Rejected without McKinsey Solve

Hi there,

First of all, I am sorry to hear about the rejection from McKinsey!

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

• First of all, a rejection before the McKinsey Solve pre-interview assessment invitation almost always means the application did not pass the resume screening.
• Moreover, yes, you can reapply with a referral, and this is exactly what I would do in your case. A referral from a senior person in your target office will make sure your application gets a proper look. Please keep in mind that McKinsey usually applies a waiting period of around 12 to 18 months before a new application, so please clarify the exact timeline with the recruiting team first.
• Lastly, I would advise you to have your resume reviewed by an experienced coach like me before you reapply, since the resume screening was most likely the point where your application failed this time.

You can find more on this topic here: How to deal with a rejection from a consulting firm.

If you would like a more detailed discussion on how to best prepare your application files, for your upcoming McKinsey Solve pre-interview assessments and/or McKinsey interviews, please don't hesitate to contact me directly.

Best,

Hagen

Hi,

If you didn’t pass the cv screening, no matter how surprising that is, indeed the best way to re-apply is via a referral, with your sponsor being willing to speak to the recruiting team to understand (I) why your cv didn’t make the cut in the first place and (II) to which extent your 12-18 months cool-off period can be lifted or shortened (assuming that you don’t have any major gap and your cv being filtered out was just the result of a poor judgement by the recruiting team).

Hope it helps and feel free to reach out to discuss this more in depth if useful.

Best,

Federico

Hi there,

The most likely explanation is that your application did not pass the resume screening stage. That does not tell you whether the issue was the resume, application timing, office demand, or something else.

Yes, give it a shot. But ideally you would have just done this from the get go!

Before reapplying, double check with the recruiter that you are eligible to apply again now. Then:

1) Network extensively and aim for a referral

2) Review your resume and make sure the formatting is sharp and the experience bullets are properly written

3) Apply only once the application is materially stronger

A referral can improve your odds, but it is never a guarantee.

I would recommend my Applications course given that the key issue here is improving the application, networking, and referral strategy before trying again.

When did you apply and which position? Just curious what happened last time? I got 10th decile Solve last year, but still wasn't invited for the interview. Unofficially I heard it was because they slowed down hiring. 

Anyways, I'd definitely recommend getting a referral, hope it would not be difficult as you're already talking to the people in the Firm

hey there :)

I wouldn’t assume that not receiving Solve means your profile was weak. McKinsey’s screening depends on the office, hiring needs and the overall applicant pool, and even strong candidates can be screened out before Solve.

A referral can definitely help your application get visibility, especially if the person knows your profile well and can genuinely recommend you. However, I wouldn’t immediately reapply with a different application. I’d first speak with your contacts in the Middle East and ask whether they can clarify your eligibility and the appropriate timing for reapplying.

Your previous strong Solve performance is also a useful signal, but the key now is understanding what happened at the screening stage rather than assuming the assessment was the issue.

If you want, feel free to reach out and I’m happy to look at how you’re positioning your profile for McKinsey Middle East. Best, Alessa :)

Hi,

Normally there would be a blackout period after being rejected - but best to check with HR.

As to the reasons why this is happening - unfortunately this is a black box - there could be multiple reasons why, many of them out of your control.

Suggest to try for the other firms instead in the mean time.

Given your profile, you might find these articles helpful:

5 Reasons Why Experienced Hires Fail the Interview
Succeeding in Consulting as an Experienced Hire

All the best!