Went through a college recruiting process — standard resume, cover letter. Did not network at all with Bain before beginning the interviews and did only a few cases as prep. First round was two 30-minute case interviews with a few fit questions and resume reviews; they were behind schedule and felt rushed. The two interviewers were both young Consultants, recent business school graduates, who were friendly and supportive even in a few moments I struggled with a case. One complimented my socks.
Somehow, I got through them, and the next day was invited to another office for a final-round interview a week later. Three candidates were there for that position; the night before, we had dinner and drinks with a collection of managers, consultants, and associates in the office. It was a relaxed, no-pressure environment, and I had ample opportunity to schmooze and relax with the assembled staff. (I actually thought it was a fun dinner.)
On the day of the final round interviews, I was given my interviewers' biographies (which I should have gotten at the dinner, had I not needed to leave early). I and the other two candidates filled out background-check information forms nervously before our interviews. The recruiters and receptionists were very friendly and a calming presence. The format was three 40-minute interviews; two were case interviews (one with a manager and one with a partner) and one was a fit interview with a consultant who worked as a mentor within the firm. I luckily had my cases first and then my fit interview, which let me ease into the day.
Both case interviews were challenging, but stimulating. They were not framework-friendly, and instead were driven by intellection and inference — it was crucial to apply Bain's hypothesis-driven approach to succeed. I stumbled in both, but kept up a great rapport with both the manager and partner. They were fun. The second interview was by far the most challenging; I was essentially made to ask questions and throw out dozens of hypotheses for a case which was not exactly solvable. The fit interview was very relaxed and friendly — some "why consulting," "what makes Bain stand out," "what other firms are you considering," and "what should we expect if we give you an offer" questions, but mostly a nice chat with a lovely person.
I flew back to school and received a Saturday afternoon phone call from the partner who had interviewed me, both to congratulate me on receiving an offer and to offer immediate feedback on my approach to the cases. He dissected my approach and gave me constructive feedback and areas to focus on in the future with Bain. Perhaps his most interesting note was that, while the two other candidates (from engineering and business undergraduate programs) breezed through the cases mathematically, I was less detail-oriented but more right-brained, and that the firm valued liberal-arts students like myself. (His exact words were "your left brain is teachable.") I was extended an offer in writing three days later.