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How Does McKinsey Handle Equal Office Preferences in Application?

Hi there, 

For office preference in my application, I've made the first two equally preferred. I only realized later this probably wasn't the best move.

Does anyone have an idea how would Mckinsey recruitment handle that? Could it cause more delay to hearing back from them after the Solve game? 

Thank you.

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Top answer
Udayan
Coach
on Aug 21, 2022
Top rated Case & PEI coach/Multiple real offers/McKinsey EM in New York /12 years recruiting experience

If there are any issues on office choice, HR will discuss with you to see what your preferences are and how that matches with the demand for talent in each office.

Anonymous A
on Aug 23, 2022
Hi Udayan,

Thank you so much for your answer. Appreciated.
Emily
Coach
on Aug 19, 2022
Ex McKinsey EM & interviewer (5 yrs) USA & UK| Coached / interviewed 300 +|Free 15 min intro| Stanford MBA|Non-trad

You’re fine! Don’t worry at all. The preference order is basically used as a tool for determining which office sees your CV first. The offices may wonder what would make you happy living in both places - as long as you have a good reason for why you’d be personally happy in both places you’re fine. 
 

Good luck! 

Anonymous A
on Aug 21, 2022
Hi Emily,

Thank you for your answer. I sincerely appreciate it.
I genuinely prefer them equally each for their own reasons.
Deleted user
edited on Aug 19, 2022

Hello,

Don't worry too much about this, you can always adjust it later in the recruitment process if you change your mind about your preferences. Depending on the exact nature of your recruitment process (offices, target/non-target school etc.), it will just affect which office sees your resume first.

8
Anonymous A
on Aug 21, 2022
Hi Sofia,

Thank you so much. Appreciate your answer.
Does that mean the 1st round of the interview process is somewhat done centrally? or do I have to do these changes before I begin the interview process? Is there like a cut-off point where I can no longer freely adjust these preferences, especially since they are in two different countries?

Thanks again.
Florian
Coach
on Aug 19, 2022
1400 5-star reviews across platforms | 600+ offers | Highest-rated case book on Amazon | Uni lecturer in US, Asia, EU

Hey there,

This is a non-issue. 

McKinsey runs on a global P&L with global staffing. Provided there are no visa issues and both offices are in the same country, this only impacts screening and interviewing logistics for now, not any decision-making.

Cheers,

Florian

Anonymous A
on Aug 21, 2022
Hi Florian,

Thank you so much for taking the time to answer. I appreciate it.

They're in two different Middle East countries.
I'd need VISA sponsorship with both actually.

Would your answer be a bit different based on this new data? Thank you.
on Aug 19, 2022
McKinsey | NASA | top 10 FT MBA professor for consulting interviews | 6+ years of coaching

Hi,
generally, the hr of the office closer to your last experiences will call you (in case the application is good of course)

Best,
Antonello

Anonymous A
on Aug 21, 2022
Hi Antonello,

That's interesting & good to know.
This is really helpful.
Thank you so much. I appreciate it.
Clara
Coach
on Aug 21, 2022
McKinsey | Awarded professor at Master in Management @ IE | MBA at MIT |+180 students coached | Integrated FIT Guide aut

Hello!

100% agree with Sofia, don´t worry about this for now, since it can be adjusted further down. Were the two offices in the same country, or different?

Cheers, 

Clara

Anonymous A
on Aug 21, 2022
Hi Clara,

Thank you so much for sharing your feedback. I really appreciate it.
They are in two different countries in the Middle East, both of which I'd need VISA sponsorship.

I'd love it if you have any insights to share about how they usually handle that from your experience. Thank you.
Ian
Coach
on Aug 19, 2022
Top US BCG / MBB Coach - 5,000 sessions |Tech, Platinion, Big 4 | 9/9 personal interviews passed | 95% candidate success

Hi there,

Here's the general rule: If you've done something and it's now out of your control, stop worrying about it!

I know it's easier said than done, so let me help: You'll be fine. This will not cause an additional delay and it will not affect your application odds.

Anonymous A
on Aug 21, 2022
Hi Ian,

Thank you for your answer. I sincerely appreciate it.

It's been a long time since I took Mckinsey's Solve game (late June).
I reached out to the recruiting admin for an update in early August. Got no direct reply from her, but two days later got an automated update stating this among more general details:

"Thank you again for your interest in McKinsey & Company. In preparation for the next stage of your recruiting process, we would like to request your legal first name, legal last name and full mailing address to ensure that any correspondence we may need to send you is delivered correctly. "

It kind of looks positive but got nothing since then.

I submitted 2 applications (Business Analyst, Junior Associate). After I got that email above, I noticed the Junior Assoc. one status became "closed", while the BA one is still "Submitted- In Progress".

It would be great if you have any observations regarding that from your experience. Thanks again.
on Aug 19, 2022
#1 rated McKinsey Coach | top MBB coach

Hi there, 

Don't worry about it. This only influences which office sees your CV first, but you have the option to adjust the location later on in the recruitment process. 

Just make sure you have your lines of communication open with the recruiter from the beginning and you keep them in the loop regarding your preferences. 

Best,

Cristian

Anonymous A
on Aug 21, 2022
Hi Cristian,

Thanks a lot for taking the time to answer. Much appreciated.

It's been a long time since I took Mckinsey's Solve game (late June). I reached out to the recruiting admin for an update in early August. Got no direct reply from her, but two days later got an automated update stating this among more general details:


"Thank you again for your interest in McKinsey & Company. In preparation for the next stage of your recruiting process, we would like to request your legal first name, legal last name and full mailing address to ensure that any correspondence we may need to send you is delivered correctly. "

It kind of looks positive but got nothing since then. I submitted 2 applications (Business Analyst, Junior Associate).

After I got that email above, I noticed the Junior Assoc. one status became "closed", while the BA one is still "Submitted- In Progress".

It would be great if you have any observations regarding that from your experience. Thanks again.
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