How does McKinsey Partners' decision meeting happen? Do HR managers have a say?

Question

I just had my final round interviews with McK yesterday, all with Partners: two interviews went extremely well (both PEI and case, we had very friendly conversations and both said they were sincerely glad to have talked to me), whereas one went well for the PEI questions but I am afraid I kinda bombed the case. It was a a very quantitative case on financial services and, besides showing quite clearly my unfamiliarity with the topic throughout the case (I majored in political science), I made a substantial conceptual mistake in the last math question (he even told me before asking: please, do not get this wrong), after which I corrected myself but I did not get to calculate the final result because the second interviewer was about to enter the room; the end of this interview was quite abrupt.

Considering that one of the interviewers I did very well with is the Partner lead for national recruiting, do I stand any chance? How does the decision meeting happen, can partners in favour make a case if the third partner does not agree?

Answer 1

Hi,

Several points:

HRs do not participate at all.
Your feelings are very subjective. It might be the case that you'll get the opposite feedbacks from what you expect
If 2 partners support you and 1 is against you, it really depends on how strongly against you he is

To sum up, please keep calm and wait for a decision

Best

Answer 2

Each interviewer has an equal contribution to the decision. Based on how you describe your performance, the third partner needs to be at minimum a "maybe" (definitely not a no) while the other two are a "yes" for you to receive an offer. If the only problem with your last interviewer was the quant section which you did well in your other two cases as well as in round 1 AND you showed standout performance in other sections, then you could still be ok. The decision is based on a combination of consistency and distinctiveness of your performance. Fingers crossed!

Answer 3

Hi there,

In essence, the Partners get together and talk. They state why they support or don't support a candidate. At the end of the day, there's a discussion and it all depends on how strongly each individual feels one way or the other.

Answer 4

Hey there,

Since there are already good answers to your question, I'd like to add one point:

If you get predominantly positive feedback from all but one interviewer, it could happen that they invite you for another interview to challenge you on your (perceived) weaknesses.

Cheers,

Florian

Answer 5

Hi there,

All first and second round recruiters gather together to take the final hiring decision. They will look for consensus and anyone has voice to veto your progress to next round. Recruiter is also present in the decision call to make sure everyone has equal weight in the final decision.

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 6

Hi there,

The interviewers make a decision together, eaning everyone's opinion count. HR managers really don't participate.

What I'd like to add is trust your guts, but don't overthink it now and wait for the result.

Hope it helps!

Cheers,

GB

Answer 7

Hello!

Interviewers have the same weight, and the decision needs to be agreed. Hence, in case there are doubts, you will be called for a 3rd interview.

Hope it helps!

Cheers,

Clara

Answer 8

Hi,

Making mistakes is normal.

The partners will collectively review your performance and carefully assess your profile before making a final decision.

Good luck,

Antonello