Decision call after the final round at McKinsey

Interview McKinsey McKinsey & Company McKinsey 2nd Round
New answer on Nov 30, 2023
7 Answers
4.0 k Views
Anonymous A asked on Sep 07, 2022

Hello all,

I had a final interview with McKinsey yesterday and got an email saying the interviewer (partner) wants to tell me the result directly via zoom call (not a phone call because I am in a different country than the office I applied to).
Actually this is the same situation as the last final round for intern selection. Last year I applied to an intern position and after the final round I got the same email. During the Zoom call, she, from HR and not an interviewer, told me that I did not make it but should reapply for the full-time position next year.

I know that I bombed up in the math part this time, so I think this will be a rejection call.

I still hold some hope though, so I will be very depressed after being informed of rejection….

Why do they make a rejection call? and do you have similar experience?


Thank you for your time.

Overview of answers

Upvotes
  • Upvotes
  • Date ascending
  • Date descending
Best answer
Francesco
Expert
Content Creator
replied on Sep 07, 2022
#1 Coach for Sessions (4.500+) | 1.500+ 5-Star Reviews | Proven Success (➡ interviewoffers.com) | Ex BCG | 10Y+ Coaching

Hi there,

1) Why do they make a rejection call? 

The reasons why they usually make a call after a rejection is:

  1. To provide feedback
  2. To communicate that one additional interview is needed (sometimes they do so at McKinsey when the performance in the final is borderline) or the opportunity to apply earlier than the standard ban
  3. To show that they care (it takes more effort to make a call than to send an email). McKinsey is one of the few companies that really pays attention to timely and professional feedback after interviews

Hopefully this won’t be a rejection call though.

Good luck!

Francesco

Was this answer helpful?
Anonymous A on Sep 09, 2022

Thank you for your response! What I heard first in the zoom meeting was “welcome to McKinsey”! The interviewer told me that the miscalculation in the math part did not ruin the whole interview and my answers were well structured. Once again, I appreciate your response as it lifted my mind before the meeting. Thank you very much.

Francesco on Sep 09, 2022

Very happy to hear that, congratulations! All the best for your new job!

Alberto
Expert
Content Creator
replied on Nov 30, 2023
Ex-McKinsey Associate Partner | +15 years in consulting | +200 McKinsey 1st & 2nd round interviews
Was this answer helpful?
Florian
Expert
Content Creator
replied on Sep 07, 2022
Highest-rated McKinsey coach (ratings, offers, sessions) | 500+ offers | Author of The 1% & Consulting Career Secrets

Hey there,

I guess you are the same person from the other question thread so I want to reiterate my points:

One fuck up or miscalculation is definitely not the end on the road to a McKinsey offer.


What is more important:

  • How did the rest of the case go? Did you show enough spikes in other areas of the case to justify an offer?
  • Was this an isolated mistake in math or could interviewers find commonalities in weak math performance across interviews?
  • How did you handle the situation after you were made aware of the mistake? Did you move on confidently or did you continue in a worse shape than before?

That being said, it could go both ways now. Fingers crossed for a positive outcome and keep us in the loop.

Cheers,

Florian

Was this answer helpful?
Anonymous A on Sep 09, 2022

Thank you for your response! What I heard first in the zoom meeting was “welcome to McKinsey”! The interviewer told me that the miscalculation in the math part did not ruin the whole interview and my answers were well structured. Once again, I appreciate your response as it lifted my mind before the meeting. Thank you very much.

Emily
Expert
Content Creator
replied on Sep 07, 2022
Ex McKinsey EM & interviewer (5 yrs) USA & UK| Coached / interviewed 300 +|Free 15 min intro| Stanford MBA|Non-trad

You have no idea if it’s a rejection call - or an offer call! Partners almost always cal to give the outcome - I’ve got everything crossed for you! 

Was this answer helpful?
Anonymous A on Sep 09, 2022

Thank you for your response! What I heard first in the zoom meeting was “welcome to McKinsey”! The interviewer told me that the miscalculation in the math part did not ruin the whole interview and my answers were well structured. Once again, I appreciate your response as it lifted my mind before the meeting. Thank you very much.

Ian
Expert
Content Creator
replied on Sep 07, 2022
#1 BCG coach | MBB | Tier 2 | Digital, Tech, Platinion | 100% personal success rate (8/8) | 95% candidate success rate

Hi there,

You honestly don't know that it will be a rejection call.

It might be an offer call. If it's a rejection call, it's because they still like you and think you're a strong candidate (and will encourage you to re-apply).

Fingers crossed for you!

Was this answer helpful?
Anonymous A on Sep 09, 2022

Thank you for your response! What I heard first in the zoom meeting was “welcome to McKinsey”! The interviewer told me that the miscalculation in the math part did not ruin the whole interview and my answers were well structured. Once again, I appreciate your response as it lifted my mind before the meeting. Thank you very much.

Sofia
Expert
replied on Sep 07, 2022
Top-Ranked Coach on PrepLounge for 3 years| McKinsey San Francisco | Harvard graduate | 6+ years of coaching

Hello,

At McKinsey it is typical to have the interviewer who interviewed you in the final round call back to give you the results, regardless of the outcome. So there is absolutely no reason to assume this is a rejection. Even if you feel like you bombed the math part, you will be evaluated on your performance overall, so that does not guarantee that you will be rejected either. I know the wait can be frustrating, but there's no reason to assume anything at this stage. Fingers crossed!

Was this answer helpful?
Anonymous A on Sep 09, 2022

Thank you for your response! What I heard first in the zoom meeting was “welcome to McKinsey”! The interviewer told me that the miscalculation in the math part did not ruin the whole interview and my answers were well structured. Once again, I appreciate your response as it lifted my mind before the meeting. Thank you very much.

Sofia on Sep 27, 2022

That is excellent new, congratulations!!!

Lucie
Expert
Content Creator
replied on Sep 07, 2022
10+yrs recruiting & BCG Project leader

Very hard to say, but if Partner calls it probably a good news, somehow can imagine Partner calling to all rejected plus on zoom they can eventually share screen to share the offer… so let's hope!

Please keep us posted!

Was this answer helpful?

Was this answer helpful?
Anonymous A on Sep 09, 2022

Thank you for your response! What I heard first in the zoom meeting was “welcome to McKinsey”! The interviewer told me that the miscalculation in the math part did not ruin the whole interview and my answers were well structured. Once again, I appreciate your response as it lifted my mind before the meeting. Thank you very much.

Francesco gave the best answer

Francesco

Content Creator
#1 Coach for Sessions (4.500+) | 1.500+ 5-Star Reviews | Proven Success (➡ interviewoffers.com) | Ex BCG | 10Y+ Coaching
4,522
Meetings
44,948
Q&A Upvotes
392
Awards
5.0
1618 Reviews
How likely are you to recommend us to a friend or fellow student?
0
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
10
0 = Not likely
10 = Very likely