McKinsey Referral

Hi there,

1) Should I contact him/her asking him/her for a referral and if yes how should I go about it or could you refer me to some other source that can help me write him/her an appropriate mail.

Please do not just cold email people asking for a referral. You need a strong, succinct intro email that establishes your ethos and “hooks” them for a call. During the call you want to 1) Play “tag” and 2) Hint a referral. 

You need to rinse and repeat and speak to a lot of people for this to work.

Happy to help you write that email as part of a general coaching session that includes networking (among other things)

2) Do you think I have a chance at getting an interview or is it really just a far-fetched dream?

Yes, you have a chance. Most people have “a chance”

That said, for McKinsey, it's too late to network. You need to network before you apply, not after! Now, your interview fate is in the hands of the test and your resume.

Hey there,

1. How did you get his private email address? Approaching people on a private email without a prior introduction would not go well. In such cases, stick to platforms such as Linkedin with public profiles. I see no issue contacting the EM there in a polite and concise manner.

HOWEVER

2. It sounds like you are already in the process since you took the Solve game? At this stage, any referral won't add any value to your application. If you played the game successfully, you would automatically move to the interviews anyway. 

If you move to the next stage have a look at how to prepare here:

Case: https://www.preplounge.com/en/mckinsey-interview

PEI: https://www.preplounge.com/en/mckinsey-pei

All the best,

Florian

1) Should I contact him/her asking him/her for a referral and if yes how should I go about it or could you refer me to some other source that can help me write him/her an appropriate mail.

No, definitely not:

• You are already in the process, so you don't need a referral at this point.
• Asking directly for a referral is a sure way of not getting one, particularly if you are sending a “cold” email. The process is not asking for a referral in an email. The process is to setup a conversation, and if it goes well, suggest it in a very indirect way without ever saying the “referral” word (i.e., “anything I should do to increase the chances of getting an interview” is enough).
• It is not clear whether you got the email in a “legitimate" way or not. If it was from an alumni list, it can be ok (but explain where you got the email). But the ideal approach is through LinkedIn. 

2) Do you think I have a chance at getting an interview or is it really just a far-fetched dream?

You are already in the process, so yes, they are already giving you a chance of getting an interview!