Once someone says "sure we'll give you a referral", do you have to put the information in yourself or is it on their end? And do you have to do that before clicking submit?
Would also appreciate advice on how to reconcile this with a rolling deadline.
I am applying to MBB, Big 4 and Tier 2 consulting firms.
Hi there,
I would be happy to share my thoughts on your question:
You can find more on this topic here: How to succeed in the final interview round.
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
Hi there,
1) Do you have to have a referral BEFORE submitting the application?
Ideally yes, as if you are referred after the application, they might have already screened and rejected you before the person reaches out, in which case most likely they won’t reverse the decision. Additionally, in most firms, the person referring you won’t get any referral bonus if you are referred after you have applied, so they will have fewer incentives to help.
2) Once someone says "sure we'll give you a referral", do you have to put the information in yourself or is it on their end? And do you have to do that before clicking submit?
The process might vary depending on the country and in general there are three options. You might have to:
The person referring you should be able to indicate which case applies to your target firm.
Good luck!
Francesco
Hi there,
Yes, either you will receive a direct link to apply when the person makes the referral, or they tell HR before you apply (handled differently by firms and offices).
Cheers,
Florian
Hi there,
in general, you have to secure the referral first because your application will be submitting through a referral channel in that case (either the person directly or a specific link for your application).
A referral is just a door opener such that the recruiting team will look through your application more thoroughly. Depending on the seniority, tenure and advocacy of the person referring you, you have a better chance of getting a first round interview. The more senior the person referring you is, the better. The longer the tenure of that person with the firm is, the better.
The reason is that such voices carry more weight than referrals coming from super junior or brand new people. They typically know the HR folks better and have been involved in recruiting activities for a while so it is usually assumed that they have a good grasp of what types of candidates with which sets of qualifications the firm needs. However, any referral is ultimately better than no referral.
Ideally, you get a referral from someone from the same office (or same country) you are applying to. But again, a referral from someone within the same firm but different office or country organization is still better than no referral.
A direct rejection after the CV screening stage can still happen - even with a referral. In that case the recruiting team usually provides some feedback to the person having given the referral. So you should follow up with them to better understand the rationale in case that happens. On the flipside, you can still get an interview invite when you just apply online without a referral - the probability is just lower - particularly when your CV is not “stellar” on a standalone basis.
And as always, factors such as economic conditions and headcount/budget planning of the individual firm also matter significantly in these decisions - but they are not within your control.
Best
Yes, before submitting, you'll get a referral link (or any other process... the key thing is that the referral needs to be in the system BEFORE you apply).
Referrals first
A referral is a channel to apply to a firm. You must first get the referral. That person will submit and internal application for you. Depending on the firm, that would be all or you will get a link to submit your materials.
