LDN McKinsey Rejection - Feedback

Question

I applied for the BA role in the London office, I didn't hear back when people got invited to round 1 on Friday. I assume it's a rejection, because historically they only send one wave of invites.

But I don't understand where I went wrong exactly. I go to a target school, my Solve was at 538 and my CV was prepped with feedback and help of a few MBB grads. Additionally, I had an Asset Management(Summer), FAANG(PM placement) and leadership experiences at different university clubs and organisations.

Very demotivating as I put in a lot of prep and was very determined about McKinsey. But what upsets me the most is that I won't know the exact reason, and what I should work on to improve. I want to use this rejection as sort of a way to improve my profile, but wish I would receive genuine feedback as now I feel a bit lost.

Answer 1

Hi there,

I would be happy to share my thoughts on your situation:

First of all, even though it shouldn't be this way, response times for applications can vary. McKinsey often seems to send out invitations and rejections in batches over several weeks.
Moreover, I would advise you to contact the recruiting team if you haven't heard back from them in a reasonable amount of time, usually 2-3 weeks.
Lastly, if you are ultimately rejected, I would highly advise you to work with an experienced coach like me to understand how you can further improve your profile, as you will most likely not get any feedback from the recruiting team this early in the application process.

You can find more on this topic here: How to deal with a rejection from a consulting company.

If you would like a more detailed discussion on your specific situation, please don't hesitate to contact me directly.

Best,

Hagen

Answer 2

Hey there!

I'm sorry to hear about your experience with the McKinsey application. From my time at McKinsey, I understand that the selection process can be quite competitive, even for strong candidates like yourself. While it's frustrating not to receive specific feedback, it's important to remember that the evaluation criteria can sometimes be more subjective than they appear.

Your Solve score of 538, alongside your strong CV and relevant experiences, indicates you have a solid profile. However, MBB firms often look for a combination of factors beyond just scores and experiences, including fit with the firm’s culture and potential for problem-solving skills demonstrated during the interview process. Since you didn't get an interview this time, I recommend gaining more relevant experience through internships or consulting-related projects to better showcase your skills in future applications. Networking within the consulting community can also provide insights and support, helping you improve your profile for the next opportunity.

Good luck, Alessa :)

Answer 3

Hi there,

The current recruiting market is extremely brutal.

A lot of top-tier candidates compete for a relatively small number of positions across consulting firms but also across industries, which makes it much harder this year to pass the initial screening process, unfortunately. :-(

Fingers crossed for an overall great outcome!

Florian

Answer 4

Wait for the official rejection first. If you confirm that, ask HR for feedback on your application. If you don't get it, work with a coach to check what might be missing in your application.