No offer after final McKinsey interview - what now?

Hi there,

First of all, while it might sound like small consolation, congratulations on making it to the final round!

Seriously. If you made it that far, it means you can make it all the way. You have what it takes, but either there weren't enough positions available, or you have 1-2 lingering weaknesses, or, chance/luck reared its head.

For right now (this year), yes, you should stop applying to mbb (because, well, you already have). But you should not stop applying to consulting.

Please stop making the mistake that everyone here seems to make in conflating MBB with consulting. Not getting MBB does not mean failure. In fact, I find people tend to be happier at the boutiques. 

Keep applying. Applying to 30+ consultancies. Keep interviewing. Get an offer at other consultancy. Then, 1-2 years from now, if you still want to shoot for MBB, apply to them again!

You've tried once to get into the most competitive consultancy in the world, and you think you're a failure because you didn't make the 5% cut? Image if you felt that way because you didn't get your degree at Harvard?

Come on. Feel sorry for yourself…for 1 day. Then, pick yourself back up, and go chase all of the other amazing jobs/opportunities out there waiting for you.

Hi there!

Sorry to hear about this. Rejections are difficult to deal with for everybody. 

In short, I would never accept a limitation. At most, you can accept it as a temporary limitation, but not something that is ‘written in the stars’. 

This is a relatively bad time in the market. Firms are taking in fewer people and are significantly tougher on the recruitment process. Plus, regardless of how good you are, you can always get a bit unlucky and fail in the process. So, basically, there are many things that you cannot control. 

Instead, focus on what you can control:

1. Re-applying. I knew lots of people in McKinsey who only got in on their 2nd or 3rd attempt. They were great consultants. Even better than the average becacuse they were some of the most resilient people I knew. Some things just take a few attempts. 

2. Broaden your focus. Don't only apply to MBB or target MBB primarily. Since this is a tough time in the economy, your priority should be to get into one of the best firms and once you're in the industry, then start moving laterally in 1-2 years towards the firm of your dreams. Sharing below an article on how to develop an application strategy:

• Free Guide: Build A Winning Application Strategy

The most important thing is not to give up. Becoming a consultant is about ‘wanting’ to become a consultant, not about innate skills. With the right practice and guidance it's a certainty you'll get there.

Best,
Cristian

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Practicing for interviews? Check out my latest case based on a first-round MBB interview >>> SoyTechnologies  

Hi there,

Sorry to hear about the rejection. In terms of your question:

Q: Should I just stop applying and accept that consulting (MBB) is not the way to go for me? 

A good number of candidates fail the first time they apply to MBB but eventually succeed. It happened to me as well.

If you are interested in consulting, definitely don’t give up. This is what I would recommend:

1. Understand the exact reasons for the rejection from McKinsey and BCG. Work to fix the issues. If needed, contact HR to ask for feedback.
2. Network to get referrals from as many consulting companies as possible that are interesting to you. Besides MBB, you can target several other firms (e.g. Oliver Wyman, Strategy&, Roland Berger, Kearney). Even if your final goal is MBB, you can work there for a few years and then apply to MBB again.
3. Apply and refresh your previous prep. If you passed the first round at McKinsey, your level should be already good and with minor fixes, you should be able to land an offer from another top consulting company.
4. If nothing works out and you still want to work in consulting, find a second-best job, work there for a few years, apply again after the ban. In the long run, it won’t really matter if you did not succeed on the first try.

Good luck!

Francesco

Hello,

I'm sorry to hear about your experience. It's always frustrating to get a rejection, however, this does not have to be the end of your consulting journey if you are still interested in getting a consulting job.

First, remember that you can always re-apply after the ban period is over (which is usually 12 months). If you got so far with McK this time round, you must be a very strong candidate, so with an additional year of experience under your belt, your chances should be quite solid. Plus, hiring has been quite slow this year, so who knows what it will look like in the future? Just be sure to do something practical in the meantime (work, internship, study)!

Second, I wouldn't recommend fixating on MBB if you want to work in consulting. There are many other prestigious firms that do great consulting work - why not start by applying there? Unfortunately, there are many subjective and unpredictable factors that influence whether you'll get an offer from MBB or not, and not all of them are under your control, so it makes little sense to put all your eggs in such a small basket. I would keep applying!

Hi there,

First of all, getting to the final round of McKinsey tells me you have what it takes to pass MBB interviews. You may have just been unlucky.

Secondly, many people try MANY times before they get into MBB and persistence is key if you really want it (and that's a big if…). The McKinsey door is closed for some time but there's other great first out there, including non-MBB. To tackle this and get invited, work with a coach or buckle down and build a strong network inside the target firm(s) that supports you along the way.

Lastly, you may have just dodged a bullet by not getting into McKinsey. Consulting has its upsides but also significant downsides. There's so many great non-consulting jobs out there and I am lucky to have had a few of them! No advice can be given here without knowing anything more about you, but you could certainly need a mentor/coach to help you see beyond the recent disappointment and realize what's out there.

Best of luck and let me know if I can help in any way.

Moritz

You’re clearly a very capable candidate if you’ve made it to the final rounds of MBB. At this level there’s really not that much separating those that get in vs those that do not.  It’s also one of the hardest years in a long time to get into consulting and very strong candidates are having a tough time making it. 
 

I would say one way to think about it is that consulting may not be right for you right now. Maybe it makes sense to explore other options and come back to consulting once you’ve tried Something different that interests you as much. 

Hi there,

sorry to hear that it didn't work out this time, but rest assured, that if you make it to a McK final round it means you have the potential to work for the top firms in the industry. Period.

For many folks it takes multiple attempts to break in, so don't let this initial set back discourate you.

In terms of what to do now - suggest you polish your application materials and work on strong referrals to optimize the odds with other top firms.

Feel free to reach out to me or other coaches, if you'd like to get a professional opinion on that. Happy to help.

Regards, Andi