Australian MBA holders and undergraduates are in a prime position to land jobs at a powerhouse consultancy firm this year as coronavirus drives a big push for local talent.
Lead recruiting partner at Bain Australia Damian Stephenson said the firm would be “busier than ever” hiring talent in 2021 and an MBA was a highly valued qualification.
“Australian-based MBA candidates are always a critical source of new talent, but will be more important than ever this year since COVID is restricting our ability to find candidates for Bain Australia overseas,” Mr Stephenson said.
“We definitely value an MBA. More than 80% of our 2020 new hires (excluding Associate Consultants and Senior Associate Consultants) had previously completed an MBA.
“The MBA learning and experience is a great way, but not the only way, to develop and demonstrate the core skills required to be a successful Bain consultant.”
So what will Bain be looking for in candidates to be able to demonstrate?
Mr Stephenson listed four areas. Candidates possess a passion for and an ability to:
- Break down and solve large, complex and unfamiliar problems rapidly, pragmatically and creatively
- Collaborate with, influence, lead, and learn from others (clients, team members, colleagues)
- Communicate clearly and effectively in various settings and formats
- Have lasting impact on society and the world around them
In terms of personality, Mr Stephenson said, “the best candidates tend to be intellectually curious, tenacious, comfortable with ambiguity, empathetic, humble and coachable”.
“We also thrive on and seek diversity in all its forms, so there are not necessarily specific academic disciplines or professional backgrounds that are more desirable than others.”
Mr Stephenson said undergraduate recruiting had always been a very large and critical part of Bain’s hiring every year, and 2021 would be no exception.
“Overall, this year will be busier than ever for us from a hiring standpoint and we intend to hire as many great candidates as we can find while also doing even more to increase diversity within our candidate pools,” he said.
“Because of COVID, we will be hiring locally even more than usual, given restrictions on our ability to recruit overseas.”
Mr Stephenson said the growth of the business was intrinsic to hiring.
“Our local and global business continues to grow rapidly and we expect this to continue over the medium and long term.
“Growth in hiring is one of the most important ways we enable business growth because our business is more supply-driven than demand-driven, meaning we typically want to hire as many great candidates as we can find.”
