Is it normal to only have 1 interview in my first-round?

Hi there,

Well done on the invitation! In terms of your question:

Q: I noticed that the first round will only include 1 interview instead of 2-3. Is that normal? Why would this be the case?

It is possible in some countries (it happened in my case as well with some companies), so no reason to worry about it. As Udayan said it is mainly due to how the recruiting process is organized.

Good luck!

Francesco

Hey there,

That is quite normal these days!

For instance, with the pandemic and virtual interviewing, McKinsey in some countries introduced a first-round screening with just one interview, yet the interview is a bit longer than before. 

The reason is to not “waste” three hours of active consultants on candidates that are not prepared at all. With this first-round screening, you can decrease the workload for interviewers and only have them interview candidates who actually have a shot.

Cheers,

Florian

Yes I've seen this happen of late. I wouldn't read too much into it, it's mainly driven by logistics and availability of interviewers. Prepare for it the way you would for any other 1st round. 

Hi Anonymous A,

first of all - congratulations.

Can you specify for which role and region you received the interview invite?

It may be the case that your first round interview is (still) linked to an on-site computer test (which has become more and more unusual as MBB have established pre interview assessment).

Hi there,

It's certainly not abnormal! It is just a reflection of how your region/office is recruiting for your role/channel. Meaning, it doesn't have anything to do with you, don't worry :)

I can agree with the overall sentiment. In my experience, a first round interview like this typically includes a personal fit and case component and serves as initial filter. The next round then usually includes more interviews (and more interviewers) with potentially different focus areas as well.

Best of luck

Congratulation! Not ’normal’ but I wouldn’t worry about it - different offices and functions have different interview requirements. It means you only have to interview once! 

It's not the norm, but it is normal. Sometimes there's limited interviewer availability, and so they will do the first pass with just one interview. So instead of needing 2 good interviews to pass to the next round, you need… 1 good interview.

Hi there, 

Congrats for getting to the first round!

Some offices and firms choose to adjust the regular process at times. It shouldn't have any implications for you, so don't read too much into it. 

The main reasons why some firms switched now to lighter first round is because they are trying to use less resources on their side for seeing first round candidates. So then they have more interviews for those who pass to the final round and that's what they use to make their final decision. 

Best,

Cristian

Hello,

Congratulations on getting an interview! 2-3 interviews is more common than 1, but I wouldn't worry about it. Different offices/roles can have different recruiting processes, or they may be short-staffed at the moment. In any case, it is nothing to do with your candidacy!