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McKinsey withdrawl- is there a ban?

I applied to McKinsey's London office for their summer internship and have completed the Imbellus test. They haven't gotten back to me yet as they said they plan to review applications in Jan 2023 and reply to applicants at the start of Feb 2023.  I did not put in any other office preference

However, I now want to apply for a full time position at McKinsey in my home country. Would I be able to withdraw my initial position and make another application - or is there a banning period?

Or would it be ok to have 2 separate applications? 

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Top answer
on Jan 02, 2023
#1 Coach for Sessions (4.500+) | 1.500+ 5-Star Reviews | Proven Success: ➡ interviewoffers.com | Ex BCG | 10Y+ Coaching

Hi there,

Q: I applied to McKinsey's London office for their summer internship and have completed the Imbellus test. However, I now want to apply for a full time position at McKinsey in my home country. Would I be able to withdraw my initial position and make another application?

Given you already completed the test and are waiting for the results, it doesn’t make much sense to withdraw the application. Instead, I would contact HR, explain the situation and see if it is possible to move the application to the full-time role (or to an internship) in your home country.

Best,

Francesco

Udayan
Coach
on Dec 30, 2022
Top rated Case & PEI coach/Multiple real offers/McKinsey EM in New York /12 years recruiting experience

You should explain your situation to HR if you have their contact details and ask for their advice. If your home country has an internship program they may be able to recommend you to it for an interview (assuming you are a strong candidate). There is no real benefit to withdrawing an internship application as the ban doesn't apply for internships. 

Rushabh
Coach
on Dec 30, 2022
Limited Availability | BCG Expert | Middle East Expert | 100+ Mocks Delivered | IESE & NYU MBA | Ex-KPMG Dxb Consultant

Hello,

Here are my thoughts:

1) The summer internship and the full time positions are two separate applications

2) I would suggest to let this application run its course. If selected for interviews, etc, then go ahead with it as planned and take a call if you want to accept or reject the offer after you receive the offer!

3) It's perfectly fine to do an internship in London and do the full time application in your home country. Expect to be questioned about this in the interview of the full time application but it's a fairly simple answer along the lines of ‘wanting to try something new for the summer internship, but want to go back home to family for the full time role’.

Hope this helps!

Feel free to reach out to me via chat if you have any questions!

Rushabh

Hagen
Coach
edited on Dec 31, 2022
#1 recommended coach | >95% success rate | 8+ years consulting, 8+ years coaching and 7+ years interviewing experience

Hi there,

This is indeed an interesting question which is probably relevant for a lot of users, thus I am happy to provide my perspective on it:

  • It is generally not acceptable to have multiple applications with McKinsey, and either you or they will narrow them down to one.
  • Thus, it is important to be transparent with the firm and inform them of your interest in applying for a full-time position in your home country. I would advise you to contact McKinsey's recruitment team to discuss your options and see if it is possible to withdraw your initial application. It is always better to be upfront and honest with the firm to avoid any potential issues or misunderstandings.

In case you want a more detailed discussion on what to do in your specific situation, please feel free to contact me directly.

Best,

Hagen

Ian
Coach
on Dec 30, 2022
Top US BCG / MBB Coach - 5,000 sessions |Tech, Platinion, Big 4 | 9/9 personal interviews passed | 95% candidate success

Hi there,

Please do not withdraw your current application. Too much time has passed.

You need to reach out to HR (ideally a call, if possible) and ask what can/should be done to adjust your application. 

Dennis
Coach
on Dec 31, 2022
Roland Berger|Project Manager and Recruiter|7+ years of consulting experience in USA and Europe

Coordinate with HR directly before  withdrawIng anything. Not sure how it’ll get tracked in the system so better not risk it. 
You might be able to directly proceed with the interview stage in your desired office if your initial test was sufficient 

Deleted user
edited on Dec 30, 2022
  • What has changed since you applied? If it is a location issue, you can reach out and ask if you can do an internship in your home country and, if not possible, apply also for a full-time position there
  • You must have decided to go internship vs full-time when applying, which I imagine must have been some months ago. If you have more experiences now that mean you may be a better fit for a full-time position, I would speak with the McK London team to see if they can change the application.
  • i don't think you are allowed to do 2 different applications at the same time for McKinsey.
8
Moritz
Coach
edited on Jan 02, 2023
ex-McKinsey EM & Interviewer | 7/8 offer rate for 4+ sessions | High impact sessions + FREE materials & exercises

Hi there,

As advised by others, don't do it!

Once you're in the process, you can still maneuver your way to your desired office. This is not unusual and entirely doable with the right strategy (happy to help you with that, if and when the time comes). At this point, you're risking to not get into the process at all by alienating the recruiting team with a late withdrawal.

Hope this helps a bit. Best of luck!

Maikol
Coach
on Dec 30, 2022
BCG Project Leader | Former Bain, AlixPartner, and PE | INSEAD MBA | GMAT 780

It is risky to withdraw your application and I don't see any reason to do it.

Florian
Coach
on Jan 02, 2023
1400 5-star reviews across platforms | 600+ offers | Highest-rated case book on Amazon | Uni lecturer in US, Asia, EU

Hey there,

There is usually no ban if your application is stopped due to any other reason than your performance during the game or interviews.

All the best,

Florian

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