Central vs office-specific recruiting

Hello,

My understanding for McKinsey is exactly what Emily posted - if you are at a target school there will be a team of recruiters for that target school that views all applications first; if you are not at a target school then it your application goes to your first-choice office first.

Short answer is that it is done by the office (either specific or in the region) barring some exceptions. If you think about it, every region will need to use their own filtering criteria (schools, majors, work experience) as context matters a lot.

It somewhat depends on how you're recruiting. If you're recruiting while still doing your undergrad / masters and you're at a target school your application will be reviewed by the recruiting team for that school; then shared with the office. If you're applying off cycle or not from a target school then it'll be reviewed first off by your first choice office and, if they do not want to proceed, by your second choice and so on. 

Good luck!

Hi there, 

Can you provide a bit more detail on your application? E.g. were you applying directly to the firm, or are you for example recruiting within an MBA cohort? Did you have a referral?

Also, why does this matter?

I think there is a central screening and then your profile will be shared with the local offices. The local office will express their interest and kickoff the interviewing process.