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BCG Final Round Decision Process

BCG Decision Round Final Round internship offer rejection summer
Edited on Nov 30, 2023
7 Answers
2.3 k Views
Anonymous A asked on Jan 31, 2023

Hi all,

I recently completed a BCG SEA Interview last Friday (was my final round - 1 interview only). So far, I have not heard back from the recruiter or interviewer.

I'm curious on how the decision (offer or rejection) process is like. Does the interviewer input feedback/ decision via a system or will the recruiter and interviewer have a debriefing call before letting the candidate know the decision?

Also, will there be a need of approval from the hiring committee before extending any offers?

Not super anxious but I'm just interested in the intricacy of this process because I haven't heard much on this.

P.S. I only had 2 rounds - 1 interview each with a Partner + Managing Director

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Hagen
Expert
Content Creator
replied on Feb 01, 2023
#1 Bain coach | >95% success rate | interviewer for 8+ years | mentor and coach for 7+ years

Hi there,

First of all, congratulations on passing all interview rounds with BCG!

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

  • Typically, after every interview round, the interviewers will type their feedback into the company's recruitment system and then have a debriefing call together with the recruiter to discuss the overall candidate performance. If the decision is to extend an offer, there may be the need for approval from a recruiting committee or the recruiting director before a final offer is made.
  • Please be advised that the process to schedule and conduct the debriefing call can take some time, so it's normal not to receive an immediate response. The length of this process depends on a variety of factors, including the number of candidates being considered on that specific day, the schedule of the interviewers and recruiter, and the complexity of the approval process.

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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Benjamin
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replied on Feb 01, 2023
Ex-BCG Principal | 8+ years consulting experience in SEA | BCG top interviewer & top performer

Hello,

I'm with Ian on this - it is out of your control. However if you are still curious on the process, happy to share a bit about the process based on several years as an interviewer for BCG SEA:

  • The general principle is that the results/decision need to be aligned before the decision is given to the candidate
  • BCG does have an internal recruitment system where the results are keyed into eventually - but this is a process step
  • In reality, recruiters will always make sure there is alignment in the decision and that the result is confident. 
    • Sometimes this may be before filling in the online form (due to time constraints), sometimes after
    • If both scores keyed in online through the system are super aligned and clear (i.e. both top scores, or both bottom scores), there is really less need for having a debriefing call
  • Whether it is done in a committee or group setting or not really depends on your interview batch. This is normally done for OCR / campus hiring
  • Hiring quotas for this year should have already been settled, so the fact that you are being interviewed means there are slots

Hope this helps to quench your curiosity!

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Anonymous A on Feb 01, 2023

Thanks Benjamin for the detailed response and for responding to my intrigue — a bit different from what I expected but interesting nonetheless!

Benjamin on Feb 01, 2023

Most welcome. I saw your other comment above. The firm wide ATS is there and it is being used. But ultimately what is the objective? The objective is to ensure the candidate gets a fair, objective and aligned result. Sometimes, if the result needs to be given super time critically, a call is more efficient in getting the results from the interviewers, than waiting for them to key it into the ATS. It's keyed in after anyway, but that doesnt change the outcome

Dennis
Expert
Content Creator
replied on Jan 31, 2023
Ex-Roland Berger|Project Manager and Recruiter|7+ years of consulting experience in USA and Europe

Hi there,

fingers crossed that you'll get positive news.

There is typically a formal alignment and review meeting between the interviewers and HR team before candidates are notified about any decisions. This is a chance for the firm to assess a candidate's performance in relation to other applicants in the pipeline and to also discuss potential differences in interviewer opinion - e.g. whether or not to extend an offer to a certain candidate. 

Especially when you have a lot of partners among the interviewers, scheduling conflicts are pretty common which then is a bottleneck and can cause a delay before you receive the official feedback. 

Best of luck

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Ian
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updated an answer on Feb 01, 2023
#1 BCG coach | MBB | Tier 2 | Digital, Tech, Platinion | 100% personal success rate (8/8) | 95% candidate success rate

It doesn't matter.

You have 0 control over this and nothing you do will change it.

I'm sorry to be so direct but that is just the truth! You've given it your best and now you just have to wait.

But, don't wait. Push forward on things you can control!

Network with other companies. Apply to other jobs. Keep case prepping.

Que sera sera

P.S.  They normally have to actually meet with each other to make a final decision (comparing notes/thoughts etc). They also have to consider your application in the context of the pipeline and the other applicants.

(edited)

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Anonymous A on Feb 01, 2023

Thanks for the response there! I'm actually quite chill about it since I do have alternative offers but have always been curious about how it works behind the scenes tbh!

Cristian
Expert
Content Creator
replied on Jan 31, 2023
#1 rated MBB & McKinsey Coach

Hi there, 

Congrats for getting so far into the process and hope you hear from them with positive news soon!

Basically, after every round, the interviewers connect with each other and take a decision on whether to progress you to the next round or extend you an offer. This is where the delay come from usually, since they need to find a time after your interview when they can all connect over a short call or meeting. 

Then you receive a call from one of your interviewers. They inform you of the decision they've made and then provide you with some feedback. 

Best,

Cristian

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Anonymous A on Jan 31, 2023

Thanks for that! However, if my final round only had 1 interview, may I know whether he/she needs to confer with the first round interviewer before making a decision?

Cristian on Jan 31, 2023

She might, yes. Or she might discuss it with HR before communicating the decision.

Anonymous A on Jan 31, 2023

That's interesting to hear! I'd have thought that they have a company-wide ATS to submit and view feedback/decisions without the need to call/email.

Moritz
Expert
Content Creator
replied on Jan 31, 2023
ex-McKinsey EM & Interviewer | 7/8 offer rate for 4+ sessions | 90min sessions with FREE exercises & videos

Hi there,

This is pretty straight forward. Since you're not actually passing individual interviews, but rather interview rounds, all interviewers get together after a round to discuss the candidate.

Sure, there's information collected through an internal system but it's by no means automated and every candidate is given a few minutes in the discussion.

Hope this helps. Best of luck!

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Alberto
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updated an answer on Nov 30, 2023
Ex-McKinsey Associate Partner | +15 years in consulting | +200 McKinsey 1st & 2nd round interviews

Hi there,

All first and second round recruiters gather together to take the final hiring decision. They will look for consensus and anyone has voice to veto your progress to next round. Recruiter is also present in the decision call to make sure everyone has equal weight in the final decision.

You can check how the recruiting process works from an internal MBB perspective here: https://www.preplounge.com/en/articles/mbb-hiring-hacks-behind-the-curtain-secrets

Best,

Alberto

Check out my latest case based on a real MBB interview: Sierra Springs

(edited)

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