I have applied for Mckinsey with referral for the role Business Presentation Specialist role i completed my assessment and recruiter call after few hours of recruiter call my dashboard status changed into closed. The next day i received legal information verification mail i have filled it. Untill now no reply it's been 17 days since and also my friend who applied followed the same time line as mine but they got next interview invite! Is this a rejection for me?
Back to overview
Thank you for responding! I have no leads to follow up because my referral is not responding and all the mails i received are from Automated Systems. The only lead I have is recruiter call but i think it's unprofessional to call them and send a msg via Whatsapp!!
Hi there, thank you for your suggestion i just checked with my friend her dashboard status is showing in progress but mine showed closed after the recruiter call and the next day i received legal verification does this mean anything or the mail i got is an system error!
Thank You, but i still haven't received any rejection mail yet! Will i receive one?
Be the first to answer!
Nobody has responded to this question yet.
I'm sorry to hear.
Always try and follow-up if you haven't heard from them.
And if they don't answer immediately, give it some time, and if there's still no answer, try a different channel e.g., LinkedIn.
Aside from this, I recommend you work on developing multiple applications at the same time. Putting all your hopes on only one application can make it rather loaded and risky.
You might find this guide useful:
• • Expert Guide: Build A Winning Application Strategy
Best,
Cristian
Hi there,
It might. It might not. We honestly don't know.
17 days is enough time to reach out once. Do it politely... ask for a status update and leave it at that. Don't spam them.
The legal verification and the closed dashboard together are genuinely confusing... nothing to read into here. And don't compare timelines with your friend. Processes run differently for different candidates even when they look identical from the outside.
Please don't sit around waiting. Keep applying to other firms. Network. Review your resume. Keep moving forward.
Never stop recruiting until you have a signed offer in hand.
If you want support building out your full pipeline and approach, a coaching session is worth it: book one here.
And for the broader recruiting mindset, search The Consulting Offer Blueprint on Spotify or Apple Podcasts.
Hope for the best, plan for the worst. Fingers crossed!
This kind of situation is confusing, but it doesn’t automatically mean rejection.
A couple of things to keep in mind:
- The portal status is not always reliable. “Closed” can mean different things internally and doesn’t always reflect the real status of your application.
- Processes can move at different speeds for different candidates, even if timelines started the same. It depends on interview slots, interviewer availability, and internal priorities.
- The fact that you received a legal information request is not something they typically send after a clear rejection, so that’s at least a neutral-to-positive signal.
That said, 17 days is a bit long, so it’s reasonable to follow up.
I’d suggest sending a short, polite email to the recruiter asking if there are any updates. No need to overthink the wording.
Overall, I wouldn’t jump to conclusions yet. It’s not the typical “fast rejection” pattern, but the only way to get clarity now is to check in.
Hey,
From your comments, I see that you are referring to a Business Presentation Specialist position. The reality is that hiring for these roles is very different from say Associate or Research Analyst, and so most coaches (including myself) know little about this specific position.
If you don't have a contact (and your referral is not replying), I suggest emailing a recruiter explaining your situation. I understand you feel under pressure, but put trust in the system, and at least one between the referrer and the recruiter will reply.
Good luck for your future!
Tom
Hi there,
I suggest you follow up with the HR to ask for updates before drawing any conclusions.
hey there :)
this does not look like a clear rejection yet, but it’s also not a typical “you’re moving forward” signal.
at McKinsey & Company, a status change to “closed” right after the recruiter call often means they made an internal decision already, and unfortunately in many cases that leans toward rejection. the legal info mail can be a standard automated step and doesn’t necessarily mean progression.
the 17 days of silence plus your friend already getting the next invite is also a weak signal.
that said, it’s still worth sending a short, polite follow up to HR asking for an update. sometimes processes are just slow or slightly misaligned.
so overall, be realistic and continue applying elsewhere, but close the loop with HR before fully writing it off.
if you want, I can draft a quick follow up message for you.
best,
Alessa :)
Hard to say for sure, but the signals are mixed. Let me break it down.
The "closed" dashboard usually just means that stage is done on their system. It's not always a rejection. The legal verification email after that is actually a good sign. They don't send that to rejected candidates. It's tied to background checks, which happen when they're seriously considering you.
So why the silence, and why did your friend move faster? Recruiters run parallel pipelines. Two candidates on the same timeline can move at different speeds based on interviewer availability, the team hiring, and internal approvals. 17 days feels long but it's pretty normal at McKinsey, especially for specialist roles.
Your friend moving ahead doesn't mean you're out. They may have been slotted into an earlier panel. Yours may still be getting set up.
What to do. Send one short, polite email to your recruiter. Mention the legal verification you completed, ask for a status update, say you're excited about next steps. Four lines max. Don't chase more than once.
And keep prepping. If they come back next week with a slot, you want to be ready.
