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McK hiring freeze

Hi there,

 

I understand that McKinsey has a hiring freeze and am wondering whether I will be impacted by this. I will soon have my second round at McKinsey (date/partner names confirmed), but have heard some rumors from prep partners that McKinsey has a hiring freeze. Will this impact my chances of success? I personally do not think so as they have no reason to waste the partners time if they wouldn't be considering hiring me, but I just wanted to hear about what other people think. 

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Hagen
Coach
am 31. März 2023
#1 recommended coach | >95% success rate | 8+ years consulting, 8+ years coaching and 7+ years interviewing experience

Hi there,

First of all, congratulations on the invitation from McKinsey!

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

  • First of all, and contrary to what other coaches have said, you might still be impacted. When the recruiting freeze at McKinsey started, I saw this with most of my coachees and users here on PrepLounge that McKinsey stopped the recruiting process no matter the step and sometimes motivated candidates to reapply in September of this year.
  • Still, given that you have most probably applied later, chances are low that McKinsey will stop the recruiting process with you as well. In the end, nobody knows for certain, so the best and only thing you can do is to thoroughly prepare and perform well in the interviews.

If you would like a more detailed discussion on how to best prepare for your upcoming partner interviews, please don't hesitate to contact me directly.

Best,

Hagen

Moritz
Coach
am 30. März 2023
ex-McKinsey EM & Interviewer | 7/8 offer rate for 4+ sessions | High impact sessions + FREE materials & exercises

Hi there,

You're right about wasting Partner's time. If there's no role waiting for you, you won't be interviewed. McKinsey have no reason to pretend otherwise.

The fact that you are being interviewed means that there's a potential role waiting for you. So go get it and let me know if there's anything I can help with.

Best of luck!

Moritz

Ian
Coach
am 1. Apr. 2023
Top US BCG / MBB Coach - 5,000 sessions |Tech, Platinion, Big 4 | 9/9 personal interviews passed | 95% candidate success

Hi there,

It's really important for us to know what region you're in (NA is the “worst”, UK 2nd worst, then Europe, but Middle East and Australia/NZ are still doing well!).

All that said, they would not be wasting valuable partner time in interviewing you if they were not intending to hire. So, in this aspect you are safe.

It's important to remember a few things here:

  1. Every region is different
  2. Things change quickly
  3. Hiring “freezes” are often not blanket freezes (there are exceptions for certain roles AND recruiting channels…like an MBA)
  4. They might delay your start date

Just perform your best. You absolutely have a chance if they are moving forward with the interview.

Good luck!

Pedro
Coach
am 31. März 2023
Bain | EY-Parthenon | Former Principal | 1.5h session | 30% discount 1st session

I really doubt MBBs will trully have a hiring freeze. Entry level consultants are not hired for what they deliver now, but for what they'll be able to deliver 2, 3, 5 years from now. If you don't hire now, you won't have enough talent to take advantage of the recession.

Of course they'll adjust their intake, and definitely will stop recruiting experienced people except for very well identified needs.

Udayan
Coach
am 30. März 2023
Top rated Case & PEI coach/Multiple real offers/McKinsey EM in New York /12 years recruiting experience

It is a bit tricky. What I have seen is that they are still hiring for the analyst and associate classes but outside of that hiring has stopped almost completely. That being said, if you have an interview then it means there is demand for your expertise.

What they tend to do for candidates they really like is to give a later start date as there is always natural churn at McKinsey and they would rather wait to have demand for you to join a project vs join sooner and be on the beach.

Anonym B
am 30. März 2023
Same situation. Can anyone highlight how hiring differs between regions at the moment? I think the situation in NA is worse than in Europe, is that correct? Thanks!
am 28. Apr. 2023
#1 rated McKinsey Coach

Hi there,

It's important to understand that the hiring freeze may impact different offices and practices differently, and it's difficult to say exactly how it will impact your particular situation. However, I think it's a good sign that you've already been invited to a second round interview, as this suggests that the firm is still actively considering candidates.

Rumors can often be unreliable, so I wouldn't put too much weight on what you've heard from prep partners. The best thing you can do is to prepare well for your interview and demonstrate your value to the firm. Ultimately, the firm will make their decision based on the overall health of the business and the demand for consultants in your particular area of expertise. So, my advice would be to focus on what you can control, which is your performance in the interview, and let the rest take care of itself.

Best,
Cristian

Gelöschter Nutzer
am 30. Apr. 2023

Hello,

Great question! I know it's nerve-wracking, but since you've been given a date for the interview, you should be safe to assume that there is a role there for you to fill. Otherwise they would not be wasting partners' time with interviewing, as others here have pointed out! Given that you are approaching round 2, my advice would be to not worry about how the hiring freeze might affect you at this stage, and just give it your best shot. I think at worst the effect would be something like they want to hire you, but ask you to start at a later date because hiring is slow. But in any case, these kinds of things are hard to predict, and are very region-dependent. Best of luck!

3
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