MBB office

Question

Hello preplounge community,

A partner in MBB forwarded my resume to the HR team. I did not get any response so I directly reached out to HR and told him that my CV has been forwarded by a partner and attached the email thread as well and got the below mentioned reply:

Hi XXX,

Thanks for your message.

To apply to XXX we kindly ask you to submit your application through our online presence at XXX by uploading your CV, cover letter and latest relevant academic transcripts. You will also have the possibility to select up to 3 office locations you want to apply to.

Please let me know as soon as you apply.

Kind regards
XXX

1 - Does this count as a referral?

2 - I do not want to work in this particular office as I have come to know that this particular office does not have great culture so I am bit hesitant now. If everything goes well and I passed the interview, can I choose to work at different office and tell them the reason, example : family reason etc or I have to work in this office only.

Looking forward to hearing from you.

Answer 1

Hi there,

This is a bit unclear and it depends on whether the partner simply forwarded the CV or properly referred you to HR. Normally when you are referred you don’t have to apply online. However in some offices/for some companies you have to do so (in my particular case I had to do so for BCG and during the process indicate the person who referred me, while that was not needed for McK and Bain).
If you get an offer from an office and you want to switch after the offer, you may have to redo the whole process again for the new office. Alternatively, you can stay for a few years in that particular office and then look for an internal transfer.

Hope this helps,

Francesco

Answer 2

Hi there,

1) I agree with Francesco - this is a bit unclear. Either the Partner is brushing you off politely and told HR “Hey, this person wants to apply” or, they're referring you “Hey, I think this candidate would be a great fit for the firm. Can you keep an eye on his/her application?”

We don't know…but you need to run with it!

2) They said select 3 offices! So, select your top choices first. As a backup, perhaps put this office as #3

Please don't forget to tell HR when you've applied!

Answer 3

Hey there,

1. Depends on the firm and office. In McK Germany this would be considered one (you would still be required to apply online due to data protection laws…)

2. Your email says that you can select 3 offices. Just select another office as #1 or am I missing something?

All the best with your application :-)

Cheers,

Florian