McKinsey Geographic restriction

Hi there,

Sorry to hear that. In terms of your question:

Q: Does this mean I can't apply for geographies also for the next 12-18 months?

The ban in theory is global. You may try to find a referral in an office in another country, explain the situation and see if they can help (no guarantee it will work though). You can find more on referrals here:

▶ How to Get an MBB Referral 

Best,

Francesco

Hi,

Sorry to hear about your rejection. Agree with what folks have mentioned here. Usually a referral from an AP/Partner equivalent can help you to apply within 6-8 months. In the meantime, it would be great to understand what are the areas of improvement and create a holistic plan to address those so that your chances increase the next time around. Good luck!

Hi there,

Short answer is yes. You are going to need to wait 12-18 months.

In the meantime, reflect on why you were rejected. Work to gain additional experience/qualifications. Improve your resume and make it elite. Network extensively to get a referral.

Good luck on the next run!

Hello!

Unfortunately, no (during the ban period, later yes, you can). 

The reason for the ban is that you need to add "relevant" experience to your CV, and you need at least 12-18 months for that. 

A referral would for sure help, but after the required months. 

Don´t give up!

Cheers,

Clara

Correct - McKinsey has a global hiring system to avoid exactly this problem of people applying to different geographies to hedge their bets.

Your best bet is to wait the 18-24 months out. Ideally you will use this time to build skillsets in relevant areas and achieve great things professionally. If you then want to re-apply to McKinsey you can do so as a stronger and more desirable candidate.

Best,

Udayan

Hi there,

Was this after an interview or did you not even get to that stage?

Here's the deal: 

• If you get rejected after an interview in office A, the freeze period is indeed long and technically global. However, there can be exceptions to that.
• If you apply to office B in a completely different region half way accross the world (within the freeze period), where the talent pool is very different from Finnland and where you may be a stand-out candidate, the local office can ask for an exception to interview you despite the ban.

I know the above for a fact but wouldn't advocate for it as a general strategy. This only works in special circumstances and you'd be better off waiting and/or applying to other top firms.

Hope this helps a bit. Best of luck!

Hey there,

Sorry to hear!

Yes, the application ban is global (usually 12 months for interns and 18-24 months for full-time positions).

All the best!

Florian

Hey - Yes, that is unfortunately correct. The best possible route would be as Francesco mentioned to try another office through a referral. 

Best 

Unfortunately, that's correct.