What happens after final round?

Question

Hi there,

Another post from an anxious post-final round interviewee. Hoping if anyone could shed some light on what goes on after a final round.

Context - Off Cycle Recruitment, Associate Level at a Solid Firm.

Time frame - 1 month between application and invitation to online assessment; 1.5 weeks between assessment and first round invite; 1.5 weeks between first round and final round invite.

Interviewers - ¾ from top 5 schools globally at undergraduate level, went straight into consulting. ¼ from top 5 school at graduate level, technical background.

First Round

Engagement managers x2 - Did well in quant. Would've preferred to have more insight/detail for one of the cases. Overall I felt good coming out from the interviews. There was a good amount of rapport with one EM, but the other one was much colder/business like.

Invitation for final round from: HR

Final Round

Partners x2 - Both partners asked me to be be less quant-focused and instead focus on more high level thinking before the cases.

First partner case went decently well I think. Again I would've preferred to show more insight, but he was quite willing to add on to what I proposed etc. Overall we followed my structuring, with a small hiccup in the middle, but I ended with a synthesis to which he responded ‘that was a good summary’. Basic why the firm why the position questions, then asked me who i'd be interviewing with next, and said the person will guide me on next steps.

Second partner case was much broader and amorphous and was difficult to pin down from the get go. Conversation started with more deep dives in to CV and motivation, but the partner wasn't that engaged/not nodding as much as I'd like to see, when I was answering. For the case, we managed to complete the case with my structuring - the partner added a major branch which I missed and explained to me why it might be useful. Partner was talking a lot and added A LOT of talk about her experience with the case (down to the specifics). Overall she was very proactive in sharing about her time with the firm, and to answer my questions. Interviewed ended with partner saying ‘it was a good talk’ and that ‘we will have an internal discussion and get back to you maybe today, tomorrow or the day after’. Time was close to the end of business day.

My reflection

I'd score myself an A and A- for first round interviews, and ?B+ for the final rounds. Main concern was (1) the final round cases all ended up being quite broad and conversational (even didactical) - no super clear structure; and (2) I didn't get much of a reaction in the final round when talking about my motivation and why the firm etc. I don't think I really ‘bombed’ anything, but i'm worried about being too average.

It is now around 24h since my final round and I still have not heard back so feeling pessimistic.

Questions

a. What actually happens after a final round interview. Do the interviewers actually meet to discuss and debrief? What happens after that? Do the partners always call (this firm is not McKinsey)? Or it is also possible that they may reach out via HR?

b. Objectively (from my subjective description), do you think my recruitment went well?

c. Generally, does off cycle recruitment have a shorter or longer turnaround time?

Answer 1

Hi Jon,

Thanks for the detailed feedback. Answering your questions:

a) What actually happens after a final round interview. Do the interviewers actually meet to discuss and debrief? What happens after that? Do the partners always call (this firm is not McKinsey)? Or it is also possible that they may reach out via HR?

Partners normally meet, discuss and decided whether to extend an offer. You could be called by either partners or HR, it depends on the firm.

b) Objectively (from my subjective description), do you think my recruitment went well?

As for your description, your performance was good but not perfect. Unfortunately no one can say if it will be enough and your own perception is biased (I know many cases where candidates thought they would have not passed and they did and the other way around).

c) Generally, does off cycle recruitment have a shorter or longer turnaround time?

This is specific to the company/office and related to how they manage the pipeline. In any case, if you don’t hear from them within 1 week it is fine to call. As a side note, I know firms that extended offers one week after the final round.

Hope this helps,

Francesco

Answer 2

Hi there,

Thanks for sharing and I can certainly appreciate the sentiment.

The fact that you have self-reflected and retained as much information as you have from the interview means that you're clearly someone who knows to improve - this bodes well for your future!

In terms of this interview itself, unfortunately it tells us nothing - we have no idea what really happened in the interview (your story is one side) and we don't know all of the factors at play behind closed doors. Sounds like you did well enough to have a shot, if that helps at all!

a. Yes, they generally meet to discuss. Sometimes partners call, sometimes HR does. None of this is really anything you need to know - knowing this doesn't affect anything and you'll find out soon enough…focus your energy/thoughts on things that matter!

b. Sure. but we don't know

c. Neither. Depends completely on the office and timing (i.e. supply/demand, # of interviews, HR staffing levels, etc.)

Answer 3

Hi,

After the final round - all interviewers meet to discuss feedback on the candidates and give their own opinions. This is also where they decide whether to give you an offer or not
Very difficult to say because people are generally not a good judge of their performance. Many people can be over optimistic or overly negative. It is very hard to be objective. More so it is impossible to say what the other person thought about your answers
Slightly longer turnaround time because campus recruitment has a fixed schedule and there is a strict process in place to follow. Off cycle does not have this restriction on the firm's end.

All the best to you,

Udayan

Answer 4

Hi there,

before offer decisions are communicated after the final round, they have to be aligned between HR and the interviewers in the process. This can sometimes take time for various reasons. A few common ones are listed below for a general overview:

internal scheduling conflicts between HR and the interviewers, especially when partners need to be involved
the firm is still conducting more final round interviews with other candidates and they might want to wait for that to play out to look at the full candidate picture before extending final offers
offers have been extended to “first choice” candidates and the firm is trying to keep “backup” candidates on hold until they know who accepted and who declined their first batch of offers
holidays or year-end shutdown delay the decision-making and communication process
there is uncertainty internally around budget and the exact headcount they can actually hire so they are trying to buy time

I know that this is unsettling and every candidate wants to have clarity on the status sooner rather than later. Unfortunately, you'll always have to wait for the official word. It is legitimate, though, to politely follow up for an update after not hearing back for two weeks.

However, it is best to just assume a rejection and continue with the recruiting efforts with other firms until you have a written offer in your hands. That way you at least won't lose time.

Best of luck

Answer 5

Dear candidate,

very well done overall. Simply wait and see. It is not always the partner who calls you back, it can also be someone else. It sounds like you have done well, yet there is no guarantee. You will hear the result soon. Also we cannot generalize on the timing, unfortunately, given what you were told though I would expect an answer soon.

Best regards,

Answer 6

Hello!

It depends on the firm.

In some, interviewers from all rounds and HR meet and need to reach a unanimous decision.

In others, just the interviewers from the final found meet with HR and give a pass.

Hope it helps!

Cheers,

Clara