Ban period?

MBB waiting period
New answer on Feb 03, 2023
10 Answers
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Anonymous A asked on Feb 01, 2023

Dear Community,

If I apply to MBB's and tier 2's and I don't get invited for the interview. does the one year or two year apply? or is it applicable to those who get invited for interview and don't pass? Thanks

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Cristian
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replied on Feb 02, 2023
#1 McK Coach by rating & recommendation rate| Honest feedback: no sugar-coating | Success stories ➨ tinyurl.com/43rkxa8f

Hi there, 

Sorry that it didn't work out. 

The one or two year ban is not a fixed period of time. The way most firms see it is that you should be able to demonstrate having acquired additional relevant experience before re-applying. Otherwise they are expecting your skills won't have changed much since they last interviewed you so you're likely to fail again through the interviewing pipeline. 

So your focus should be getting additional professional or academic (e.g., MBA, MiM) experience in the meantime. Then you can safely re-apply even if it's before the 1-2 year mark. 

Lastly, most firms / offices don't even keep count of who applied when, so you can always try re-applying before the ‘ban’.

Best,

Cristian

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Hagen
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replied on Feb 02, 2023
Ex-Bain and interviewer for 7+ years | >95% success rate | mentor and coach for 6+ years

Hi there,

I think this is an interesting question that may be relevant for many people. I would be happy to share my thoughts on it:

  • Most strategy consulting firms have a ban period of 1-1.5 years for reapplying after a rejection, depending on the candidate's progress in terms of experience, which is reflected in his/her CV. This typically applies to both applicants who were immediately rejected and those who did not make it through a step in the recruiting process.
  • To confirm the specific ban period for a particular company, I would advise you to contact the recruiting team for clarification.

If you would like a more detailed discussion on how to address your specific situation, please don't hesitate to contact me directly.

Best,

Hagen

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Moritz
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replied on Feb 01, 2023
ex-McKinsey | Senior Interviewer & MBA Coach @ McKinsey | Personalized key-skill coaching |Blue-chip Strategy Lead

Hi there,

In case of McKinsey, you're not banned if you got rejected without interviewing. However, you're expected to add significant experience to your resume. This cannot happen in a week, but it doesn't have to be 2 years either.

Bottom line - focus on developing yourself and there's a way forward!

The above is a very condensed version of reality. Happy to discuss further, if needed.

Best of luck!

Moritz

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Ian
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replied on Feb 03, 2023
MBB | 100% personal interview success rate (8/8) and 95% candidate success rate | Personalized interview prep

Hi there,

You should be ok to apply in 1 year.

However, you need to have demonstrated real progress in your candidacy.

Make sure you're improving your resume with internships, experiential consulting programs, etc.

Make sure to network so as to have a referral and improve your chances.

Good luck in the next round!

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Udayan
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updated an answer on Feb 02, 2023
Top rated McKinsey Case & PEI coach/Multiple real offers/McKinsey EM in New York /6 years McKinsey recruiting experience

The ‘ban’ technically applies to all rejections as it is not just an indication of your ability to interview but your overall readiness as a candidate. 

Typically if you do not make it to interview stage you should be able to apply in a year's time with a recommendation. The other alternative is to join an MBA program at a top 10 school, which allows you to bypass this ban altogether.

(edited)

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Florian
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replied on Feb 02, 2023
#1 rated McKinsey Coach | Top MBB Coach | 5 years @ McKinsey | Author of the 1% | 120+ McK offers in 18 months

Hi there,

The question is a bit too general to give a definitive answer. There are differences across firms and even within firms across offices.

  1. Generally, bans for full-time applications are valid for 18-24 months, and for internships 12 months.
  2. Bans are relevant both for candidates who fail screening or the interviews

Bans can be shortened through significant improvements in your resume + referrals.

All the best,

Florian

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Francesco
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replied on Feb 02, 2023
#1 Coach for Sessions (4.000+) | 1.500+ 5-Star Reviews | Proven Success (➡ InterviewOffers.com) | Ex BCG | 10Y+ Coaching

Hi there,

Q: If I apply to MBB's and tier 2's and I don't get invited for the interview. does the one year or two year apply? Or is it applicable to those who get invited for interview and don't pass? 

Normally you still have a ban if you are rejected before interviews. Some companies for example ask to wait 12-18 months after failing the screening test in their rejection email before applying again for the same position. This makes sense because there is no reason for them to interview again right away.

If you have doubts, you can contact HR to clarify that for the specific company you applied to.

Best,

Francesco

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Dennis
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replied on Feb 02, 2023
Seasoned project leader with 7+ years of consulting and recruiting experience in USA and Europe

Hi,

the ban is 12-18 months in most cases. This applies to both, rejection based on CV screening or rejection due to performance in the interview process.

The firm basically concludes that you are not a fit for them at that point in time. In order to realistically have a chance of changing that, a candidate will need time to grow. Such growth is usually not possible within just a few months.

And yes, you could argue that you almost made it through the interview process if it hadn't been for this one tiny situation where you made a math error or had a weird interviewer or something like that which ended up costing you the offer. But it is what it is and the same rules typically apply for all (with the caveat of a subsequent MBA campus recruiting situation as addressed in a different post in the forum)

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Pedro
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replied on Feb 02, 2023
Bain | EY-Parthenon | Roland Berger |Former Head Recruiter | Market Sizing

It's usually one year. Can't say for every firm, but usually if it was just your CV you are not banned for a year, but at the same time you are expected to significantly improve your CV, which is hard to do in just a few months…

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Benjamin
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replied on Feb 01, 2023
Ex-BCG Principal | 8+ years consulting experience in SEA | BCG top interviewer with ~5 years of interviewing experience

Hello,

  • One or two years depends on the firm (and sometimes office)
  • At BCG, this applied to anyone who got rejected (whether invited for interview or not)
  • One way to ‘reset’ this is if you make it to a target MBA during your ban period - normally recruiters will make an exception for this

Hope this helps!

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Cristian gave the best answer

Cristian

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