McKinsey Referral / Application Question

Question

Hey everyone - quick question. I applied to McKinsey for a BA role a couple of weeks ago but haven't heard anything yet - I'd be a lateral hire with a few years of IB experience. Luckily, since then I've connected with a former employee who plans to formally refer me. My question is - should I now withdraw the application which I independently submitted previously? Thoughts? Appreciate it in advance.

Answer 1

Hey there,

No, at this stage you should not withdraw the application but rather ask the former employee to contact HR for the referral directly.

It's a bit outside of the usual process but it could work.

Cheers,

Florian

Answer 2

Hi there,

That's a bit of a pain timing-wise! I wouldn't recommend withdrawing the application, but you can ask the former employee to "refer" you via HR. Double-check with them if they think you should withdraw, but the likely best route is having them email HR with your resume while cc'ing you.

Answer 3

Hi there,

I guess you mean withdraw to resubmit via referral.

I don’t think that would help given you already applied and are already in the system. Instead, I would be transparent with the person who wants to refer and mention you already applied - the person should still be able to recommend you (at least informally), although he/she won’t get any bonus if you are hired if that’s given in your particular office.

Best,

Francesco