Asking McKinsey for additional interview following Bain offer

Question

I have just received an offer from Bain for a consultant role (experienced hire), and a week before failed the final round with McKinsey - got very positive feedback overall, however messed up math in the final round (silly mistake under pressure), and was told I could re-apply in 6 months going straight to interviews and do some math practice in the meantime.

If I had a choice, I would prefer McKinsey due to the strength of their public sector practice, which Bain lacks. Is it worth reaching out to McKinsey recruiter to ask if there is an opportunity to arrange an additional interview within couple of weeks?

Answer 1

Hi there,

Congrats on the Bain offer first of all!

Now to your question:

You should definitely ask your recruiting contact in the Firm and discuss your situation and motivation. There is no harm in letting them know and potentially receiving another chance.

However, be prepared to be rejected for now with the reiterated advice to re-apply within six months.

Why?

Offer and rejection decisions are not made lightly but after careful consideration of all the people involved and after a sufficient amount of information and data has been collected and evaluated.
McKinsey does not care about the interview and evaluation process of another firm, unfortunately.

Keep us posted!

Cheers,

Florian

Answer 2

Hi there,

It doesn't hurt to ask, but my expectation is that you're 99% likely to get rejected.

McKinsey and all other firms are aware they might reject somebody who then goes on to get an offer with a different firm. That doesn't make them change their mind about the decision they made.

So if you do get rejected, my suggestion would be to go with Bain and if you still want to join McKinsey, you could do a lateral move in about a year from now.

Best,

Cristian

Answer 3

Hello,

Congratulations on the offer! I agree with Florian - given the positive feedback you got, I think you don't lose anything by reaching out to your recruiting representative and discussing your situation. The 6 month cooldown period is usually standard policy, so I don't know if they'd be able to do much, but it seems worth asking and having a conversation about it in any case.

Answer 4

Won't change a thing.

What you need to do is to accept Bain's offer, and interview again in six months (if you still want to do it at that point).

Answer 5

Hi there,

You can reach out, but it's honestly not going to make a difference. Personally, I wouldn't reach out as I'd rather “save” that 6 month option later.

Be happy - Bain is an amazing achievement!

Answer 6

I’m afraid it won’t make a difference to the outcome. I suggest that you take Bain and I have no doubt you’ll embark on a journey that you couldn’t even imagine yet :)

Answer 7

No harm in reaching out and asking. While it could result in a re-interview, in my experience it is unlikely given how thorough the process is. McKinsey does not have any shortage of people applying so getting an offer from Bain while great is not usually a motivating factor to let go of the 6 month recommendation.