Hi,
is it possible that MBB firms blacklist candidates permanently, so that their applications will not be considered for the rest of their life?
- Have you ever heard of/witnessed such an incidence?
- What could be reasons for doing this?
- Who decides about this? Can HR do it on their own?
Thanks.
Hi,
Excluding some serious matters, you shouldn't worry too much about this. They won't blacklist you if you don't perform well during your interview process!
MBB have their own way of providing feedback on applicants, which is not "blacklisting" but rather an indication that the candidate might not be ready yet.
Good luck,
Antonello
At McKinsey, there is a tick box in the candidate scoring around "did the candidate show any ethical concerns?". Such cases are rarely raised but I have been part of a few final round decision meetings where interviewers have flaged something a candidate said or behaved which raises concerns. This is something that recruiters are expected to call out as well when interacting with candidates as well as non-interviewing consultants when having coffee chats/dinners etc. as part of the recruiting process.
I presume common across MBBs where professional standards is hugely important and there is no compromise made.
Hi,
I never heard of this actually. What I know is that if you failed on your first try then you will be in a blackout period for 1-2 year (depends on the firm/office). If you try again post blackout period and fail again with no/little improvement from your first result then probability is the next time you apply (after another blackout period), your application will be deprioritized.
If this is what happen, I don't think you should worry, it just means consulting is not for you and there are many other fields that can be as fullfilling.
If you've applied before and have interacted with anyone from recruiting, they've probably written some notes down next to your name. I'm not sure there's a "blacklist" checkbox but probably a field for decision and reason for decision.
If you've had an interview, then there's for sure a lot of information there which will indicate if they would be interested in seeing you in the future again or not.
If it's anybody other than a recruiter, unlikely that anything was recording.
Sorry to share the bad news, but if you're asking this question, it could be that consulting is not for you.
Happy to share more if you're still interested.
Allen
Hello!
In case of a very serious red flag (e.g., something ethical, perhaps racist, sexist...) yes.
However, seems you are asking in terms of performance. There, you can be calm.
Hope it helps!
Cheers,
Clara
Hi,
The story below does not look like a serious issue. The fact that she approved your resume but then it got rejected is also common. In fact, she looked at it and said that you could apply, but it did now automatically guarantee that your resume would pass. I don't believe you have any lifetime ban
Best
Hi there,
Looking at your comments to other coaches responses I can assure you that, if the story is indeed told accurately, you are more certainly not banned.
You decided not to talk to a few people in a room prior to a very intense interview? This is perfectly acceptable (and, mind you, not entirely abnormal either!).
Good news: You have not been blacklisted permanently. Bad news: You are still getting rejected...review your cv, cover letter, experiences, and networking to see what you can do differently to get invited
Hi there, as it was said before, there is no such thing as an actual "blacklist", but there is a blackout period which lasts 1-2 years. Best, GB
Hi Antonello, thank you very much for your response. I had been interviewed with McKinsey (in a Central European office) over 2 years ago. I admit that I bombed the 1st round interviews because I was noticably underprepared. Though, there was also an incidence shortly before the interview which I really regret: there were some people sitting around a table and I was not sure whether these were applicants as well (also, this was a period where I was having permanent social anxiety resulting from some mental health issues), and instead of joining them I preferred to sit alone at the table next to them in order to take a deep breath for the last few minutes before the interview. The recruiter and the interviewers were walking by and saw this. I joined them once the recruiter asked me to because she wanted to welcome us and make a brief introduction. After the rejection, I kept applying to other offices immediately without knowing that the ban is global, but I received rejection because I was probably flagged in the system. Recently, I contacted a recruiter from the same country with whom I had been in touch since then, and she was so nice to offer me to have an informal look at my CV in order to tell me whether I should reapply (I did not tell her the incidence above, but she told me by herself that nobody gets black- or redlisted or whatsoever). After a few days, she encouraged me to apply online, which I did. But a few days ago I received a rejection. This, and the reasons above, is why I am anxious that I am permanently banned from applying at McKinsey. Meanwhile I work for another consulting firm (started c. 9 months ago) and applied to other MBB and Tier2 as well. Is the above a serious enough matter to blacklist me permanently, and is there a way to find this out? I would really like to re-apply at McKinsey in the future.
(edited)
Hi, I do not consider it a serious matter for a lifetime ban. Feel free to text me to understand together actionable next steps.