Is this considered a silent rejection from McKinsey?

Hi!

I won't assume it's a rejection until you receive an official rejection notice, especially not when the application dashboard still shows "in progress". The delay could be due to many reasons that are beyond your control at this point.

I would suggest continuing to follow up, but at a reasonable pace. At this point, with no response, probably once every 7-10 days. Reiterate that you're still very keen on the position and happy to share, if they need further information, etc.

All the best! Hope you hear from them soon.

Hi there
I am sorry that the process is taking longer than you hoped for. 

I can say that consulting firms are quite straight forward, there will never be any ghosting - they will always come back with a clear answer -though sometimes take a long time to do it.

Why is it taking so long? Could be that they are determining what hiring numbers should look like and based on that - how many they will give the green light to. This is always based on projects sold.

If it has been a couple weeks you can definitely send a soft email to your recruitment contact for any updates in order to gain some clarity. 

Good luck and hopefully good news to follow!
 

Hi there,

Long silence after multiple McKinsey interview rounds is unfortunately not uncommon and it doesn’t automatically mean a silent rejection. Very often it means you’re on hold or waitlisted while the office aligns on headcount or timing. The “In Progress” status supports that interpretation more than a clear rejection.

That said, after several months it’s reasonable to treat this as effectively closed for planning purposes. I’d recommend sending one final polite follow up to the recruiter asking for clarity on status and next steps. If there’s still no response, assume the process has stalled and focus fully on other opportunities rather than waiting.

If an update or offer comes later, it’s a bonus, but it shouldn’t be something you put your plans on hold for.

Best,
Evelina

Hi there,

silent rejections are not common practice among consulting firms. But sometimes hearing back can take a while. Before offer decisions are communicated, they have to be aligned between HR and the interviewers in the process. This can sometimes take time for various reasons. A few common ones are listed below for a general overview:

• internal scheduling conflicts between HR and the interviewers, especially when partners need to be involved
• the firm is still conducting more final round interviews with other candidates and they might want to wait for that to play out to look at the full candidate picture before extending final offers
• offers have been extended to “first choice” candidates and the firm is trying to keep “backup” candidates on hold until they know who accepted and who declined their first batch of offers
• holidays or year-end shutdown delay the decision-making and communication process
• there is uncertainty internally around budget and the exact headcount they can actually hire so they are trying to buy time

I know that this is unsettling and every candidate wants to have clarity on the status sooner rather than later. Unfortunately, you'll always have to wait for the official word. You should still follow up with reasonable intervals.

However, it is best to just assume a rejection and continue with the recruiting efforts with other firms until you have a written offer in your hands. That way you at least won't lose time.

Best

Hi there,
I completely understand how frustrating this silence must be after such a long process. From my time inside McKinsey, I can share that deliberate ghosting is not standard practice; a delay like this is usually due to an internal hiccup. For instance, I've seen final decisions get postponed for weeks simply because one interviewer fell ill and the decision-making committee couldn't meet.
My advice is to send one more polite follow-up to your recruiter for clarity - from my experience, they are super responsive.
That said, it's important to manage expectations and continue pursuing other opportunities in parallel.
Good luck with your interviews!

This is a frustrating and unfortunately common place to be after a long recruiting cycle. I know the limbo state feels terrible, but the four months of radio silence is providing the answer you need.

Here’s the reality of how the black box works: If you were slotted for an offer, you would have received it within 2-4 weeks post-final round. The highest-priority administrative work for McKinsey is managing the successful candidates (onboarding, compensation negotiation, visa status), which happens immediately. Communication with candidates who have reached the final round but were not selected is the lowest priority.

The "In Progress" status on the dashboard means absolutely nothing at this stage. It simply means your file hasn't been administratively closed, usually because the recruiting team is severely backed up on generating official rejection letters for candidates who were placed into the rejection pool or soft waitlist months ago. The combination of sustained silence and non-responsive recruiters is the definitive signal that the process has concluded without a favorable outcome.

You should consider this process finalized. Continuing to wait is unproductive. Send one last, extremely professional email to the recruiter stating that you appreciate the opportunity and would like to formally close your file so you can move forward. This often spurs them to send the boilerplate rejection letter. Then, immediately pivot your energy to the firms still actively recruiting, or plan your reapplication strategy for the next cycle. You made it to the final rounds, which is a massive achievement—don't let the administrative lag hold you back now.

All the best with your next steps.

Hello! Not a rejection. My recruitment had a relatively long time period of silence (where I had essentially gotten over it) and I ended up continuing and receiving an offer. 

If you have a real reason to follow up again (e.g., you have another offer you need to consider) and you haven't reached out in a few weeks, I don't think any harm in politely following up again.

Best of luck!

That is an abnormally long wait. 

But I wouldn't consider it a silent rejection. They don't do this intentionally. When it happens, and it's not that often considering the volume of candidates that they have, it's a mistake. 

So, follow up with them again with a polite email. Try reaching out to them on LinkedIn as well. Do an coffee chat with a consultant from that office and ask them to put you in touch with recruiting if they're not answering. 

And in the meantime, keep applying. 

Best,
Cristian

hey there :)

Unfortunately this often does mean a de facto rejection, even if the portal still shows in progress, as McKinsey processes can stall without a formal close out. One last short polite follow up is fine, but I would not wait actively and instead move on in parallel. If they want to proceed, they will still reach out. Happy to chat if you want to think through next steps.

best,
Alessa :)

Hi there,

Until you receive an official rejection - do not assume that you're out of the candidate pipeline. It's tough but try to be patient and follow-up after a few weeks time when people are just settling back into their jobs after the holidays. 

I know how draining the waiting game can be, especially after you have put in so much work since september. it is a tough spot to be in, and I want to help you find some clarity on how the process usually works.

The likely reality

• Standard timelines. Generally, mckinsey moves quite fast when they have a clear "yes". if you have not heard back in two months, it usually means you are in a holding pattern or the office is still finalizing its headcount for the year
• The system lag. The online portal is not always accurate. many times it stays on "in progress" simply because the recruiter has not had the time to update the status for every single candidate in the system
• The backup scenario. You might be a strong candidate on a "soft waitlist". sometimes firms wait to see if their first-choice candidates accept their offers before reaching out to the next group of talented people

Steps I would take

• Send a gentle note. Reach out one more time to the recruiter. I would frame it as a friendly check-in, mentioning that you remain very interested but are also managing other timelines
• Protect your energy. At this point, the best move for your own peace of mind is to focus on other opportunities. if they call you back, it will be a great surprise, but you will not have wasted your energy just waiting