Bain & Company reviews

High pressure, long hours and residual "old boys club" culture still persists. There are obvious favoritisms right from the start for those who have previously worked for the firm as Associate Consultants. The "meritocracy" that the firm preaches isn't always true - the louder one whines the more one gets. There is generally a lack of clarity on what is expected and what those expectations mean. Promotion usually favors those who were with the firm previously, and is openly talked about by management. This creates conflict and disparity among post-MBA hires and sets unnecessary rivalry and competition among colleagues. Managers at Bain are not trained to lead and manage people - they're trained to produce presentations and get the project done, so there is little in terms of professional development, even though that's what the firm touts as its key characteristics.

Professional services means long hours, high stress (not unique to Bain); we take pride in being a lean organization, which pays many dividends, especially in tough economic times, but our systems and processes aren't as robust as they should be for a company our size. Performance reviews can be like drinking from a fire hose.