McKinsey Specific Needs

Question

I’ve heard that some McKinsey entry-level consulting candidates felt like they messed up during their interviews but still passed through the final rounds or received offers. I understand that overcriticizing oneself is common, but I’m curious about how this happens. Are candidates ever given another chance based on their potential, CV strengths, or the current business needs and specific roles McKinsey is looking to fill (for instance, when demand from oil and gas clients is rising, leading to a preference for entry-level candidates with engineering backgrounds)?

Answer 1

Hi there,

People pass the interview because they hit the bar, meaning their performance was good enough. If they felt like they performed badly (but still passed), this could be related to not knowing how the interview is evaluated and what interviewers look for.

If someone fails, there is a chance to re-apply usually after 12-18 months if you can demonstrate significant improvements on your resume in some areas:

Work experience
Academia
Time spent abroad
Extracurricular activities

Ideally, you would also be able to develop a strong referral when re-applying.

Right after the interview and a rejection, the current demand and profile match/resume/etc make no difference and would not lead to a reconsideration.

Cheers,

Florian

Answer 2

In my experience it is because most people are not a good judge of how they performed in an interview and what interviewers are looking for.

For example - being amazing at the case but not being able to hold a conversation well is not likely to get you an offer. But many candidates would assume that acing the case will make up for the lack of conversation technique. At the same time, being really well spoken in a final round can counter minor issues with the case.

Hope that helps,

Udayan

Answer 3

No performance is perfect, and it isn't always clear (to the candidate) that the approach was good enough, and many time you find other great insights you could have said (but in reality time is limited and it's impossible to say all the intelligent things one could say…). Other times, they worry too much about some minor mistake.