Downgrade during interviews

Question

Hi,

for the case that you are interviewed for a certain position at MBB and you are told after the first round that they would like you to proceed to the second round of interviews but would downgrade you to a lower position, I would like to ask for your advice.

How and when should you respond and react, esp. if you do not wish to accept this downgrade?
Should you mention this in the feedback call after the first round or after you potentially receive the offer? (Downgrade info came from Recruiting in the confirmatory call but not from one of the Interviewers with whom you would have the feedback call)
What are the odds of being successful with this?

I understand that the firm can have various reasons, such as they believe one needs more time, doesn't meet the requirements, potentially have better candidates for the higher position and wish to fill lower positions, or gamble to save some money. I'm less interested in the reasons why they do but more in my response while avoiding them withdrawing the offer since I would like to join that particular practice.

Answer 1

Hi there,

1) How and when should you respond and react, esp. if you do not wish to accept this downgrade?

The only possible (but not probable) way you may have to negotiate the original position is if you do exceptionally well in the other interviews and get an offer from a direct competitor for the equivalent position to leverage. However, it would be very difficult to have them to reconsider the proposal even in that case.

In the meantime, I would ask for feedback on the reasons for the downgrade.

After you get an offer, you could also negotiate (again if possible leveraging an offer from a competitor) the seniority of the position. You may be able to join the original position after 6-12 months in the lower one, which should not be a big issue.

2) Should you mention this in the feedback call after the first round or after you potentially receive the offer? (Downgrade info came from Recruiting in the confirmatory call but not from one of the Interviewers with whom you would have the feedback call)

You can ask for the reasons for the downgrade in the feedback call. I would negotiate once you get the offer.

3) What are the odds of being successful with this?

Not very high. The stronger the opportunity cost you have (ie offer from a competitor) the higher. The best negotiation is done when the other part knows you can easily walk away without losing much.

Good luck!

Francesco

Answer 2

Hi there,

usually MBB tell you that you interview for position A or B depending on your performance during the interview. If they like you but they still see you are not fully ready for position B they offer position A (actually this happens a lot). There no chance to negotiate position B, so if you are happy to go for it, just let them know. The only thing you could try to negotiate or at least to request, what seniority you will get, as you could negotiate, for example start with a 1 year of seniority rather than from scratch, which will allow you to get open for promotion faster.

Good luck,

Lucie

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Answer 3

Hi there,

If they suggest that, they probably have a very good reason for it. Try and understand why, as well as what is gap that you would need to close to be considered for the role you were interested initially. If anything, it's good news that they like you and believe you have sufficient potential to join them, only not at the level that you were originally considering.

Best,

Cristian

Answer 4

Hi there,

This is exactly a reason to invest in coaching! Unfortunately you either didn't perform well enough in the interview, or your background wasn't compelling enough (normally the former can be the tie-breaker). Imagine spending just $1k in coaching to get double the salary!

How and when should you respond and react, esp. if you do not wish to accept this downgrade?

You can either accept and continue, or not accept and not continue. They're unlikely to budge. If you really won't interview with the lower role, tell them as you may as well try!

Ultimately, you need to perform better on your interviews. You might be able to convince them to put you in a higher role if you ask them for a bit more time to prepare for interviews (tell them you had a short runway). Then, hire a coach.

Should you mention this in the feedback call after the first round or after you potentially receive the offer? (Downgrade info came from Recruiting in the confirmatory call but not from one of the Interviewers with whom you would have the feedback call)

No. This feedback came from the interviewer….the recruiter is just the messenger.

What are the odds of being successful with this?

Very low. You need to shine in interviews so make sure to figure out why you were middle of the pack and figure out how to ace the case (again, it sounds like coaching would be a very wise investment for you)

Here's some reading to shift your mindset a bit: https://www.preplounge.com/en/articles/how-to-shift-your-mindset-to-ace-the-case

Answer 5

Hi, sorry to hear about this. However, congrats, as you advanced to the next phase and that is what really matters.

I will give you my take on each of your questions:

1. & 3. Your chances of negotiating back up are low. Any firm should be aware of how risky it is to “downgrade” an applicant‘s position, and they probably would only do it as a last alternative. You can try to negotiate back up, and I don’t see much risk of that playing against you unless you do it too aggressively, but, as said, I would keep in mind that chances of success are low.

2. Definitely do mention in the feedback

Finally, I‘d advise you to be long-term oriented in your approach and weight Firm > Position

Hope it helps and I am happy to discuss it in detail!

Answer 6

I agree with the majority of what everyone has said so far but I would try and get more clarity what that downgrade looks like e.g., most firms have the entry level position (e.g., BA/AC) and then the post MBA position (e.g., Associate/Consultant). If your profile is somewhere in between (e.g., ~2 years experience) they might have downgraded you.

But then there is room for negotiation here, e.g., could you come in as a 3rd year analyst instead of a 1st year, where time to promotion is a year or 18 months.

I've know multiple people in London and the Middle East that have done this, especially in the channel between entry level and post mba.

Happy to jump on a call to chat if helpful :)

Answer 7

This is a “take it or leave it” situation. Either you accept to recruit for the lower position or you won't progress to the next round.

I urge you to consider two things:

1. If they think you are unprepared for the higher role, that means that your chances of being successful even if you are recruited are thought to be low. You probably don't want to be in that position anyway.

2. In the grand scheme of things, it means losing one year but getting into a fast track career. In other words, it is not that relevant. You have a slight short term loss and a very high long term gain. If you think long term, this should be a “no-brainer” unless you already have something better, which is unlikely.

Answer 8

Hello!

This is an interesting case tbh, I haven´t heard about this happening in a downgrade direction in the middle of the case interviews.

I would say that you don´t have a choice, either you accept the downgrade or you are officially or unofficially out of the procces.

Those decisions are made as a firm, so don´t think about 2 teams (recruiting and partners) and working with one and not the other.

Furthermore, and even without knowing the details of your profile and the placement, I would say they know best, and there would be a good reason for the change. The 1st person who is not interested in being placed in a role that is not the right one is yourself.

Hope it helps!

Cheers,

Clara