How much time of radio silence after the second round at MBB?

Hi,

To be honest, I will look at this differently:

• “This candidate is not going to get an offer because he was told he is not going to get an offer”

There are numerous factors at play that determine the time it takes for a firm to get back to you, and you will never know what is causing the ‘delay’, nor will you know what their true decision is until they make that decision.

A few quick anecdotes:

• I knew candidates who were given offers sometimes even months after final round because processes were poor and/or interviewers took extremely long to fill up the feedback forms
• I once had a friend who was surprised he got an MBB offer, because they took a while to get back to him, and in reality what happened was that their ‘prime’ or first choice candidate did not accept the offer, so they extended the spot to my friend instead

So bottomline - you will only know when you receive the email/call, and not before that. 

Hi there,

Q: How much time of radio silence after the second round before you say “ok, this candidate is probably not going to get an offer”.

As mentioned by Benjamin, I don’t think there is an exact predefined time as this might depend on the firm, location and specific situation of that firm. In the Middle East, for example, some companies have a longer process to extend offers after finals.

There could be multiple reasons why the interviewers have not decided after a few days, unrelated to your performance. 

Having said that, if you don’t hear back after one week from the final round, usually it’s not a great sign.

Good luck!

Francesco

Hi there,

if they really want a candidate and they have clarity on the hiring budget for whatever timeframe the candidate would be slotted in to, they will usually reach out to that candidate with an offer very quickly.

If they have a bunch of good candidates but may be close to having reached hiring capacity, they may take it a bit more slowly with extending offers - could be tackling it in sequence of how they would prioritize the candidates. If the first choice declines, they extend the offer to the second choice on so on. So they might have an internal waitlist and don't necessarily tell the candidates that they are on it.

In addition to all of that, there could of course just be the regular day-to-day delays between HR and the partners/final round interviewers to find a time slot for alignment.

Up until the moment you get an official rejection, you still have a chance of getting an offer. However, don't stop your recruiting efforts with other firms until you have a written offer.

Best of luck

Hi,

On the one hand, yes, the more a firm wants to hire you, the faster they will reach out to make sure you stick with their offer.

On the other hand, I've had students receive MBB offers after a pretty long expectation period (a few weeks). The partners could never find time to meet and discuss the candidate and the HR took so much time to respond that we honestly thought that all was lost, but not that time, luckily.

As mentioned by other respondents, there are many reasons that may be causing the delay.

Regards,
Nick

Hi!

By now, I wouldn't make any assumptions. I've seen candidates who waited for 3-4 weeks and still got an offer. 

It's atypical though to get good news beyond the 2 week mark, but once again, don't assume it's a no. 

If it helps with your nerves, do apply to other jobs in the meantime. 

Good luck!
Cristian

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While it's natural to be eager for updates, it's important to note that there isn't a one-size-fits-all timeline in the consulting world.

In my own experience with the BCG interview process, I encountered waiting periods of 3-5 weeks between each round. Despite the seemingly prolonged silence, I eventually received positive news. It's crucial to remain patient during this period and not let the duration of the radio silence raise unnecessary concerns.

Given the current landscape, it's worth considering that consulting firms, especially in the EU, may be experiencing longer lead times in their recruitment processes. The industry's reduced hiring activity could contribute to extended waiting periods. Therefore, I would advise you to be patient and allow for a reasonable amount of time before expressing any concerns.

Generally, if you haven't received an update after a couple of weeks, it may be appropriate to follow up with the HR contact or the person who interviewed you for a status update.

Hi there,

Silence usually happens when it takes time to align interviewer agendas for the final decision call.

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

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Check out my latest case based on a real MBB interview: Sierra Springs

Honestly, once it's past a few weeks is when I start to get worried.

You're not out until they say you are, but, there is a time correlation to acceptance.

Regardless, until you have a signed offer letter do not assume you have the offer, ever.

There is no rule for that, I had coachees that waited for 4 weeks and ended up as successful hires. These days hiring cycles are all over the place, so just perform strong in your interviews and stay put. Warm regards, Freddy 

2 months :)

But it actually means that “they lost your process”.

You should reach out after some 2-3 weeks unless they told you to expect otherwise.