McKinsey interview silence — should I follow up or take it as a no?

Question

Hi all,

I recently completed the first two interviews with McKinsey. I was told that based on those, they’d decide whether I’d move forward in the process. It’s now been over two weeks and I haven’t received any update — no rejection, no feedback, nothing.

I know things can take time, but I’m starting to wonder if the silence means I didn’t make it, or if I should still hold out hope. This opportunity is very meaningful to me, and the uncertainty is tough.

Has anyone else experienced this kind of delay with McKinsey or other consulting firms? Is it appropriate to follow up again after this amount of time, or is it better to wait it out?

Any thoughts or experiences would mean a lot. Thanks in advance!

Answer 1

Hi there,

Feel absolutely free to politely follow up with your HR point of contact. They will almost certainly happily provide you with an update. Even if they have not made a decision yet, this will demonstrate what this opportunity means to you.

Best of luck,

Janni

Answer 2

Hi there,

1) Has anyone else experienced this kind of delay with McKinsey or other consulting firms?

Normally at McKinsey they always let you know, hence, eventually, they should inform you. Usually you hear back within a week from the interview, but occasionally it takes longer.

2) Is it appropriate to follow up again after this amount of time, or is it better to wait it out?

After two weeks, it is totally ok to follow up.

Good luck!

Francesco

Answer 3

Hi there,

MBB is explicit about the outcome of interviews, so this silence is not to be interpreted as a sign of your performance. Results may take a while to be completed as the volume of candidates pipeline, interviewers’ availability and other factors end up impacting it.

Feel free to reach out to HR.

Good luck!

Best,

Mari

Answer 4

Feel free to follow up with your recruiter since it’s been two weeks.

Sometimes there are small delays such as these which do not reflect on your application, so don’t worry too much about it.

Answer 5

Hi there,

First of all, congratulations on the progress in the application process with McKinsey thus far!

I would be happy to share my thoughts on your situation:

First of all, two weeks of lead time after the first interview round with McKinsey is not extremely unusual.
Moreover, while you may certainly follow up with a short, polite e-mail to the recruiter, it won't speed up the process.
Lastly, I would strongly advise you not to read anything into the lack of feedback so far. Like any other major consulting firm, McKinsey will provide you with feedback in any case.

You can find more on this topic here: How to succeed in the final interview round.

If you would like a more detailed discussion on how to best prepare for your upcoming McKinsey final-round interviews, please don't hesitate to contact me directly.

Best,

Hagen

Answer 6

Hey there :)

Two weeks of silence post-interviews can feel super unsettling, but it’s not unheard of with McKinsey — especially if there’s internal scheduling, reviewer backlog, or if your case is in a “maybe” pile waiting for calibration. It doesn’t necessarily mean a no. That said, at this point, it’s absolutely okay to follow up with a short, polite message to your recruiter just asking if there’s any update on your status.

The wait doesn’t mean you're out — some decisions really do stretch longer than expected.

Let me know if you'd like help drafting a follow-up note!

best,
Alessa :)

Answer 7

Hi,

Sorry to hear this situation and it can indeed be frustrating.

You can check out my relevant article for more perspective on this:

What's happening when you don't hear back after interviews and what should you do?

Answer 8

Hi there,

There's probably a delay in assessing the interview but they will certainly give you an answer.

Feel free to follow-up with them politely and clarify.

And in the meantime, indeed, try to progress with other applications.

Best,
Cristian