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How long I should wait to apply for another office

Bain BCG KPMG Mck
New answer on Nov 07, 2020
7 Answers
1.6 k Views
Zine asked on Dec 17, 2019

Hi, I applied to MBB and Big 4. No good results so far (either no reply or rejection emails). How long I should wait to apply again? I want to apply to diffrent offices next time.

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Deniz
Expert
Content Creator
replied on Dec 18, 2019
5+ Years at BCG & Kearney Dubai & Istanbul | 400+ Trainees | Free 15-min Consultation Call

Hi,

You can apply in 12 months or so. However, you can apply sooner if you can do this via a referral.

Best,

Deniz

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Luca
Expert
Content Creator
replied on Dec 17, 2019
BCG |NASA | SDA Bocconi & Cattolica partner | GMAT expert 780/800 score | 200+ students coached

Hello Zine,

To give you a realiable answer, I should know which companies didn't reply and which companies sent a rejection emails (after the interview or before starting the process?)

In general MBB are far more selective than Big 4. If you realise that your CV is not strong enough, you should apply for a tier-2 consulting company and build a stronger profile.

If you don't want to give up on the companies where you have already applied, you should go for offices less competitive. But also in this case it depends on when they stopped your process: if it was at CV screening you have some chances, otherwise I fear that you have to wait at least 1 year anyway.

Hope it helps,
Luca

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Zine on Dec 17, 2019

Mck, Bain, EY, Deloitte: rejection. For KPMG and PwC no reply still.

Zine on Dec 17, 2019

and Thank you Luca for your reply!

Daniel
Expert
Content Creator
replied on Dec 17, 2019
McKinsey / ex-Interviewer at McKinsey / I will coach you to rock those interviews

You definitely first need to wait for the reply – if you have been waiting for too long now (>2 weeks), just contact the HR and ask them about the status.

If you get rejected you need to wait for at least a year to reapply, no matter the office and geography. During this time you need to gather additional experiences, which would be impressive enough to get you invited again, for example:

  • prestigious internship or a job at a big corporate
  • cool start-up experience
  • some impressive social engagement
  • getting a new degree
  • anything else which is equally impressive

In my experience, even getting referral through your contacts doesn't speed it up – you would still need to wait for a year. However, one thing which can help if you are lucky is events – see what events are there in your region and try to apply for those. Events have a different recruiting funnel vs regular recruiting and it might be that you can slip through and get invited to the event and then, during the event, to the interview

Good luck!

Best,

Daniel

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Antonello
Expert
Content Creator
replied on Dec 17, 2019
McKinsey | NASA | top 10 FT MBA professor for consulting interviews | 6+ years of coaching

Hi Zine,
technically speaking, without a formal rejection, you could apply even now to other offices. If you would like to know instead your application status I recommend to call HR without worrying about bothering them: they are there to help.

Hope it helps,
Antonello

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Gaurav
Expert
Content Creator
updated an answer on Nov 07, 2020
Ex-Mckinsey|Certified Career Coach |Placed 500+ candidates at MBB & other consultancies

Hi Anonymous,

The standard ban period is about 1 year up to 2 years. It depends on a particular firm and the office you are applying to.

The best option would be contacting HR to figure that out.

Besides, when applying the next time, make sure that you significantly upgrade your profile and improve networking.

Do you need any further help?

GB

(edited)

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Adam
Expert
replied on Dec 17, 2019
Ex Bain/ A.T. Kearney: Principal with >10 years global consulting and recruiting experience and >150 interviews

Big 4 are less strict but MBB typically will need 12 months before you can reapply.

MBB would like to see that you have done something to enhance your skills in the meantime. Recruiting is also globally coordinated so a rejection from one office is a rejection from the whole firm.

Big 4 operate as more national entities so a rejection fromone country doesnt mean you can't apply to other offices.

Hope this helps!

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Clara
Expert
Content Creator
replied on Dec 17, 2019
McKinsey | Awarded professor at Master in Management @ IE | MBA at MIT |+180 students coached | Integrated FIT Guide aut

Hello Zine,

Have a look at this similar post > https://www.preplounge.com/en/consulting-forum/rejected-at-the-screening-level-whats-the-downtime-5424#first-answer

McKinsey HR recommends 12 months, I believe it won´t be different in BCG or Bain. The reason is that you need at least that time to actually add relevant new experience.

However, you could try some things, such as going to recruiting events that give you access to HR/visibility or trying to get a referral from someone from the office -which ensures that your CV gets reviewed by HR-.

Hope it helps!

Best,

Clara

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