Hi all, I applied for the associate consultant role at Bain through the experienced hire portal four weeks ago. The offices that I chose were Shanghai, Hong Kong, and Dubai. I didn't have any referrals. I haven't received any interview invitations from any of these offices. Does this mean I should move on?
Hi all, I applied for the associate consultant role at Bain through the experienced hire portal four weeks ago. The offices that I chose were Shanghai, Hong Kong, and Dubai. I didn't have any referrals. I haven't received any interview invitations from any of these offices. Does this mean I should move on?
CV summary: graduated from ANU in 2022. GPA 6.2
Studied humanities. Worked in a policy role in the public sector ever since graduation.
I applied for entry-level roles, i.e. junior associate at McKinsey; Junior Generalist Associate at BCG; Associate Consultant at Bain, for three times.
Failed at the CV screening every time after online test. No referral.
May I please ask what I should do to increase my chance of getting an interview?
Many thanks 🙏
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CANDIDATE PROFILE
Early-career professional with experience in policy, stakeholder engagement, market analysis and project coordination.
WORK EXPERIENCE
Industry Association / Policy Organisation | Australia
Policy and Strategy Adviser | 2024 – 2026
• Supported senior leaders on policy, strategy and stakeholder engagement matters across multiple concurrent workstreams.
• Translated high-level organisational priorities into practical workplans, consultation processes, evidence requests and briefing materials.
• Analysed policy, trade, regulatory and stakeholder issues affecting business operations and market access.
• Prepared executive-ready materials, including options papers, presentations, briefing notes and stakeholder messages.
• Coordinated with internal teams, external advisers, government stakeholders and industry partners to align priorities and support delivery.
• Helped manage cross-border stakeholder engagement and adapted communication for different cultural and institutional audiences.
• Monitored risks, deadlines and implementation issues, and helped develop practical solutions under tight timelines.
A local government | Australia
Project Support Officer | 2024
• Supported cross-functional digital and operational projects through project planning, risk tracking, governance updates and stakeholder reporting.
• Built Excel and Power BI dashboards to track milestones, surface risks and communicate progress clearly.
• Drafted concise briefings and updates to support approvals and maintain accountability across technical and non-technical teams.
Boutique Consulting / Advisory Firm | Australia
Market Strategy Analyst | 2021 – 2024
• Conducted market, policy and regulatory research to support client strategy, partnership and market-entry decisions.
• Produced market intelligence reports translating complex external developments into actionable recommendations and next steps.
• Built comparative frameworks covering regulatory environment, incentives, consumer dynamics, execution risk and go-to-market options.
• Packaged findings into clear slides, narratives and client-ready materials under tight timelines.
TOOLS AND INTERESTS
• Tools: Excel, Power BI, R, STATA, Tableau, Word and PowerPoint.
• Skills: policy analysis, stakeholder engagement, market research, project coordination, briefing materials, KPI tracking and presentation development.
• Interests: cross-border e-commerce, global market expansion, consumer trends, AI-enabled operations and international business strategy.
EDUCATION
Australian University
Bachelor’s Degree in International Relations
• Strong academic performance.
Honours Degree in International Relations
• Quantitative research thesis using R.
CV summary: graduated from ANU in 2022. GPA 6.2
Studied humanities. Worked in a policy role in the public sector ever since graduation.
I applied for entry-level roles, i.e. junior associate at McKinsey; Junior Generalist Associate at BCG; Associate Consultant at Bain, for three times.
Failed at the CV screening every time after online test. No referral.
May I please ask what I should do to increase my chance of getting an interview?
Many thanks 🙏