Bachelor's and Master in Management
Internships, graduate programmes and timing for students at the start of a career, including Master in Management students. What firms look for at entry, and a quick way to plan backwards from your start date.
Firm processes and online tests change from year to year and differ by office. Use this to prepare, and confirm the exact current steps on the firm's own careers page.
Key takeaways
- At entry, firms hire for potential. They look for clear thinking, good maths, and proof that you finish what you start.
- An internship. You work on a real team for a summer or a few months.
- A graduate programme or entry role. You apply in your final year for a job that starts after you finish.
- One firm example. Bain says its Associate Consultant Internship is for current bachelor's and master's students with one full summer left before graduation.
Key idea
At entry, firms hire for potential. They look for clear thinking, good maths, and proof that you finish what you start. Nobody expects you to know an industry yet.
This lesson describes common patterns, not any one employer, unless a source is named. Steps differ by firm, office, country and year. Read the firm's own careers page for your office.
A Master in Management is a business master's degree for people with little or no work experience. It is common in Europe and growing elsewhere. Firms usually treat its students like final-year bachelor's students. Both often apply to the same entry roles in the same process.
The two main doors
- An internship. You work on a real team for a summer or a few months. A good internship often leads to an offer, or at least to the final interviews.
- A graduate programme or entry role. You apply in your final year for a job that starts after you finish.
- One firm example. Bain says its Associate Consultant Internship is for current bachelor's and master's students with one full summer left before graduation.
- Bain also says successful interns may be invited to interview, or offered a place as an associate consultant.
What firms look for at entry (general pattern)
- Strong grades and test scores, read as a sign that you can learn fast.
- Clear problem solving in a case, more than business vocabulary.
- Something you led or built: a club, a project, a job, a sports team.
- A short, honest reason for wanting the work.
Illustrative. Your internship would start in June next year. Applications at your target firms usually close about 8 months before the start. You want 4 months of preparation before you apply. How many months before the start date should you begin preparing?
How do firms usually treat Master in Management students?
Sources, checked on 2026-10-02. Official pages only. Hiring steps and dates change, so confirm them on the firm's own page before you rely on them.
- Bain & Company careers, "Associate Consultant Internship" (official): https://www.bain.com/careers/work-with-us/internships-programs/associate-consultant-internship/
Sources for this lesson (2)
- Recognized public explanations of case-interview concepts and terms
- Bain & Company careers, "Associate Consultant Internship" (official)
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