Had four rounds of interviews for an HR role at McKinsey and it’s been a week without any update. Does anyone know how their internal process typically works? How long does it usually take for candidates to hear back with a yes or a no?
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Thank you so much, I hope so too that they will get back to me soon.
Thank you so much, I will update you here when I hear from them. I hope soon they will let me know
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Hey Mark,
In my experience the timing can vary a lot, so a week of silence isn’t unusual or something you should worry about.
When I went through the process, even strong positive outcomes sometimes took ten to fourteen days because the recruiter has to line up feedback from multiple interviewers, sync with the staffing lead, and get HR approval before saying anything final. Internal roles can be even slower because they need signoff from more stakeholders.
I’d say anything under two weeks is still comfortably normal. If you don’t hear by then, a polite check-in with the recruiter is totally fine.
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I'm sorry to hear you've been waiting for a while
This sometimes does happen (search quickly in the Q&A history and you'll likely be shocked).
However, it doesn't reflect on you and try not to read too much into it.
They don't do silent rejections by default, so even in case you didn't get it, they'll let you know.
Hope you hear back from them soon!
Best,
Cristian
That one-week wait after the final round is brutal—it feels like forever, but I can assure you that for functional/specialist roles like HR at McKinsey, that timeline is completely normal. Do not take silence as a negative signal right now.
The primary reason for this delay is internal process, not deliberation over your fit. After the interview team recommends you, the file moves through an internal sign-off process, often involving P&L partners or functional VPs who need to approve the requisition, salary band, and business case for the hire. This committee review process is robust and rarely moves faster than 7-10 business days.
The secondary dynamic is the offer queue. Recruiting teams are maniacal about managing headcount. If they interviewed a group of strong candidates, they usually extend the offer to the top candidate first. If that candidate accepts, the search is over. If they decline, the offer is then immediately extended to the next person in line. You may simply be waiting for the decision of the candidate ranked just above you.
If you haven't heard anything by the middle of the next week (around the 10-business-day mark), send a polite, non-demanding email to your recruiter asking for a rough timeline update. Otherwise, stay patient; you made it through four rounds, so you are clearly high on their list.
Hope it helps!
Hi there,
Times can vary for non-generalist roles. It's only been a week so I suggest you wait another week before reaching out for a polite update.
A week of silence after four rounds at McKinsey - especially for an HR / specialist role - is well within the normal range. The internal decision-making process is usually the bottleneck, not candidate performance.
For context, the post-interview workflow typically goes through three layers:
1. Consolidating feedback
Interviewers are often on the road or in client meetings, so getting written evaluations + a consensus discussion can take several days. This part alone can stretch to a week.
2. Role-level approvals
For non-generalist roles (like HR, recruiting, analytics, operations), the firm requires signoff not just from interviewers but from:
- the functional leader (e.g., HR Director),
- the office’s people committee,
- the staffing/finance team confirming headcount and comp band.
This is where processes slow down—there are simply more stakeholders than in the generalist track.
3. Offer sequencing
McKinsey rarely sends multiple offers simultaneously for specialist roles. If there are two or three strong finalists, they may extend one offer first.
If that candidate takes time to respond, everyone else waits.
It’s not a negative signal—it’s just how their internal risk management works.
What’s “normal”?
- 5–10 business days → very typical
- 10–14 business days → also common, especially near year-end or when partners are travelling
- Beyond 2 weeks → worth a polite check-in
McKinsey does not ghost; even a no is communicated formally.
Given your timeline, you’re still well within the standard decision window. If you haven’t heard back by the 10-business-day mark, a brief, professional note to the recruiter asking for a status update is perfectly appropriate.
