Is it a red flag if a company says they only do one round of interviews?

Hey there ?

Nope not a red flag! Hiring processes are very cost intensive and a lot of companies try to streamline and cut costs. The benefit of a lot more rounds of interviews is very marginal compared to a “trial phase” in the beginning of your career (here in Germany for example we have a 6-months trial phase required by law) - better cost-benefit ratio.

Give your best in the interview, and keep that level when starting your career in consulting! ?

Lovely regards,

Sascha

Hi there,

Not at all.

This could be to streamline the process and make it more efficient for everyone.

Pre-pandemic McKinsey DACH conducted all assessments in one day with the PST in the morning, followed by 3 back-to-back interviews, and then 2 more interviews in the afternoon. Good times!

All the best,

Florian

The data actually says that lengthy interviews are not worth it and a false sense of security for upper management.

Only 1 interview is truly needed…

Additionally, no firm will waste valuable time and resources with the intention of rejecting you. They would just….reject and save their time/money!

This is yours to win/lose. Good luck :)

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Hi there,

Q: Is it a red flag if a company says they only do one round of interviews?

Not really. Companies occasionally change the process/ number of interviews. They might have aggregated interviews due to availability or for other recruiting needs. In any case, I would not worry about it.

Good luck!

Francesco

Hey,

Not necessarily. It depends heavily on the company and the position considered. Besides, one round can include up to 3 interviews so it may be enough to test a candidate.

Hope this helps,
Nick

Consulting firms change the process from time to time. If they wanted to reject you they would not lie on the number of rounds… they would just not move you to the next round.

I wouldn't read into it. 

Sometimes, they adjust the process for specific roles, or they try out different interview formats. 

It has nothing to do with you and it shouldn't influence the interview outcomes. 

Best,
Cristian

Hi,

This is a great and interesting question. 

The reality is that you will never know. Offices can have a fair amount of freedom to change certain recruiting processes. 

Just focus on doing your best and don't worry about whats out of your control. 

All the best!