The downside for postpone the interview

Hi there,

First of all, congratulations on the invitation!

I would be happy to share my thoughts on your question:

• First of all, if you are not ready for the interviews, and at best another candidate or coach has confirmed this, I don't see any reason to go ahead with the interviews on the current schedule, i.e., I would highly advise you to ask for the interviews to be postponed.
• Moreover, whether or not your request will be successful depends on the country, e.g., in the USA and the UK there is a specific timeframe within which interviews must be conducted.
• Lastly, I would advise you not to put too much weight on statements such as the one about a downside when applying for a post-MBA position, unless they are official statements from the consulting firms.

You can find more on this topic here: How to succeed in the final interview round.

If you would like a more detailed discussion on how to best prepare for your upcoming interviews, please don't hesitate to contact me directly.

Best,

Hagen

Hi there,

It's always a good idea to postpone if you are not ready as the outcome would likely be a rejection - what's worse than that?

However, it depends on the nuances:

• How much do you want to push it back?
• Are you on a rolling recruiting basis or with a fixed deadline competing with other candidates?

Cheers,

Florian

Hi there,

if you are applying in a geography with a set recruiting cycle, you might not have much wiggle room to push back an interview without missing out on that cycle. If, on the other hand, you are in a geography where recruiting happens on a year-round basis, your flexibility is greater. However, the later in the year you are, the higher the chance that the company will have already filled their budgeted positions - this might translate to a later possible starting date for a candidate in case of a successful application.

The bottom line though is that if you are not adequately prepared for the interviews, you will in all likelihood not pass them. Therefore, you would be wasting a chance by going in unprepared. I usually recommend to be 70-80% "case ready" by the time you submit your application. Because then when you do get an interview invite, you won't have to reschedule it - at least not due to reasons of preparation (or lack thereof).

Best of luck

Always postpone if you are not ready.

Main downside is they say no. Second main downside they have limited slots for the position you applied and other candidates get those slots ahead of you.

Hey there!

Generally, I always recommend postponing if you don't feel well prepared. 

However, delaying could place you in a more competitive cycle if the intake volume is lower in the next round, especially in high-demand offices like those in the Middle East. If you do decide to postpone, a clear, concise reason—such as completing preparation or aligning it with a critical deadline—can help mitigate any negative impression.

Good luck, Alessa :)

Hey there,

Ultimately, you want to make decisions in your best interest, and if you feel you are not ready - postponing can give you more time to prepare and improve your chances of success. 

Worst case scenario is that they say no.. But at least you would have made an effort to improve your expected outcome

All the best