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How long does the recruiting process for a senior consultant role typically take?

MBB recruiting seniorconsultant
New answer on May 13, 2020
7 Answers
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Anonymous A asked on Mar 25, 2020

See my question above. Thanks in advance!

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Anonymous replied on May 13, 2020

Dear A

This is highly individual and depends on the region and the common practices. In Germany for example, all recruiting rounds happens just in one day, while in other regions they may go round by round. So, normally it may take 1-4 weeks for CV screening, then you get invited and have 2-6 weeks for preparation for your interview day (it all depends on the availability and schedule of the firm), and then there are 2-3 rounds, where you would be selected. In the shortest way it takes 3-4 weeks, in the longest run - 3 or even more months. Now with a "corona" the whole process was significantly slowed down. Just bare this in mind.

If you need any help or assistance, just drop me a line.

Best,
André

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Clara
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replied on Mar 26, 2020
McKinsey | Awarded professor at Master in Management @ IE | MBA at MIT |+180 students coached | Integrated FIT Guide aut

Hello!

It depends on:

  • Geography: some offices are faster than others
  • Timings: some offices have "cycles", others do ongoing recruiting
  • Recruiting channel: is not the same if you come from the in-campus MBA recruiting of a target school than if you apply online

Furthermore, with the current situation of COVID-19, processes are being totally alterated and put on hold in some ocasions.

Cheers,

Clara

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Anonymous replied on Apr 05, 2020

Depends on which recruting pipeline you are going through.

  • If you are going through campus recruiting, it should be pretty fast within 1-2 months
  • Otherwise it is really case by case, depending on many facotrs e.g. how desperate the firm is in need for people, how many candidates are in the pipeline, etc. It can take up to 6 months...With the current COVID19 situation, it might be even more fluid.

Best,

Emily

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Antonello
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replied on Mar 26, 2020
McKinsey | NASA | top 10 FT MBA professor for consulting interviews | 6+ years of coaching

Hi, it depends on the office and on the period. Now, in particular, the timings are expanded, therefore I recommend applying as soon as possible (the whole process can take even 3 months, from the application to the offer).

Best,
Antonello

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Robert
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replied on Mar 26, 2020
McKinsey offers w/o final round interviews - 100% risk-free - 10+ years MBB coaching experience - Multiple book author

Hi Anonymous,

Once you are outside the traditional hiring path, it really depends on the situation and the range is huge. (Average numbers won't help you - for you only 1 case is relevant, which is your own..)

I saw partners of a tier-2 company applying at McKinsey for AP level with total duration between initial contact and signing the offer of approx. 6 months - but that was certainly an extreme case which involved lots of logistical issues to bring the right partners together in 1 location (yes, pre-COVID19 that was usual ..) and in addition they brought along a full team, which definitely increased complexity of the process.

At the same time I saw extreme cases on the other end of the spectrum for experienced hires, which were done in 3 weeks from start to end.

Hope that helps to give you some more idea about those processes - if so, please give it a thumbs-up with the green upvote button below!

Robert

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Francesco
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replied on Mar 26, 2020
#1 Coach for Sessions (4.000+) | 1.500+ 5-Star Reviews | Proven Success (➡ InterviewOffers.com) | Ex BCG | 10Y+ Coaching

Hi there,

it really depends on the geography, role and company you are targeting – I know people who stayed in the process for more than 6 months (Strategy& Middle East is notorious for that).

Most of the time though you can expect few weeks between each of the steps (application, invitation, first round, final round). Right now in many countries the process is frozen or delayed due to the virus though.

If you can share details on the company/location it could be helpful to provide a more proper answer.

Best,

Francesco

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Daniel
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replied on Mar 25, 2020
McKinsey / ex-Interviewer at McKinsey / I will coach you to rock those interviews

What do you mean under "recruiting process"? HR at MBB answers pretty fast (like 1 or 2 weeks max) –> and then you just need to schedule your interview. Usually, they are very flexible in scheduling, however in times of corona a lot of interviews are getting moved to summer now.

Best,
Daniel

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Anonymous A on Mar 25, 2020

like from the initial application, throughout all the rounds until you get the offer

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