Hi,

• For McKinsey, BCG, the referral can be global
• Bain requires a local referral in many offices

A local partner is the best one since it almost guarantees an interview, however, even the global one is more than enough

Best

Hi there,

Geographically there isn't weight placed (i.e. x location viewed better). That said, you do want to aim for referrals in the same country/region in order to increase your chances. However, a referral is a referral and will always improve your odds!

Hi there,

A referral is just a door opener such that the recruiting team will look through your application more thoroughly. 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 (manager level and above) 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. But any referral is 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 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 HR 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 on average.

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

Hi there,

The short answer is that a referral from a local office is better, however referrals from other offices work as well. I was referred by a US Partner at BCG Italy and it worked ;)

Best,

Francesco

Hey there,

I second Francesco. I was referred by a Hong Kong EM (project manager) for the McKinsey Vienna Office and the referral carried enough weight to bypass the normal screening process. I got my interview invitation 2 days later.

Cheers,

Florian

Hello!

In short, nothing to worry at all.

Hope it helps!

Cheers,

Clara

Hi,

Put simply, local works best. Being referred by someone from another office is still great!

Good luck,

Antonello

Generally: Local is the way to go.

McK BCG global referrals work well too, Bain not so much!

Yes, it does carry less weight. A referral from the office you're applying to is always best.