BCG - Employment check

Question

Hi everyone,

I wanted to ask for some advice. I previously worked at McKinsey as a contractor — my legal employer was an HR agency. On my resume, I listed McKinsey under my experience but did not indicate that the role was through a third-party agency.

Recently, BCG HR requested employment verification for my time at McKinsey. I’ve provided them with an official email mentioning that I was offered to support McKinsey during my employment with the agency.

Would this kind of omission on my resume be considered a serious issue? Could it potentially affect my offer from BCG?

Thanks in advance for your insights.

Answer 1

Hi,

This may indeed be considered as an issue. It would have been better to have indicated that McKinsey was not your direct employer, but rather that you did contract work through an agency.

I can't speculate as to how the HR team will consider this issue, but I wouldn't be surprised if it results in some further discussion at the minimum.

Best of luck.

Answer 2

Hello,

Could be an issue because had McK hired you directly it means you would have gone through the vigorous selection process and would have been trained by them, essentially making you a McK consultant.

Here is what I would do: ask for a reference from someone that you worked with there. If they can vouch that your performance was on par with their standards then it does not really matter if you were a contractor or not

If you need help on how to do this, please chat me.

Answer 3

Hi there,

It depends on how you have framed in your CV, working for McKinsey and working at McKinsey are very different things in terms of recruiting process, performance review, learning and development investments, coaching and mentoring programs, etc.
Have someone to back you up at McKinsey in case needed; explain it also directly mentioning the BCG case assistant experience as well of they question why did you do it.

Best,

Mari

Answer 4

Hi there,

First of all, congratulations on the (preliminary) offer from BCG!

I would be happy to share my thoughts on your situation:

First of all, I don’t think this is a major issue. Listing McKinsey directly when you worked there, even through an agency, is quite common - especially if you were fully embedded in the McKinsey team.
Moreover, you can easily clarify the setup when asked. I would advise you to continue being open and transparent if they follow up with more questions.
Lastly, I would strongly advise you to relax and not overthink this - unless you intentionally hid something or gave false information, this should not affect your offer.

You can find more on this topic here: How to deal with a rejection from a consulting company

If you would like a more detailed discussion on your specific situation, please don't hesitate to contact me directly.

Best,

Hagen