Jose Barrientos

BCG Office: Dallas

Hometown: San Salvador, El Salvador

MBA Program, Concentration: Duke University, The Fuqua School of Business

Undergraduate school, major: Texas Tech University, Management Information Systems

Focus of current case/engagement: EV go-to-market strategy for a large auto manufacturer

Why did you choose BCG? There were multiple factors led me to BCG, but three stand out the most for me:

1. The desire BCGers have to make the world a better place. Every BCGer strives to make a positive impact in this world, either by volunteering to a social cause that they feel strongly about or by helping clients push their limits of what’s possible to achieve in their organization.

2. The passion leadership has for people and their teams. They are always excited to chat with new Associates or Consultants about the work they’re leading or share career advice.

3. The focus BCG has on a bionic future. I am someone who has always been interested in the intersection of business and technology and blending new technologies with human capabilities to power innovation, advantage, growth, and efficiency is something. BCG’s strengths in these areas really appealed to me.

What did you love about the business school you attended? I really enjoyed the Team Fuqua spirit. Even before arriving in Durham, it was surprising to me that I had people reaching out to ensure I didn’t have any other questions before arriving on campus. At the moment I thought this was only because I was part of the new class, but this spirit is embedded in the community and I was able to experience it day in and day out during my time at Duke. I continue to foster this Team Fuqua spirit as an alum.

BCG’s purpose is “unlocking the potential of those who advance the world.” What has BCG unlocked in you? BCG has unlocked the confidence to approach any type of problem in any context and feel confident that, as a team, we will provide a recommendation that will bring value to our client in the short and long term. This would not be possible without all the resources BCG makes available to consultants and the wealth of guidance MDPs provide to each case team.

What was your greatest personal or professional accomplishment and how did you make a difference? During my time at Citigroup, I got the opportunity to plan and manage the annual IT expense ($3.2B) recovery process for the year by determining product pricing for all IT products used at the bank and EBIT position in all regions. This was a great accomplishment as I had to work with cross-functional teams across the globe in a highly visible project for leadership.

What word best describes BCG’s culture and give us an example of how you’ve experienced this in your day-to-day work? Authentic. During an organizational redesign for a public university, my project leader shared some feedback with me telling me to be more of myself with the client. She really enjoyed getting to know me in the team room and she believed that by bringing more of my authentic self to client interactions I would build stronger relationships.

Please describe an “only at BCG” moment you’ve experienced so far. During recruiting, you hear about all the great impact BCG delivers with clients, but you rarely hear about the hard work BCGers do internally to meet clients’ future needs. I got the rare opportunity to work with a group of Managing Directors and Senior Partners to identify the path forward for BCG related to professional upskilling at scale. It was an incredible opportunity to work on something that will be used by BCG teams all over the world with clients in all industries.

What advice would you give someone interviewing at BCG? BCG wants to get to know you as much as you want to learn about them. Take time to craft your stories, as this is the best way for BCG to get to know your aspirations and goals.

Which manager or peer has had the biggest impact on you at BCG, and how has this person made you a better consultant? Christoph Schmidt, a Principal out of Boston who is now in the Munich office. He was my first direct manager and he embodies BCG’s apprenticeship model. Even in a remote environment, not only did he guide my first few weeks as a new consultant, but he also valued my insights and pushed me to take them a step further to maximize impact for our client.

A fun fact about me is…I won a blind soda test contest in business school (Coca-Cola does taste different than any other soda).

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