Am I a back up for the firm?

Question

I passed the first round of interview at a top consulting firm in the Middle East but they put changing the time for final round interview. It has been more than two months and my final round slot still cannot be confirmed. They say that it is because of Christmas time and things. Is this normal?

Am I just a backup for them? (like they would only let me interview if they need people desperately.)

Is it even good to join if I get the offer given the situation?

Answer 1

I would say that the holidays are probable the slowest time for recruiting. It picks up a lot mid January onwards. If you don't hear back by then it might be a sign they are not as keen but till then it is very likely a logistics issue.

Also if MBB does not want you they will just reject you, there is no need to keep you hanging.

Answer 2

Hey there,

It is possible. However, also consider the possibility that the interviewing partners are busy and are not available for interviewing the final round.

With COVID and the busy Christmas season that could be a potential reason as well.

Cheers,

Florian

Answer 3

This is which office in ME? I have a similar situation with the hiring decision still pending after almost a month of the final round. I followed up with HR and they confirmed still I will receive a feedback call!

Answer 4

Hi there,

You are overthinking this. Things have generally been quite busy - I've had a lot of candidates with interviews AND offers pushed back multiple months.

Just be patient (though keep pinging every few weeks).

If you get the offer and want to work there, don't let this delay influence your decision at all!

Answer 5

That is unlikely, particularly given that you still have one round to go. They probably just are too busy to have enough time for recruiting.

It's actually very complicated because when you have an enormous worload and could hire a lot of consultants to help, that is also when you have less time available to perform recruiting activities.