At Bain: Challenged and Loving It

One year on, this Wharton consulting grad still believes he made the best possible choice for his first job—for the challenges and the fun

by David Goldman

David Goldman
Associate Consultant, Bain & Company
BA Class of 2006, Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania

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When I graduated from the Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania last May, I sought a job that would allow me to continue developing the fundamental business skills I had learned in the classroom, while exposing me to a wide range of industries. I decided the consulting industry, my first choice, would allow me to change industries regularly, and to analyze complex business problems that top companies have to solve.

Right from the start, I've been given the autonomy, and accountability, for coming up with solutions that address tough client problems—and to put those solutions into action. In just a short amount of time, I have worked on several different client projects in several different industries (telecom, health care, online retail) and have honed my analytic and communication skills.

My Bain & Co. colleagues are incredibly smart and down-to-earth people who continuously push me to do better in my job. And while getting results for clients is key, it's not all work and no play. Officewide community service projects, happy hours, and annual worldwide soccer tournaments (this year the tournament will be held in Spain) are just a few of the ways that the company creates the culture of working hard and having fun.

Here's my typical day:

9:00 a.m.—I arrive at the office after my five-minute commute through Boston's Back Bay. When I visited the city, it was thriving with great social and cultural attractions, so it was an easy decision for me to pick the Boston office. I make myself a bowl of instant oatmeal, turn on my computer, and read the news headlines.

9:15 a.m.—I open the file of client data that I was working on late last night. I have a few more lookups and pivot tables to create before I will be satisfied that I have completed the analysis. No matter how much previous Excel experience you have (many new employees have none), Bain makes sure that within a few months you become an expert.

10:30 a.m.—I review the results of my data crunching. What conclusions can I draw? How can I effectively communicate these insights to the client? Most of the data confirms the team's original hypothesis, but a few of the results are surprising. I create several presentation slides to concisely convey what I've found. Then I e-mail my findings to a senior teammate to get his feedback.

1:55 a.m.—I read the 10 e-mails that have been sent to all of the associate consultants (ACs) discussing our lunch plans. It's Meatloaf Sandwich Day at the local sandwich shop, which seems like the consensus. Although I enjoy a good meatloaf sandwich as much as the next associate consultant, I already have plans to have lunch with my mentor. With my current case wrapping up soon, I am hoping that my mentor will have some advice as to what types of cases I should be trying to work on next. I also want to discuss my transfer-abroad options.

1:00 p.m.—I meet with my teammate to walk him through the slides that I created this morning. He notices a few areas where I need to develop my analysis further. His suggestions remind me of a business strategy I used in my previous case; I think that the methodology would be applicable here. I make the revisions and he combines my slides with those that he has created, and forwards the entire slide presentation to our case team manager.

2:45 p.m.—I check e-mails and voicemails before my next meeting. There's an officewide voice message from the managing partner of the Boston office. He shares news about recent client wins and thanks various teams for their contributions and achievements.