Seeking clarification on whether a referral from someone who has left McKinsey still counts for applications opening later.

Good question — and here’s how it typically works behind the scenes:

Yes, referrals are logged and flagged in McKinsey’s internal system, and that includes referrals from employees who have since left. If the referral was submitted and confirmed before your application window opens, it will still show up as part of your file. HR and recruiting systems track this kind of metadata automatically — it’s not manually scrubbed just because someone leaves.

That said, the impact of referrals is often overstated. At McKinsey (and MBB broadly), the process is highly structured, especially at scale. A referral — even from a Partner — might help get you past an initial screen or flag you for review, but it doesn’t override core selection filters like test performance or resume strength. Having a current employee refer you may carry slightly more weight in terms of active sponsorship, but it's marginal.

As for how long referrals stay in the system — there’s no hard expiration, but most are valid for the current cycle or until your application is processed. If you reapply in a future cycle, it's best to refresh or re-confirm referrals, especially if the referrer is still at the firm. But in your case, both referrals will likely still be visible when apps open — even if only one is still active internally.

Hi there,

When a McKinsey employee submits a referral, it’s logged in the internal recruiting system and stays attached to your profile, even if that person later leaves the firm. So your first referral will still count, as long as it was submitted and confirmed by recruiting (which it was, since you received the confirmation email).

Referrals don’t expire quickly, they typically remain valid for at least one recruiting cycle, and sometimes longer if your profile hasn’t materially changed. When you apply again, recruiters will still see both referrers’ names in your record.

In short: both referrals will stay in the system, but only the active employee can still vouch for you or provide updates if recruiting reaches out. The one from the former consultant will still show as part of your referral history and won’t be deleted.

Hi there,

Once a McKinsey referral is submitted and confirmed by recruiting, it’s logged in their internal system — so even if the referrer later leaves the firm, the referral itself still counts. What matters is that it was submitted and validated while the person was employed, not their status afterward.

Typically, referrals remain active for one recruitment cycle (around 6–12 months, depending on region). When applications reopen, both of your referrals should still appear on your profile, though only the active employee will be able to see or update it internally.

In short:

• Your former McKinsey referrer’s submission still stands
• The current employee referral might carry slightly more weight in follow-ups since they’re still in the network
• You’ll still benefit from both when your application is reviewed

Happy to help you prep – feel free to reach out.

Best,
Evelina

It differs a bit from office to office, but I would rather assume that connected to the account they have with your name on it, they will have associated the initial referral. 

Of course, then if you were to apply with a different email address, it would be considered a different account. 

I would rather aim to have a new referral from somebody who is still in the firm. 

Best,
Cristian

Hey there :)

usually a referral stays valid even if the person leaves, as long as it was confirmed by recruiting while they were still at McKinsey. The system keeps it on file, so it should still count when applications open. There’s no strict expiration, but best practice is to keep in touch with recruiting to confirm your referral is active.

best,
Alessa :)

Hi there,

In most cases, only referrals from current employees are considered active in McKinsey’s system, since the internal referral tracking is tied to active staff accounts. That said, the one from your current referrer should still stand, and the earlier one may still show up as part of your record even if it no longer carries weight as being linked to an active employee ID. You can always mention both names in your application to provide extra context.

Assuming they've submitted the referral before they left... it will still be in the system.

Otherwise, it depends on whether they're taking referrals from alumni.

Hi there,

A referral is just a door opener such that the recruiting team will look through your application more thoroughly. However, you can't expect someone who doesn't know you to put their name and reputation on the line for a quick referral. It usually takes some time to cultivate this kind of professional relationship. You should have at least an informal "interview" with that person before you can expect something.

Depending on the seniority, tenure and advocacy of the person referring you, you have a better chance of getting a first round interview. The more senior the person referring you is, the better. The longer the tenure of that person with the firm is, the better.

The reason is that such voices carry more weight than referrals coming from super junior or brand new people. They typically know the HR folks better and have been involved in recruiting activities for a while so it is usually assumed that they have a good grasp of what types of candidates with which sets of qualifications the firm needs. However, any referral is ultimately better than no referral. 

Ideally, you get a referral from someone from the same office (or same country) you are applying to. But again, a referral from someone within the same firm but different office or country organization is still better than no referral.

A direct rejection after the CV screening stage can still happen - even with a referral. In that case the recruiting team usually provides some feedback to the person having given the referral. So you should follow up with them to better understand the rationale in case that happens. On the flipside, you can still get an interview invite when you just apply online without a referral - the probability is just lower - particularly when your CV is not “stellar” on a standalone basis.

And as always, factors such as economic conditions and headcount/budget planning of the individual firm also matter significantly in these decisions - but they are not within your control.

Best