Frequently Asked Questions

BCG's work for its clients is built on a foundation of custom insight and open collaboration, not a set of templates or prescriptive recommendations. We strongly believe in working with clients, not on them. We know from experience that only true team work with clients will lead to lasting results. You will be challenged to find advantage for your clients and to work side-by-side with them to make it a reality. As a result, BCG helps its clients change the rules of the game, not just play better. This is why our clients outperform and our people grow to achieve greatness—from a Grammy-winning vocalist to the CEO of Pepsi.

BCG strongly believes that our people are our biggest asset. When you join BCG you will learn not only analytics, but also the important soft skills of negotiating, presenting, coaching clients, and mentoring more junior team members. BCG truly cares about creating the perfect environment to enable the development and growth of consultants And we foster such growth in many ways, recognizing that every individual has slightly different needs.

There is not one ideal background; there are many. We have found this confirmed over and over in our daily client work. The complexity of the problems we deal with in management consulting not only accommodates but demands great diversity of academic backgrounds, work experience, perspective, thinking style, and expertise. At BCG, physicists and historians, chemists and lawyers have become successful business leaders.

It is not the degree that matters. Having excelled in academia is necessary, but not a sufficient condition to succeed in consulting. Having a successful career in BCG takes an open mind, the eagerness to learn from your team members, the curiosity to continuously explore new topics, and the eagerness to find solutions to problems. Physicists, historians, chemists, and lawyers can have the right profile just like business majors often will.

BCG's heritage, and the core of today's work, lies in setting strategic direction. We help set the CEO's long-term agenda, often implementing our recommendations in collaboration with client teams. As the founders of the discipline and art of corporate strategy, BCG is made up of people who have a deep understanding of what drives competitive advantage.

The business issues we address within all industries are usually fundamental to the CEO's agenda. CEOs hire us when they feel they cannot find a solution to the problem at hand with traditional means. The challenges our clients seek our help with are fraught with ambiguity and uncertainty and often there is significant resistance to change within our clients’ organizations. While navigating such an environment is not always easy, our people relish the opportunity to go beyond the obvious answers so as to find the best solution within the constraints given.

Given the rapid pace of growth, we are looking for approximately 70 full-time hires and Visiting Associates (interns) from different fields of study for 2011.

We expect candidates to have a strong university degree. The course of study plays a secondary role. Ideally, you have demonstrated an interest in business by completing internships and have studied one or more semesters abroad or worked in a foreign country for an extended period of time. You should be proficient in German and English. (French would be a plus.)

Of course! Half of all employees do not have a degree in economics or business administration before starting their job at BCG. We believe it is important that our employees represent many different schools of thought. Applicants without business background take part in a special business training program before starting at BCG.

BCG also makes an effort to share its collective knowledge through the BCG Knowledge Management (KM) system, which provides information about BCG people, topics, experience, know-how, and more. It is available to every consultant in every BCG office, although client names and other confidential information are protected. In the end, most of your colleagues will tell you that the most effective school at BCG is the daily work. Working with your team and with clients, you will experience an incredible learning curve. And BCG does not leave you alone in this endeavor: Your peers will support you, your project leader will coach you and your career advisor will provide useful advice on how to overcome some of the obstacles we all face.

One basic requirement for working with our clients is excellent written and spoken German. Many clients demand excellent English skills. Knowledge of other foreign languages, especially French, is a plus.

Depending on the nature of the project your presence at the client's site, whether in Switzerland or abroad, is needed to a varying extent. This can range from only periodical meetings to two to five days at the client's per week.

Yes, we accept Bachelor degrees from top universities. Graduates may enter our bachelor's program for a limited period of around two years. These individuals participate in client projects as full-ranking members of the team and are required to complete a Master's degree/MBA at a top university in order to further advance their career with our company.

Having one or the other does not make any differences of being invited to interview with BCG. We are interested in hiring people who combine curiosity and an ability to grasp new subjects with a willingness to learn. At BCG, analytical abilities are as important as strong communication skills. You should quickly grasp complex situations and not be satisfied to simply rework an existing strategic concept, but strive to visibly effect a change.

We strive to be the employer of choice for women among the consulting industry. Hiring and retaining the best female talent is very important to BCG and one of our CEO’s primary goals. Our immediate goal is to increase the share of women to at least one-third.

While BCG accepts applications throughout the year, you should plan to submit your final application no later than five to six months before you wish to start. The best way to apply to BCG is to use our online application.

Your application should contain the following:

• A cover letter with a brief introduction of who you are and your motivation for applying with BCG,

• A curriculum vitae in table format,

• Copies of your grade transcripts (Matura, Bachelor, Master, PhD) and,

• If possible, references from work experience including internships

We expect potential candidates to be open-minded and inquisitive. We do not want to hear rote responses or standard catch phrases. Compelling ideas and structured thinking count more than knowledge of economics. To get an idea of what a case study might look like, please visit our interactive case.

The best way to apply to BCG is to use our online application. You can apply to up to three different BCG offices. Learn more about BCG’s international presence.

No. At BCG we value and seek diversity. We believe our teams will develop better solutions if the team members come from different backgrounds. We also believe that our employees thrive best in an environment where different experiences enrich each other.

Our requirements profile includes a university degree.

Our clients provide us with confidential information that may not be published in external academic papers. Due to this fact, we do not sponsor thesis work.