Mckinsey reapplication

Hi there,

Sorry to hear!

I believe this is related to the current hiring freeze (for many offices) or slowdown (for a couple of offices).

I want to share three observations:

Personal experience

• Some of my clients' interviews were already rescheduled for next year. 
• Other strong candidates did not even receive an interview invitation.

Impact on hiring

While for all firms fewer people make it through resume screening, only some firms adjust the bar for the interviews. The latter are happy to find enough people to make it through the selection process. In that case, they would extend offers, potentially with starting dates further in the future.

It seems that McKinsey is rejecting a lot more people at the resume screening stage at the moment.

Impact on engagements and job security

External advisor spending is usually one of the first expenses to be cut during an economic crisis.

Yes, recovery and transformation projects increase, but every other consulting vertical decreases by much more. I have been told stories from 2008/09, where new hires were not staffed for 6 months and then let go without ever having worked on an actual engagement. 

It all depends on how bad the global economic situation is going to get. My hunch is we see a partial to full-hiring stop by early next year for a couple of months up to 1 year. Let's hope I am wrong :-)

On top of that, keep in mind that tech firms and other industries already started their lay-offs, which means that the potential supply of job seekers increases even more compared to now lower demand for them.

At this point, it makes sense to have valid backup options available, potentially for industries that are less affected by external events (e.g., pharmaceuticals)

All the best!

Cheers,

Florian

Hi there,

First of all, I am sorry to hear about the bad experience with McKinsey so far!

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, it's important to note that it seems like McKinsey has stopped recruiting altogether, or at least has significantly reduced its recruiting activities in certain countries and offices. While this might not be the case for your specific office, it is still worth mentioning.
• Moreover, if you haven't received any updates on your reapplication after a month, I would advise you to follow up with the associate who provided the referral. He/she might have insights on the status of your application and can help advocate for you within the firm.
• However, you could also consider reaching out to the McKinsey recruiting team directly and asking for an update on your application.

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,

When you mention that “after your second round, my application was refused” → do you mean second round of interviews?

If I were in your position, I would do the following:

1. Reach out to the Associate who referred you and ask for their help to follow up with recruiting / HR → this is probably the easiest step, if you are good friends with the Associate
2. Reach out and contact recruiting / HR, and if you give the Associate a heads-up beforehand, they may also be okay with you cc'ing them

Do note that depending on your office - some offices have been really slow/busy (esp in Asia) given New Years and Chinese New Year were very close together.

Hope this helps!

Hi there,

You can reach out to the associate to see if they have any idea what is happening.

Afterwards, you can also try to reach out to HR. Try to not pester too much (1 email is sufficient).

Additionally network and apply to other firms - McKinsey is not the end-all-be-all!

Hi there,

The fact that it took over a month doesn't mean your application was overlooked or that you were rejected. 

There's also a backlog that they're working through now at the start of the year. 

One thing you can try is to follow-up with HR on your application.

Best,

Cristian

Hello A,

Unfortunately, your referral is not exactly strong, so there is a big chance, you are not their priority right now:/

Let's wait and see what will happen. In the meantime, I advise you to apply to other firms as well.

Best of luck!

Victoria