Boston Consulting Group (BCG) is one of the world’s most prestigious consulting firms. He is part of the Big Three alongside McKinsey and Bain. Established in 50 countries with 90 offices, BCG recruits new talents throughout the year.
History of BCG
Boston Consulting Group is established in Boston, United States. It was founded in 1963 by Bruce Henderson. It now has 21,000 employees and annually generates a turnover exceeding 7 billion dollars per year. The success of the group is due to its founder who revolutionized practices in the sector. He was the first to offer very high salaries to the best profiles to attract and retain them. This is what has allowed strategy consulting firms to gain in excellence and expertise.
In 1964, BCG published its first analyzes in the Harvard Business Review in order to maintain the creativity of its senior managers. These articles now constitute the journal BCG outlook.
1968 marks the year BCG separated from its parent company; Boston Company, but also the invention of the famous “BCG matrix”. This tool helped companies identify their future activities. She helped build the reputation of BCG.
In 1969, BCG dethroned McKinsey and won the title of leading recruiter of Harvard graduates. One year later, the group exceeds 100 consultants.
In 1973, Bill Bain, one of BCG’s most important vice presidents and Henderson’s right-hand man, left the company to create his own consulting firm: Bain & Company. The separation is very difficult for the group which still manages to continue its growth. The same year, the firm opened an office in Paris and constituted one of the largest branches with nearly 800 consultants.
In 1985, BCG separated from its founder who retired. Today, BCG is one of the three largest strategy consulting firms in the world.
BCG’s office in France is located in Paris and leads McKinsey with more than 500 consultants and a total team of around 800 people. In addition to the Boston headquarters, the Paris headquarters is one of the largest offices in the world. It represents, among other things, a real bridgehead for BCG in the European and African continents.
BCG recruitment processes
BCG recruits 90 people per year in the Paris office, 80% of whom are young graduates from the best Grandes Écoles in France and internationally. The group also hires experienced profiles with several years of experience under their belt. Profiles to whom the firm gives an increasingly important place in its hierarchy.
However, BCG is extremely selective: only 5% of candidates are lucky enough to advance to the interview stage. For example, the Paris office receives 4,000 applications per year. Only around a hundred people are hired.
For interns, the recruitment process is broken down into two main phases:
How does the first round of recruitment take place within BCG?
Trainees are required to carry out a quantitative and qualitative informative test. Following this, they have a 40-minute interview which is broken down into three parts:
- The first part is an interview “classic” allowing the candidate to present their academic and professional background, their strengths as well as their motivations for joining the group. This step is essential, since it allows us to assess whether the candidate corresponds to the values and spirit of the group.
- The second part is a fictitious case study where the candidate will have to demonstrate analytical skills. This phase will allow the recruiter to have an overview of the candidate’s structuring and presentation qualities.
- The last part is an opportunity for the candidate to ask questions to the BCGers and to find out more about the missions that await them once selected. It is therefore important to find out in advance and prepare a few questions so as not to be taken by surprise.
How does the second round of recruitment take place?
It consists of two one-hour oral tests, in light of the first round interview.
For a permanent contract, the recruitment process at BCG is spread over three rounds, each consisting of two interviews. The structure of the interviews remains classic and does not differ from that of trainees. The only difference is established in the second round during the first interview.
Indeed, during this written case said “basketball case”the candidate has two hours to analyze a file and answer a certain number of questions (between two and five) in the form of hand-written slides. Interactions are interrupted for the duration of the case. The candidate therefore has no external help. He must then present his answers to the recruiters at the end of the exercise.
The official BCG website has many resources available to give you an idea about the latest case topics and the format of the computer test. You can therefore have access to advice on how to succeed in a case study and excel on the big day. At BCG, it is mainly the consultants who have control over the recruitment process, much more than HR. We therefore advise you to deploy your professional network and get in touch with consultants to maximize your chances of being taken.
Positions usually offered by BCG
BCG recruits new consultants and interns throughout the year. Interviews generally take place from September to July. To apply, simply submit your application on the portal dedicated. Concerning the choice of offices: You will be able to define your order of preference.
BCG’s Paris office has nearly 800 consultants and is one of the firm’s largest. The recruitment possibilities are therefore numerous:
- Internal Consultant Assistant : Its main role is to analyze customer practices and performance and interview market stakeholders.
- Consultant : He contributes to the development of change strategies and works hand in hand with client teams.
- Project Leader : He manages the teams whose mission is to define and implement the most appropriate solutions to clients’ strategic problems.
- Main : It builds strong and lasting relationships with customers, expands its teams and guarantees the creation of innovative and relevant values.
- Partner : Its mission is to advise clients, define the major strategic orientations of the firm and train the teams.
BCG offers business school students the opportunity to do Summer Interships of two to three months. It is also possible to do a BCG alternation for a period of six to twelve months. However, he does not accept LIFE (International Corporate Volunteering).
Career development at BCG
Like other top-tier consulting firms, BCG’s management model is “up or out”. HAS failure to obtain a promotion within a specified time, the partners or consultants will therefore have to leave the firm.
Furthermore, each transition from one grade to another involves specific training. In fact, thehe continuing training and personal development of consultants is a subject taken particularly seriously by the firm which does not hesitate to invest in its human capital. Customized training is also very popular within BCG. Consultants can set up a fully personalized development path between two projects.
Associates can progress to consulting in less than two years. They can subsequently be promoted to the position of manager in the following two to five years. After having spent twelve years at BCG, associates can be appointed partners.
For the brightest consultants, BCG offers many benefits. In this case, they can participate in an exchange program between so-called ambassador offices. This allows the best consultants to have an extraordinary experience in an office abroad, in the city of their choice, for a year. They will also have the chance to join the Strategy Institute which is a team of consultants working on the group’s strategy.
Finally, the most efficient and effective consultants can be elected to participate in the BCG fellows program. This program gives these nominees the chance to work on research projects in complete freedom, with significant budgetary support.
Your professional career after BCG
When they leave BCG, consultants have the chance to benefit from a continuous support process helping them find another job as quickly as possible. The following list provides an overview of companies run by former BCG consultants:
- Bain and Company
- Roland Berger
- Pepsi
- General Electric
- Orbitz
- Apax Partners
- Australia Post
- Boston Beer
- Tag Heuer
BCG also has a very broad network in the political world. For example: Binyamin Netanyahu, the Israeli Prime Minister or Mitt Romney, the former Republican candidate for the American presidency.
To discover the remuneration offered at BCG, go to our BC Work job board!
