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Delay in job start Mckinsey

Job offer McKinsey
New answer on Mar 14, 2023
9 Answers
1.5 k Views
Anonymous A asked on Mar 13, 2023

I scheduled to have final round soon. As i received good feedback overall, i am really confident that i will receive offer.

So i have question about delaying offer:

Hiring process took a lot of time, there was some hiring freeze for my role. In mean time i accepted another offer (starts in April) from industry with super interesting project. When i receive offer soon, should i postpone it for 9 months (i estimated the duration of industry project) or should i accept whatever start date Mckinsey offers?

Ideally i want to finish project because it offers unique experience and also i see it as my last project before switching to consultancy. 

Is it ok to delay start date for more than 6 months?

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Best answer
Hagen
Expert
Content Creator
updated an answer on Mar 13, 2023
#1 Bain coach | >95% success rate | interviewer for 8+ years | mentor and coach for 7+ years

Hi there,

First of all, congratulations on the progress thus far in the application process!

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

  • First of all, I think you have found yourself in a rather unfortunate situation here.
  • Moreover, while you can technically delay the start date in strategy consulting by more than six months, you might want to consider how this will look on your resume, with only 9+ months of experience with a regular company before entering strategy consulting, before you make a decision.

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

(edited)

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Paul
Expert
replied on Mar 13, 2023
PL-level BCG experience (6 years)|Interviewer at BCG| 6/6 personal + 95%+ candidates offer success rate

Hi there,

confirm also BCG has no issue in postponing offers.

Just be tactful and precise in your communication vs. HR on why you think this is best for everyone.

 

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Dennis
Expert
Content Creator
replied on Mar 13, 2023
Ex-Roland Berger|Project Manager and Recruiter|7+ years of consulting experience in USA and Europe

Hi there,

it is often possible to delay the start date of up to a year even when you receive a full-time offer from a consulting firm. You just have to talk about it with their HR team and align on what makes sense.

Good luck

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Petros
Expert
replied on Mar 13, 2023
BCG consultant, ex-Goldman Sachs | Free Intro Session! | personalized preparation plan | >90% candidate success rate

It is totally ok to do that, as long as you have a valid reason; in my case, I joined BCG as an experienced candidate and asked to delay my start date by 4 months due to wanting to receive my annual bonus from my previous firm; they understood the rationale and the firm was happy to oblige, as I am sure will be the case for you in McKinsey

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ALEXANDRE
Expert
replied on Mar 13, 2023
FREE INTRO I exMcKinsey EM I exKearney consultant I High Success Rate I Official Coach for HEC (160 coachees in 2022/23)

Hi,

At McKinsey it's quite easy to postpone, one of my contact postponed during 1 year…

When they make an offer to a canditate it means they really want to have him/her.

So just waith for the offer and then just be honest with HR to see if they're ok. If they say they're not their offer will still be available as long as you say ok to the date they propose.

McKinsey has really an “adult” way of discussiing with candidate, so just open the discussion.

Cheers,

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Andreas
Expert
replied on Mar 14, 2023
McKinsey EM | Top MBB Coach | >70% Success Rate | Free Introductory Calls

Hi there,

as long as you start within 1 year from the date you received the offer, you should be fine. 

Best regards,

Andreas

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Cristian
Expert
Content Creator
replied on Mar 13, 2023
#1 rated MBB & McKinsey Coach

Hi there, 

Interesting situation. 

Yes, it's ok to delay the start date, especially if you happen to be applying for a larger office and generalist role. 

However, you might not have to be concerned about that anyway. Because of the current economic situation, most start dates have been postponed anyway. Some of my candidates who have received MBB offers recently have their start date scheduled 6-9 months from now and I've even heard of non-MBB firms scheduling start dates in 12-18 months from when they gave the offer to the candidate. 

In short, don't worry about it for now

Let me also share with you here two articles that would be super relevant for you in terms of understanding how the industry works:

Best,

Cristian

 

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Francesco
Expert
Content Creator
replied on Mar 14, 2023
#1 Coach for Sessions (4.000+) | 1.500+ 5-Star Reviews | Proven Success (➡ InterviewOffers.com) | Ex BCG | 10Y+ Coaching

Hi there,

Q: Is it ok to delay the start date for more than 6 months?

McKinsey is usually quite flexible with the start date, although it also depends on the positions and their needs for that. 

If you get the offer, the best thing is to check with HR after that. I helped candidates who joined more than 1 year after the offer, but again, there could be differences due to the specific needs of the office.

Best,

Francesco

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Ian
Expert
Content Creator
replied on Mar 14, 2023
#1 BCG coach | MBB | Tier 2 | Digital, Tech, Platinion | 100% personal success rate (8/8) | 95% candidate success rate

Hi there,

Totally ok to delay!

Please just make sure to communicate this in a professional and courteous way. They should be fine with the delay, especially with the current pipeline!

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