Mckinsey Middle East

Question

Hi community,

I recently had a coffee chat with an AP from Mck and she agreed to refer me - however when I sent her my CV, I haven't hear back for a week - Mon - Fri and wonder what should I deal with this situation ?

1. follow up next week , around Wed

2. ask a common connection within the firm to nudge

3. just wait another week

This is for the associate level, and ME is highly rely on refer so without it there is no chance I will pass CV despite I come from Ivy League MBA school.... and I greatly appreciate any advice.

Answer 1

Hi there,

It's normal at McKinsey life to be swept up by the daily demands and not be able to reply. This is probably priority #3455867 for the AP...

I’d keep it simple and polite and follow up next week. I'd say send a short reminder email on Friday morning as they are usually back at home and would more likely have time to reply. No need to loop in a third person as the AP already agreed to refer you. Consistent and gentle follow up is the best move. They would also understand if you follow up multiple times because they would too.

Answer 2

Hello,

Given that I worked for 4 years in McKinsey Middle East and was heavily involved in recruiting, I can share some first hand advice.

I believe the only reason the AP has not referred you yet is that he/she is busy on other priorities and have not had the time to activate this. It's in their best interest to refer you as this shows that they are making effort in building the firm, which is a core requirement for them to get elected as partner.

Based on that, I would send her a message on Friday which is usually a lighter day than the rest where consultants work remotely and wait for her to reply.

Let us know how this turns up

Sherif

Answer 3

Hi there,

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

First of all, I would advise you to follow up directly with the AP late next week. Keep it short, polite, and grateful - something like “just wanted to check if you had a chance to look at my CV for the referral, and thank you again for your support”.
Moreover, I would strongly advise you not to involve a third person. It can make things awkward or pushy, especially since the AP already agreed to refer you. Best to trust the process and respect their bandwidth.

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 pre-interview assessment and/or interviews, please don’t hesitate to contact me directly.

Best,

Hagen

Answer 4

Great that you got a referral!

I'd follow up with her with a polite note in a few days.

Don't have somebody nudge her because it's probably going to be rather weird.

If this doesn't work, try getting a different referral. I know it's frustrating but that's (honestly) the game.

Best,
Cristian

Answer 5

Hi,

congrats on getting a referral!

Don't worry about it. Consulting is super dynamic so the AP probably just caught a wave of things to do. Probably good to follow-up sometime towards the end of this week/ early next week.

Best,
Lukas