”

“Genuine care for people development. Superb coaching and mentoring.”

“I have transferred 4 times, each was a good experience, well handled by the admin teams of Bain.”

“I work with many clients on their career development systems and rate Bain's to be amongst the very best I have seen.”

“With increasing variety of roles (general consulting, expert, practice development, engineering teams, data science teams etc.) and geographies Bain provides unparalleled opportunity.”

Community Engagement

“Bain is highly committed to diversity in all dimensions, and is making genuine progress. Nevertheless, it's very hard to make dramatic and/or rapid progress. This is partly a sector issue, but we can always do better.”

Business Outlook

“There is a global slowdown coming, or already here. We are ready with our playbooks to respond; we know how to manage through these periods. I am extremely proud of how we managed through Covid and the war in Ukraine, and I feel confident of our ability to continue to gain share in our segment.”

Hiring Process

“High IQ, High EQ, High RQ. This is not an easy job to thrive in. Our recruiting process is well tuned to identify all sorts of people who might flourish at Bain.”

“People who can work in teams; who have the ability and interest to crack tough business problems; who can communicate clearly and with confidence.  Increasingly we also seek more technical skills such as people with technology, data science, innovation and design, or people with deep industry expertise relevant to our clients.”