Hi there,

Can you clarify how long “forever” is?

While it can take as quickly as 1 week, several weeks and even a month or two is not uncommon at all.

Hi there,

It really depends on the office. If you don’t hear back from HR after 1 month, you can followup with them with the excuse that “you want to check if they received the application properly”.

Hope this helps,

Francesco

It really depends on the type of referral. Many referrals still require you to actually apply like everyone else and the recruiter will just follow up with you.

Hi!

There might be a lot of different reasons for this. How long have you waited until now?

Best,

Anto

Expect up to 4 weeks for first email.

Consulting HR/recruiters deal with many applications and hence lead times are generally long - typically for actively recruiting offices such as Middle-East.

If you are feeling too itchy - try to contact your referee and/or the HR or recruiter for an update. Don't feel shy in doing so.

Waiting times vary greatly for many reasons and shouldn´t necessarily be a concern!

One possible reason is that your CV is being passed around the different locations you selected for your application (typically 3) to see if there´s a good fit. This is particularly true for more specialized/experienced hire roles. I saw this before with people I referred in McKinsey and it typically takes a while.

In any case, you should feel free to get in touch with both your contact and/or recruiter, if known. People at McKinsey generally welcome friendly follow-up messages that show your commitment to the application process (within reasonable timeframes, of course).