More than one referral at McKinsey?

Hi there,

Q: Does it make sense to have more than one referral? 

When you apply you can normally have only one official referral. A second person can still drop your name to HR and provide an “unofficial” referral.

In your case, I would favor as an official referral the one from the person working in your target office. 

If you do get the referral from that EM, if you want you can let the other one know you have already applied, possibly he/she might be willing to still drop your name to HR.

Good luck!

Francesco

Hi there, 

It's rather unusual to have multiple referrals. 

The way it works in most (large) offices is that they have a referral system and the referee registers you as a contact and that automatically informs HR. So there's no need to have multiple people talk about how great you are :)

If you need to choose, go for whichever is most senior, from your target office and who you think could provide the most personal / strongest referral. 

Best of luck!
Cristian

Hello,

You're typically only allowed to have one official referral, though other people can also unofficially recommend you to HR. I would start by asking the person in your target office, or the one who is closest to your role/office. If they agree, let the other person know that you've already applied but would deeply appreciate their advice and guidance during the process. Best of luck!

Dear, 

first of all, I'd say it's a happy problem having to deal with two potential referrals :)

Overall, the referral process is normally carried out by one person who submits your resume in an internal portal. Hence, I'd prioritize the referral who's currently working in your target office. As an additional variable, I'd consider prioritizing the person with whom you have a closer relationship (ideally, she/he might be the one working in your target office).

After that, there's nothing wrong with asking the second person to send an endorsement email/phone call to HR to mention your profile. I have heard several candidates adopt this technique!