Application - waiting time

Hi Silvia,

First of all, I am sorry to hear about the long wait!

I think this is an interesting question that may be relevant for many people. I would be happy to share my thoughts on it:

• Yes, it's possible for companies to take longer than 4 weeks to get back to candidates, even if unusual. Still, I don’t know of any strategy consulting company that doesn’t contact candidates if they are not the right fit for the position.
• I would advise you to follow up after a few weeks have passed to inquire about the status of your application. It's possible that the company may have lost track of your application, so a follow-up could help in that case.
• However, please keep in mind that job search is a numbers game. As such, I would advise you not to spend too much effort on contemplating about whether they will come back to you or not. Instead, think about other companies to apply to and reach out to current employees in the respective companies to find out more about them.

If you would like a more detailed discussion on how to address your specific situation, please don't hesitate to contact me directly.

Best,

Hagen

Hi there, 

Sorry to hear you haven't heard back from that many. 

All of the options you laid out about above are true. Some do take more than 4 weeks, others never answer, etc. 

The only thing you can do is to make sure you have a great application pack and that you keep on applying. It might also help to network with consultants and get referrals - read this article to understand how How to network and get referrals

Best,
Cristian

Hi Silvia,

They might contact you, they might not. The important thing is that you are networking with + applying to many many firms so that it doesn't really matter…

Additionally, yes, there are plenty of instances where it takes more than 4 weeks.

Keep networking, keep applying, and keep case prepping!

Hi Silvia,

Waiting time can be rather variable, I would say based on my own experience and other candidates I've seen, >4 weeks is not unusual. 

Will firms always get back to you - well - ideally it would be the professional thing to do, but sometimes due to manpower/time constraints firms may not get back, especially at the pre-interview stage.

I would encourage you to follow-up politely with those you have not heard back from, and even better if you have networks in those offices that can help check on the status for you too.

All the best!

Hi Silvia,

You are not alone at the moment.

Usually, 4 weeks is on the longer side but we are currently seeing all firms re-evaluating their hiring goals. Some have implemented a hiring freeze and generally, applicants wait longer to get a reply.

There is not much you can do about that other than focus on what you can influence with your set-up interviews.

All the best on the journey!

Cheers,

Florian

Hi,

All the best with your applications. Yes it can take long to hear back and depends on various factors including how many applications they have received and number of openings.

All the best,

Udayan