Boston Consulting Group

The Boston Consulting Group (BCG) is most notably known for two reasons: 1) its treatment of clients, and 2) its treatment of staff. A massive 90% of BCG’s customers are repeat customers, and the firm prides itself on its employee-focused culture.

BCG was founded in 1963 by former Bible salesman Bruce D. Henderson. After dropping out from Harvard Business School three months before graduation, Henderson went on to work for Westinghouse Corporation, becoming one of the youngest vice presidents in its history. After Westinghouse, he worked in management at Arthur D. Little – one of the earliest consulting firms. From here, Henderson was headhunted by a client, the Boston Safe deposit and Trust Company, to start an autonomous consulting division at the bank, which became known as the BCG. The firm eventually became independent in 1975 and has remained privately owned by its partners ever since.

While most consultancy firms focused on making easily quantified increases in their client’s bottom line or adjustments to their operations, Bruce Henderson had a more ‘teach a man to fish approach’. His plan was for his clients to understand macroeconomics and social change, so they could better position themselves within their markets.

BCG’s consultants operate in every industry, specialising in a variety of services and functions, including strategy and portfolio development, branding, finance, globalisation, IT, intellectual property and operations. Its clients include some of the world’s largest corporations, as well as a number of Fortune 500 companies, non-profits and government organisations.

The firm is headquartered, unsurprisingly, in Boston, and has more than 69 offices in 40 countries around the world. In fact, it was one of the first consultancies to establish an office in Japan in 1966, soon after opening outposts in London and Paris.

Current CEO Hans-Paul Burkner is only the fifth person to lead the firm. He issued a ‘people-team mandate’ a year after his inauguration, which instructed managers to launch a range of internal initiatives aimed at improving alumni relations, work/life balance, career development and women’s issues. In fact, the first female consultant, Sandy Moose, spent her 40-year career at BCG, and remains chair of BCG’s global Women’s Initiative.

Practice numerical tests and verbal tests used by actual employers.

The majority of BCG’s consultants have an advanced degree from a leading business school, such as INSEAD, Rotterdam University, SDA-Boccini, LSE, ESSEC or Heidelberg. Recruits are primarily drafted between September and February, and are ordinarily plucked from applications made through the firm’s web forms. Experience abroad or foreign languages aren’t necessities, but they’d certainly help to set any hopeful applicant out from the crowd. But most importantly, ‘candidates need to be able to demonstrate that they have the breadth of skills… [required] for the job – a combination of analytical capabilities, structured thinking, creativity and drive.’

Three rounds of interviews stand between you and a position at the BCG. The first round consists of one or two interviews as well as a couple of tests; while the second comprises simply two interviews. Theses interviews will be held by managers, but make it through to the third round and you’ll face three interviews with partners. Regardless of the round, most interviews will be about ‘25% CV questions and 75% case studies’, according to one junior consultant.

The personal discussion is intended as a ‘get to know you’, so this stage will often revolve around a specific experience or time in your life. One junior consultant states, ‘I was asked to talk about what I was most passionate about on my CV, and each conversation flowed differently from then on.’ Interviewers will often apply the ‘elevator test’; basically, could they bear to be stuck in an elevator with you. Although a little harsh sounding, applying this concept helps the firm diminish the chances of hiring someone their employees or clients won’t like working with.

Case studies are always based on real client projects and in turn provide the main insight into whether a candidate can do the job or not; the BCG website offers examples of such case studies. However, interviewers aren't looking for industry knowledge; they simply want to make sure your reasoning is sound and logical.

Stats

No. of employees worldwide: 5,600
No. of employees in the UK: 278 consultants and total staff of 380
Approx. no. of applications per year: 10,000+

Departments

Automotive
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Energy & Environment
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Globalization
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Managing in a Slow-Growth Economy
Marketing & Sales
Media & Entertainment
Medical Devices & Technology
Metals & Mining
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Organization
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Private Equity
Process Industries
Public Sector
Retail
Strategy
Sustainability
Technology & Software
Telecommunications
Transformation
Transportation Travel & Tourism
Turnaround