BCG Platinion

Sorry to hear! 

Reasons can be both internal vs external. 

typical external: low demand for new hires, interview slots already booked, strenght of peer applications. 

typical internal: Weak combination of academic achievements & professional experience (your experience might match on paper, but maybe the grades were not sufficiently high?). Also, your materials might be not compelling / key information not easily accessible. 

You can try to give them a call, from an email I would not expect much of an answer. To be honest, even if you receive feedback via a call, do not expect it to be the true feedback but something generic. 

You can ask, but do not expect a detailed answer. Most firms will not share specific feedback at the application screening stage, partly due to volume and partly due to legal caution.

That said, it is still worth reaching out to the recruiter politely. Keep it short. Thank them for considering your application, say you were surprised given how closely your background matched the role, and ask if there is any feedback they can share or anything you could strengthen for future applications. The worst they can say is nothing.

On the rejection itself: screening before the online assessment usually comes down to a few things. GPA cutoffs, specific technical skills they were screening for, years of experience, or even something as simple as visa or location requirements. It is often not a reflection of your actual ability.

If Platinion is where you want to be, apply again when the next relevant role opens. Reapplication after a reasonable gap is completely normal and sometimes successful.

This is frustrating, but it happens quite often — especially at CV screening stage.

Rejections at this point usually depend on multiple factors, not just whether your profile “fits” the job description. It can be things like:

• relative strength vs. other candidates in the same pool
• specific hiring needs at that moment
• how your experience is presented on the CV

So it’s not always a clear “you’re not a fit.”

You can try to ask for feedback, but just to set expectations: it’s quite rare to get a real, detailed answer at this stage. Most of the time you’ll either not get a response or receive something very generic.

If you want to improve your chances for future applications, the most useful thing is usually to review and refine your CV positioning — often small changes there can make a big difference in screening.

If helpful, happy to support on CV review and preparation.

Hi there,

I have to be honest: the feedback is never that honest or helpful. If you're riding on the feedback from a recruiter who is going through hundreds of applications and isn't that invested in a random person they've screened, that's not great!

You're welcome to ask (it won't hurt your chances), but I genuinely don't think it will be fruitful in any scenario.

Much, much more fruitful is a coaching session (not a pitch... pick whomever!). If you want detailed, actionable, honest, and helpful feedback on your CV and application, hire a coach! They're the experts.

One more thing: don't hang everything on BCG Platinion. Apply broadly. One screening rejection is not a verdict on your candidacy.

For CV prep specifically, my Applications Course covers resume, cover letter, and positioning. For direct feedback, book a coaching session. And for the full end to end journey, the 360 Degree Course.

I'm sorry to hear. 

You can reach out, there's nothing to lose about that, but they tend not to provide feedback before the interview stage. 

A more practical way to think about it is to ask what you could've done differently.

Your application likely consisted of your CV + CL + referral (if applicable). 

So that means that your documents could've been better - this is a common weak point of many applications, which is why professional reviews are so important

And perhaps you didn't have a referral. You might want to read about referrals here:

• • Expert Guide: How To Get Referrals Via LinkedIn?

At this point however, what matters is how you approach the next applications.

If you need any help, don't hesitate to drop me a line.

Best,
Cristian

hey there :)

totally understand the frustration, especially with BCG Platinion where screening can feel quite opaque, you can absolutely send a short and polite note asking for feedback, but in reality they rarely provide detailed reasons at this stage, so don’t read too much into it; often it’s small things like specific project experience, timing, or internal demand rather than a clear “you’re not a fit”, so I’d use this more as a signal to refine positioning and maybe get a referral next time rather than questioning your profile too much, happy to take a quick look at your CV if helpful

best,
Alessa :)