How do I ask McKinsey to confirm the decision they have taken? It has been 11 months!!!

Question

Hi! I am becoming a frequent poster on the platform because McKinsey in my country is slow( and I am being nice here). My process has now been going on for 11 months.
I cleared all interviews including the final round and then got a “final read” scheduled after the final interview after 3 months of my final interview.
I was told it is not an interview and at the end that HR will reach out.
The recruiter when followed up with in the next week after the call said they have calls in the week with leadership and will get back next week. It has been two weeks since that conversation. Followed up today via WhatsApp with the recruiter but they haven’t responded.
Can someone help me figure out how to move ahead? How should I confirm from them? Even if now it is a rejection, McKinsey should at least inform me.

This was my last post: https://www.preplounge.com/en/consulting-forum/just-received-an-email-from-mckinsey-for-an-additional-interview-16525

Answer 1

I am going through the same thing, would love to connect with you.

Answer 2

Hi Aleeya,

I'm sorry to hear that you still don't have a firm answer from McK, this sounds incredibly frustrating!

Regarding their timing, that does seem unusually slow. My best guess is that they're finalizing headcount numbers, given all the uncertainties associated with the hiring slowdown + global economic conditions. If I remember correctly you were interviewing for a fairly specialized position (Product Owner at McK Digital, right?), so they likely need some more time to figure out where your role fits in within that. However, even with all of that taken into account, this does seem incredibly slow.

I don't think there's much you can do beyond what you're already doing to get an answer from them faster. All you can do is check in with the recruiter at appropriate intervals to see whether there are any updates on your case.

You are also correct in that nothing is certain until you hear a firm acceptance or rejection from them. With this in mind, I wouldn't assume anything is settled. My advice would be to continue interviewing for other positions in the meantime. That way you don't put your life on pause and can keep yourself open for other opportunities while also checking in with McK about whether they have come to a decision.

Answer 3

Hi there!

I'm sorry to hear, Aleeya. This must feel very frustrating.

In short, it seems like McKinsey is unsure in this specific geography whether they can hire more people or not, and HR is also struggling to communicate this to you in a fair way. You shouldn't have to wait for this long indeed.

Realistically speaking, the only thing you can do is follow-up with them once again. I definitely don't think they rejected you and are not telling you.

Aside from this, make sure that you keep applying to other firms (and other geographies if you can). This will help distribute your risk a bit better and help you generate new opportunities.

Best,
Cristian

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Answer 4

Hi Aleeya,

I'm SO sorry to hear. I can't imagine how frustrating this has been for you.

Look, #1 advice: GET ANOTHER JOB

I'm not kidding. If they haven't finalized and sent a contract, you CANNOT rely on them.

Move forward as if there is no offer. Interview with other firms and lock in another job.

Best case scenario: McKinsey gets back to you and you leave said job

Worst case scenario: McKinsey does not get back to you and you have a job

Ultimately, you don't have control here (over McKinsey). They have their pipeline. They have their staff. They need to match this…they will get back to you when they want to hire you (yes, you can follow up every so often, but you cannot rely on them)

Answer 5

Hi Aleeya,

Q: Can someone help me figure out how to move ahead? How should I confirm from them?

Unfortunately you don’t have much leverage to accelerate the final decision at this stage. If you manage to get an offer from a competitor, you could let them know about it, possibly this could help to speed up the process.

Good luck!

Francesco