Getting anxious of waiting after final interview--to follow up or not?

Advisory associate consultant big four Final Round followup Partner Interview
New answer on Oct 30, 2023
8 Answers
7.5 k Views
Anonymous A asked on Sep 29, 2021

Hello,

I had my final interview with a partner at one of the big4 consulting firms for an advisory consulting position. 

It went really well and the partner told me she will speak with HR and get back to me but can't promise anything just yet because the approvals take a while. She also said the team is very excited at the prospect of me joining them.

It has been two weeks (10 business days) and I haven't heard back from them yet. At this point, I am starting to get very anxious.

Do I actively start applying at other firms or follow up with the partner and ask her for an update. I don't want to come off as too pushy.

PS: I already sent her a thank you email after our interview asking her about a tentative timeline and she told me she will speak to the HR and let me know. Haven't heard anything from the company after.

 

Update: Thanks for all your helpful responses. I did end up deciding to wait for another week but heard back with the offer on the 13th business day! In hindsight, I am glad I waited. Cheers! :)

(edited)

Overview of answers

Upvotes
  • Upvotes
  • Date ascending
  • Date descending
Best answer
Florian
Expert
Content Creator
replied on Sep 29, 2021
Highest-rated McKinsey coach (ratings, offers, sessions) | 500+ offers | Author of The 1% & Consulting Career Secrets

Hey there,

I believe in your situation all indicators are green and positive + they already told you in advance that it might take a while.

Hence, I would stay put for now and give them another week or two to sort things out internally, then reach out.

It does never hurt, however, to look for alternatives meanwhile.

Fingers crossed that it will work out!

Cheers,

Florian

Was this answer helpful?
Antonello
Expert
Content Creator
replied on Sep 29, 2021
McKinsey | NASA | top 10 FT MBA professor for consulting interviews | 6+ years of coaching

Hi!

I would wait another week and then send a polite follow-up.

Hope this helps.

Best,

Anto

Was this answer helpful?
Slawomir
Expert
replied on Sep 29, 2021
Former McK interviewer, PhD who successfully transitioned from Academia, received offers from McK/BCG/Bain/LEK

Hello,

Sounds like your performance was strong but not hearing anything for 2 weeks would also make me start asking questions.

Before you reach out to the partner again, have you tried contacting HR directly (I imagine you had a contact person(s) that lead you through the process)? Perhaps they can shed some light on the origin of the delay (e.g. we have more excellent candidates and are still deciding vs. we only make final decisions in batches once a month and the next one comes in 3 days).

Good luck and let us know once you hear from the company!

Best,

Slawomir

Was this answer helpful?
Ian
Expert
Content Creator
updated an answer on Sep 29, 2021
#1 BCG coach | MBB | Tier 2 | Digital, Tech, Platinion | 100% personal success rate (8/8) | 95% candidate success rate

Upside benefit of reaching out now: You hear no additional information (they say, still working on it)

Downside risk of reaching out now (and more times): You annoy them and they start to doubt the offer they want to give

I'm being a bit dramatic here, but there's no reason to reach out right now! 2 weeks is not out of the ordinary, especially when she said “can't promise anything just yet because the approvals take a while. She also said the team is very excited at the prospect of me joining them.”

Practice patience here! Please wait another week before reaching out.

One other thing: Never assume you're set. It never hurts to apply to other companies until something is truly locked in.

(edited)

Was this answer helpful?
Calvin
Expert
replied on Sep 29, 2021
Experienced interviewer | Roland Berger Project Manager| Cambridge University | Super intuitive approach

2 weeks is already a while, so I think it's okay to follow up soon if you haven't done already. Looking at what you said, I think your chances are good!

And of course you can apply to other firms as well to have alternative options. 

Good luck! Let me know how it goes

Was this answer helpful?
6
Cristian
Expert
Content Creator
replied on Oct 30, 2023
#1 rated MBB & McKinsey Coach
Was this answer helpful?
Adi
Expert
Content Creator
replied on Sep 29, 2021
Accenture, Deloitte | Precision Case Prep | Experienced Interviewer & Career Coach | 15 years professional experience

For BIG4 , 2-4 weeks is a reasonable time frame to get back to you. So , please be patient and sit tight for now. Dont make any more moves in terms of nudging them, or else you might give off “I-am-desperate” vibes.

If nothing comes back for another week or so, then give them a nudge. 

And yes, by all means apply elsewhere & keep exploring. This is not a done deal until both parties sign the dotted line and contract is place.

All the best and fingers crossed for you.

Was this answer helpful?
Sofia
Expert
replied on Oct 04, 2021
Top-Ranked Coach on PrepLounge for 3 years| McKinsey San Francisco | Harvard graduate | 6+ years of coaching

Hello,

It sounds like the partner was happy with your performance, she wouldn't have said that otherwise. The time lag with recruiting really varies, and 10 business days really isn't too much time. I would recommend waiting for 1-2 more weeks and if you don't hear anything, then follow up.

Was this answer helpful?
Florian gave the best answer

Florian

Content Creator
Highest-rated McKinsey coach (ratings, offers, sessions) | 500+ offers | Author of The 1% & Consulting Career Secrets
1,129
Meetings
20,011
Q&A Upvotes
128
Awards
5.0
500 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