The Recruiting Manager, 18th October 2011

Bain and Company

Dear Sir/Madam,

I am a final year student of IIT Delhi, pursuing a B.Tech in Production and Industrial
Engineering. I am eager to apply for the post of Associate Consultant in Bain and Co.

My desire to work in the consulting industry has been sparked by both the variety and the
quality of experiences it offers. Working across the broadest possible range of industries and
client personnel will help me gain diverse knowledge and come across varied challenges. This
aspect is specially attractive to me as throughout my life, I have loved to push myself out of
my comfort zone and make game-changing contributions, whether it be as a leader of
debating and quizzing activities, a Sports secretary who pushed a hostel obsessed with
cultural activities to winning the Sports trophy, or an Academic Council General Secretary
working to create lasting institute-wide changes in the IIT academic system. Such experiences
have shown me that if there is one thing I love, it is to be challenged and to be able to make
an impact through overcoming that challenge. Consulting, and with Bain in particular, offers
me a chance to revolutionize paradigms, and I believe that my career in IIT has given me both
the confidence and the quality of experience to be successful in such an attempt.

Consulting will also enable me to make full use of, and further develop my logical and
problem-solving skills, providing an intellectually stimulating challenge of the sort I have
always coveted. I have nurtured an intense passion for Debating, which at the end of the day
is nothing but breaking things down rationally and conveying them in a simple way that will
be easy to understand. Imagine my delight when I was told that this was pretty much all I
would have to do in this ‘job’! Over the years, I have learned a lot about debating and will
revel in the opportunity to use these skills in the real world.

The decision to become a consultant done, and 10 PPTs later, Bain as 1st choice became a no-
brainer. Doing the rounds of PPTs can often put you in a whirl of confusion, but there were
two solid things about Bain that stood out for me. Firstly, the focus on generating tangible
results. There was no company that stressed so much on its repeat customers, on caring about
client’s performance, on making an actual, physical impact. I believe that a life that does not
impact others would be wasted and at Bain, I think that I would actually make a difference
and change things, more than at any other consultancy. Secondly, the atmosphere of fun and
friendship. Management consulting is an elite field and I will find immensely accomplished
people in whichever firm I eventually join. But in everything to do with Bain, I can see an
easy camaraderie and a sense of unity, whether it be in ribbing another Bainie about his
nickname during the PPT or the very informal case workshops when the interaction was
completely relaxed. The success of every team I have worked on, and the enjoyment I have
gleaned, has always been dependent on this aspect of not taking yourself too seriously, of
developing relationships even beyond the professional. I see myself having fun at Bain, doing
work that I enjoy, with good friends, and therefore, would consider it at the top of my list.

I hope you give me the chance to contribute to the continuing success of Bain and Co.
through my skill set, which I will look to further develop during my time in Bain.

Eagerly awaiting your reply,

Yours sincerely,

Azeez Gupta