McKinsey Interview Follow-up

You should send thank-you notes to both interviewers- it's not just appropriate, it's a professional best practice that reinforces your interest and attention to to detail. In consulting interviews, especially at McKinsey, personalized follow-ups are noticed and appreciated as they demonstrate genuine engagement with the process.

it has to be personalized

How to personalize each note effectively:

• For the interviewer who called you: Reference their specific update about moving to R2 and any insights they shared about the next round or team dynamics
• For the other interviewer: Acknowledge their role in the interview process, mention appreciating the opportunity to meet them (even if briefly), and note something you learned about the firm from the overall experience

please note that doing this wont give u extra points on the interview. scoring is already happened.

Hi,

Sending a thank-you email is definitely a nice thing to do, and it’s perfectly fine to send one to both interviewers. Just keep it short and simple, and avoid including questions that would require the interviewer to spend time replying.

That said, if the idea is that the thank-you email might give you an advantage in the recruiting process, that’s unfortunately not how it works. It typically has no impact on the evaluation or the next round.

Feel free to thank them for their time. When I was interviewing candidates, I received many thank-you emails, sometimes even from candidates who didn’t move forward in the process, and they were always nice to receive.

Good luck with your next round!
Franco

Agreed with the other answers here, a "thank you" note never hurts, though it also doesn't give you any advantage in the interviewing process

Where the "thank you" note can have a slight impact is if you are successful and join the firm, then you have a colleague that you can reach out to who will remember your politeness and would be more likely to share a few minutes to help you navigate the firm

Hope this helps, and best luck, McKinsey can be a fun journey

Hi there,

I always recommend sending a thank-you note — and doing it within 24 hours while the interview is still fresh.

That said, be clear on one thing: it won't change the outcome. McKinsey's decision to invite you to R2 has already been made. The note won't flip anything. What it will do is leave a professional, courteous impression — and in this industry, small things like that compound over time.

Keep it short and simple. Something like: "Thank you for your time — I really enjoyed our conversation and I look forward to the next steps." That's it. No questions. No trying to add anything new. No overexplaining.

On the optics question: you're overthinking it. Sending a brief thank-you to both interviewers is perfectly normal professional behaviour. The fact that only one called you doesn't change that.

Now focus your energy on R2 prep — that's what matters.

On that front: my end-to-end 360 Degree Course covers the full interview journey, including case and fit prep for exactly this stage: https://www.preplounge.com/en/shop/prep-guide/consulting_recruiting_course

And if you want personalised prep for R2 specifically — a coaching session is worth it at this stage. Happy to help: https://www.preplounge.com/en/shop/coaching-packages-5/31

Good luck — you're almost there!

That's a very common question, and it's understandable why you'd be getting conflicting advice – everyone has an opinion, but the reality is a bit more nuanced. You're right to be thinking about optics.

Here’s the thing: once you've received the R2 invite, the firm has already made their decision on R1. That means the feedback from both interviewers has been reviewed, discussed, and a collective choice made to move you forward. At this stage, trying to send a retroactive thank-you note to someone you didn't speak with directly for the feedback call doesn't really add anything to your candidacy. The decision is done.

In fact, it could potentially come across as a bit unusual or even slightly overthinking the process, which is the opposite of the confident, composed candidate they're looking for. Your energy is much better spent focusing entirely on preparing for R2. That's the only thing that matters now.

All the best for R2!

Hi! You can send a thank you note to the other interviewer as well if you wish to do so politely. Remember that this does not give you any advantage in the recruiting process incase you are thinking about it from that perspective. Thanking them for their time and your your progress to the next round is quite okay. Good luck for the upcoming interviews! 

Congrats on making R2.

You can send a brief thank you to both interviewers. It is not weird or inappropriate. Keep it short, genuine, and do not reference feedback or outcomes. Just thank them for their time and express your continued interest.

That said, it will not move the needle on your application. McKinsey decisions are based on interview performance, not thank you notes. Do not overthink it.

Focus your energy on preparing for R2.

No, there's no need to do that. 

I'm sure you thanked them at the end of the interview and that's more than polite enough. 

These things are of no consequence. Rather focus your energy on working on the feedback they gave you from the first round. This will be a critical area they'll assess in the upcoming round. 

If you need any help, reach out.

Best,

Cristian

hey there :)

Yes, it’s completely fine to send a short thank you note to the other interviewer as well. It’s quite common and generally seen as a polite gesture rather than something unusual. Just keep it brief and professional, thanking them for their time and mentioning that you enjoyed the conversation. It won’t affect the decision much, but it definitely won’t hurt either.

best,
Alessa :)