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MBB Background check in Western European offices?

Dear all, 

Does anyone know whether MBB carries out background checks in Western European offices? Asking because - whilst preparing the fit questions for my second round interviews - in noticed a small error on my CV (dates of internship off by a month, which makes it looks like my internship was 3 months when it was in fact 2). Should I contact HR to notify them of this error beforehand, or is there not even a background check in place either way? 

Many thanks in advance. 

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Top answer
on Nov 12, 2019
McKinsey | NASA | top 10 FT MBA professor for consulting interviews | 6+ years of coaching

Hi,
it doesn't matter. It is not a major error.

Best,
Antonello

Vlad
Coach
on Nov 12, 2019
McKinsey / Accenture Alum / Got all BIG3 offers / Harvard Business School

Hi,

They do the background check, but the purpose of it is completely different. They are looking for any violations if you hold the equity in any company. The dates don't matter

Best

Deniz
Coach
on Nov 12, 2019
5+ Years at BCG & Kearney Dubai & Istanbul | 600+ Trainees | 1.3M YouTube Views

Hi,

Background checks are usually not conducted even after they extend a job offer to the candidates (and definitely not during the CV screening process). Even if they do, the mistake you made in your CV is quite minor to make a difference. What I can advise is that if you receive the job offer, you can notify HR about this mistake, but again it will not make a difference.

Best,

Deniz

Udayan
Coach
on Nov 14, 2019
Top rated Case & PEI coach/Multiple real offers/McKinsey EM in New York /12 years recruiting experience

When you do a background check you are usually required to re-enter all of the information into a form sent by the 3rd party vendor that does the check. Just enter the correct dates when they send that form to you

on Dec 01, 2019
#1 Coach for Sessions (4.500+) | 1.500+ 5-Star Reviews | Proven Success: ➡ interviewoffers.com | Ex BCG | 10Y+ Coaching

Hi Anonymous,

I agree with Deniz, you can notify to HR in case of an offer, the mistake is really minor so not an issue in terms of the check.

Best,
Francesco

Pedro
Coach
on Dec 31, 2021
Bain | EY-Parthenon | Former Principal | 1.5h session | 30% discount 1st session

If this is entry level, they usually only confirm your academics record (i.e., do you have the degree you say you have, and your grades). 

If you have experience, they may use a third party provider that will ask you to input your work experience, and you can put the right dates in there. 

Having said this - in any case this is not an issue, as the inconsistency is not material. You won't have a problem.

Clara
Coach
on Jan 29, 2022
McKinsey | Awarded professor at Master in Management @ IE | MBA at MIT |+180 students coached | Integrated FIT Guide aut

Hello!

Background checks are nothing to be worried about, as long as you haven´t lied (e.g., saying that you graduated from Uni X when you didn´t, or that you worked in Company Y 2 years instead of 6 months). Minor things, such as 1 month differences, etc. don´t matter. 

Most of the times, they are done by 3rd party companies to which the job is externalized. If they find any discrepancy, they contact you first and clarify it with you. 

For instance, with the MIT background check I had the issue that the external name of my Amazon job is not the same as the one Amazon uses internally -and that was the name given in the certificated that Amazon gives oficially-. It was easily solved by an HR doc that explained that both were the same thing. 

Hope it helps!

Cheers, 

Clara

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