Can someone explain the inner workings of the decision process?

Question

So here are my assumptions, correct me where I am wrong.

Pre-interview I assume interns go through resumes and then the prioritized resumes are invited to the test. Poor scorers are automatically eliminated. The rest are discussed in an HR meeting for interview invitations.

The first round interviewer provide a thumbs up or thumbs down to HR. If two thumbs up, candidate gets through automatically, if one thumbs up, interviewers get together with HR to discuss and they make the decision together.

Second round, same thing happens. Partners sit down with HR to discuss and they make the decision together.

These are only assumptions, please correct me where my assumptions are off.

Answer 1

Hi there,

Who cares?

Sorry to be so blunt, but I'm trying to “jolt” your thinking. Please stop worrying about pendatic stuff.

Here's my question for you: Does any answer we give change what you do?

No!

You need the best resume you can. You need a strong cover letter. You want to network optimally and aim for a referral. And you want your case/fit performance to be as good as possible.

Whether the HR meet together to filter through resumes (they don't) or a single person filters through them, what does that change about what you do?

Please please focus your time and energy and effort on things that matter!

To answer your question:

It's different by firm + office
Some offices/firms automatically filter (using a system) at all screening stages, some automatically filter at some stages.
If your resume is looked at by a human, it is done so by one human, not a committee
Interview results are not thumbs up + down. Rather, it is generally a discussion, and is a bit of a gradient
Discussion may or may not happen depending on how close the decision is
Interviewers don't really “get together” with HR. They inform HR

Answer 2

Hi there,

I think this is an interesting question that may be relevant for many people. I would be happy to share my thoughts on it:

First of all, while there are still smaller differences within MBB, I think you described the general application process correctly, even if a bit rough.
Still, even if not only you tend to mix things up, please keep in mind that it is not HR but the recruiting team that is involved in recruiting, as the name indicates.
Moreover, while the recruiting team initiates and accompanies the whole application process, to my knowledge, they do not have any formal decision-making power after the initial screening phase.
Lastly, to my knowledge, there are no interns involved in the screening phase, but employees of the recruiting team or consulting staff.

If you would like a more detailed discussion on how to best prepare for your upcoming interviews, please don't hesitate to contact me directly.

Best,

Hagen

Answer 3

Hi there,

You can check how the recruiting process works from an internal MBB perspective here: https://www.preplounge.com/en/articles/mbb-hiring-hacks-behind-the-curtain-secrets

Best,

Alberto

—

Check out my latest case based on a real MBB interview: Sierra Springs

Answer 4

This is a duplicate question - please check the answers on the other question.

In any case, here's my answer:

1. Interns are definitely not involved in the process. Usually HR takes care of the first pass, but if they ask for help it will be from people who have been at least a couple of years in the firm, ideally senior consultants or even managers.

2. HR has no decision power. None. Never heard of it in any consulting firm.

3. Interviewers may talk to each other at the end of each round. My guess is that will depend on the firm. They will inform HR. HR will not take part on the decision process (HR owns the process, but is not a decision maker).

4- Partners will consider all the interviews when making a decision, and have to agree on giving out an offer. HR provides the information, but does not decide.