Academic history check on referral

Question

Hello,

Would anyone know if an application can still be rejected if we were to get a referral internally from say the partner in the firm on grounds of poor past academic performance?

Recently graduated with my MBA with a 4.47/5 GPA. My masters was 7 years ago so not sure if that would still be looked into / count against me?

Thank you for your answer!

Answer 1

Hi,

Don’t worry. In consulting recruiters won’t care much about your grades if you have a referral. I know a lot of consultants who have outstanding careers and much less outstanding grades.

Best,

Anton

Answer 2

Hi there,

If you have a referral from a partner, the scores wouldn't matter much. If there is any history check, the check is to make sure you actually attended the school, instead of checking on your scores.

Many MBA has non-disclosure policy. If you school is one of them, you don't need to mention the GPA at all.

And since your master is 7 years ago, I don't think that matter much either. Your working experiences would be more relevant.

Best,

Emily

Answer 3

The background check is unlikely to scrutinize course grades from 7 years ago. Recruiters usually look for what you highlight in the CV. In fact, recruiters take a look at a CV for hardly a minute so they are focusing on what stands out in your CV from most recent experiences.

Further, if you are invited for an interview and get an offer, it won't be rescinded because of missing grades from a past degree

Answer 4

Hi there,

a partner referral will help a lot, however, there is no 100% guarantee it will automatically convert in an interview, regardless of your GPA.

In terms of a referral helping to compensate for a low GPA: yes, they usually help. I personally coached a candidate who had a GPA far worse than your MBA one that got invited at BCG thanks a partner referral.

Best,

Francesco

Answer 5

Dear A,

Don't worry, internal referral maximizes your chances significantly.

Best,
André

Answer 6

Hello!

Don´t you worry, for several reasons:

Once you have an MBA, the title is what matters. Not so much the grades
This is +7 years ago, so it´s not relevant anymore -much more your recent experience-
A referral on top would make it even less relevant -if at all!-

Hope it helps!

Best,

Clara

Answer 7

Hi there,

You have nothing to worry about!

1) Partner referral means you've got a great shot of an initial interview

2) 7 years is a long time ago

Answer 8

Hi there,

A partner referral outways old poor academic achievement. You should be filtered-in without any issue.

Now it's time to prepare to crack those cases.

Best of luck

Khaled