How long after BCG referral should I hear back? (US Undergrad Full-time recruitment)

Question

For some context, I'm in my final year of undergrad, US, non-target school (graduation Spring 2021). Networked with tons of people in MBB before application, but applied to BCG in Fall 2020 for full-time without a referral (I didn't ask anyone...). Got rejected immediately.

This past week, I heard from a contact that BCG is reopening applications, and they offered to give me a referral. After I received an email that I have been referred to BCG by ____, I turned in my online application following the link from the email.

Turned in the application last week. Got an automatic follow-up to fill out an "Application survey" 3 days later.

My question is: how long should I expect before I hear back? This will determine my plans for the summer, my application for grad schools, whether I should ramp up casing. Do you think I even have a chance to get a first-round?

Answer 1

Hi there,

In terms of hearing back, it is really difficult to predict exactly as it depends on the office needs and recruiting pipeline, but I would expect a range between few days and 4 weeks.

If you have not heard anything after 4 weeks, you can reach out to your contact or HR with the excuse that you want to check if they received everything correctly.

In terms of having a chance to get the interview, I helped someone recently with a similar background (not target school, applied via referral in the US) and he got both McK and BCG invitations. However, that depends on your specific experiences and CV as well.

Best,
Francesco

Answer 2

Hi there,

You may have to wait anywhere from days to weeks. In fact, I've even had candidates who didn't hear back for months.

My advice: always plan as if you require a backup. Even if you get a BCG interview, the odds that you actually get an offer are low. You absolutely need to be preparing now for BOTH an interview AND your contingency plan (i.e. other jobs, grad schools etc). Never put all your eggs in one (highly competitive) basket my friend!

Answer 3

Hello!

Congrats, that is a good 1st step.

You will hear back in 1-3 weeks most likely. If you don´t, makes sense to follow up.

Hope it helps!

Cheers,

Clara

Answer 4

Hi there,

the waiting time is very random. Make sure it's not the only process going on, otherwise you end up thinking about one thing all the time.

GB

Answer 5

Hi, it can request up to 4 weeks. In the meanwhile, I recommend texting HR without worrying about bothering them. They are there to help

Best
Antonello

Answer 6

You'll probably hear back within a few weeks. I would not worry for anything less than 4 weeks. If you want to check, I would recommend to rach out to the person that gave you a referral to follow-up with recruiting. That way you don't come accross as too pushy.

Answer 7

Hey there,

Referrals can take a while depending on the recruiting cycle. I'd wait up for a month, then reach out.

If you have a more urgent request, call them right away.

Cheers,

Florian

Answer 8

Hello,

Any time between a couple of days to a month or so is fairly normal. Best of luck!