Get Active in Our Amazing Community of Over 448,000 Peers!

Schedule mock interviews on the Meeting Board, join the latest community discussions in our Consulting Q&A and find like-minded Case Partners to connect and practice with!

Got rejected after McKinsey final round but partner asked me to reapply in 12 months?

Final Round McKinsey
New answer on Dec 27, 2020
9 Answers
1.3 k Views
Anonymous A asked on Dec 24, 2020

Just found out I didn't get the offer, which was heartbreaking. However, the partner who told me the bad news also specifically said 'this is not a turn down' and they would like to see me reapply in 12 months if I am still interested.

Is this told to everyone? If I reapply in 12 months, will I get an interview again, or will it just depend on the cohort/luck etc.? And how should I let HR know I was told this, if this isn't told to everyone who gets rejected?

Many thanks!

Overview of answers

Upvotes
  • Upvotes
  • Date ascending
  • Date descending
Best answer
Francesco
Expert
Content Creator
replied on Dec 24, 2020
#1 Coach for Sessions (4.000+) | 1.500+ 5-Star Reviews | Proven Success (➡ InterviewOffers.com) | Ex BCG | 10Y+ Coaching

Hi there,

I am sorry it didn’t work out. Still, it is good you have the opportunity to reapply in a timeframe shorter than usual.

Not everyone gets the opportunity to apply again in 12 months. The standard ban is 18-24 months, so 12 months means your performance was ok but not good enough for an offer now.

There is no guarantee that if you reapply you will get the interview though. It will depend on your new application.

You can write a thank you note to HR, mentioning when you want to apply “between lines” (“As discussed with Partner XXX, I will be eager to reapply in 12 months). Although as mentioned, it is not a guarantee of a new interview.

Hope this helps,

Francesco

Was this answer helpful?
Ken
Expert
updated an answer on Jan 08, 2021
Ex-McKinsey final round interviewer | Executive Coach

Sorry to hear that it didn't work out this time round... but being encouraged to reapply is always good thing although I wouldn't read into it too much as partner/interviewers are not consistent with how encouraging they are when turning down candidates.

There's no need to follow up with HR on this as they will know and frankly, they will have know the truth on how strongly your interviewers felt about you and will most likely follow up with you accordingly next year.

Unfortunately there's no assurance of whether you will be invited directly to interview or not (there are cases where candidates are invited directly to final round) but if you feel strongly about McKinsey then I would keep in close contact with the partner and HR.

(edited)

Was this answer helpful?
Ian
Expert
Content Creator
replied on Dec 24, 2020
#1 BCG coach | MBB | Tier 2 | Digital, Tech, Platinion | 100% personal success rate (8/8) | 95% candidate success rate

Hi there,

This is not told to everyone.

If you re-apply in 12 months you are not gaurenteed to get an interview. However, the odds are higher than a "regular" application.

When you do re-apply, make sure you've make progress in your career/skills. Furthermore, figure out why you didn't get the offer. Work hard to fix your weaknesses and definitely consider hiring a coach to help you with this!

Was this answer helpful?
Adi
Expert
Content Creator
replied on Dec 24, 2020
Accenture, Deloitte | Precision Case Prep | Experienced Interviewer & Career Coach | 15 years professional experience

Ah so close! Sorry to hear this. Did they give specific feedback? Close the loop with HR as other coaches have suggested.

You can reapply for sure but have other options going in parallel as well.

Was this answer helpful?
Vlad
Expert
replied on Dec 24, 2020
McKinsey / Accenture Alum / Got all BIG3 offers / Harvard Business School

Hi,

It really depends on how well you calibrate the tone of a person.

I would definitely reapply, reaching out directly to that partner and to HR mentioning this fact.

Best

Was this answer helpful?
Clara
Expert
Content Creator
replied on Dec 25, 2020
McKinsey | Awarded professor at Master in Management @ IE | MBA at MIT |+180 students coached | Integrated FIT Guide aut

Hi there,

Sorry to hear about that, I know it feels heartbreaking.

However, this is not what so ever told to everyone, this means that you still had a strong performance.

Keep in touch with the firm, and do re-apply mentioning it in 1 year. Sometimes you would even skip steps.

Best and happy holidays,

Clara

Was this answer helpful?
Gaurav
Expert
Content Creator
replied on Dec 24, 2020
Ex-Mckinsey|Certified Career Coach |Placed 500+ candidates at MBB & other consultancies

Hi, I am sorry to hear about it.

I would take partner's words as a good sign and definetely reaply in 12 months, because at the end, the majority of people who get rejected don't get any feedack at all.

However, your future interview is not guarateed and if I were you, I would use this time to work on my skills, prepare better, and update my CV and cover letter, so that the HRs invite you because they want to, not because they promised you a year ago.

Hope it helps and good luck!

GB

Was this answer helpful?
Antonello
Expert
Content Creator
replied on Dec 27, 2020
McKinsey | NASA | top 10 FT MBA professor for consulting interviews | 6+ years of coaching

Hi,

They don't tell that to everyone.

McK give its applicants different degrees of rejection feedback. The invitation to reapply in 12 months is one of the three different rejection feedback.

Hope it helps.

Best,

Antonello

Was this answer helpful?
Anonymous replied on Dec 24, 2020

Hi,

I would still consider it as an opportunity if you are still interested to McKinsey. However, I would manage expectation as there will be no guarantee as it really depends on your appplicaiton and the situation in 12 months.

I would give a closure by sending a thank you note to HR and summarizing the discussions with the Partner.

Best,

Iman

Was this answer helpful?
9
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