How long to wait after referral?

Question

I met an EM level MBB contact at a non work related party and she offered to meet with me—I’m one year out of my mba working in adjacent field and after I dropped my resume and met over coffee for an hour she offered me a referral, saying she “forwarded the CV and some supporting comments” to HR. she told me she dropped it and “expect them within the next week to call you” but it’s been two and a half weeks. I also emailed her and she hasn’t responded. Should I just let her contact go and look elsewhere for a referral? am i supposed to email her hr department? I am genuinely confused as she seemed enthusiastic throughout every interaction save the last email.

Answer 1

Hi there,

You’re doing it right!

As for the waiting time, 2.5 weeks is nothing - relax!

I referred people in McKinsey where the CV circulated for some weeks through different offices until HR took positive action.

Hang in there! And if you don’t hear in ~6 weeks, check in with your contact.

Best of luck!

Answer 2

I would just wait for HR (or your contact) to get back to you. Just like with dating, there's nothing stopping you from networking beyond while you wait too :)

Answer 3

Hello!

I would kindly follow with the EM and ask for her advice, given that it´s been almost three times the time she mentioned.

Without asking her anything, most likely she will offer to follow up - hopefully

Hope it helps!

Cheers,

Clara

Answer 4

Hey there,

I would wait. Sounds like she pushed your application and it's now with HR. She might be super busy right nowwith her current engagement or on vacation.

I'd wait for another week or so before I'd try to reach out to her again. If that does not work, I'd look for another referral.

Cheers,

Florian

Answer 5

This depends on the firm and the hiring cycles too. Some firms only have set hiring for the consultant classes (MBA and industry hire) Talking to other peers in the firm to better understand that might allow you to get a sense of when to hear back.

Since it has been 2.5 weeks, I would say it is ok to check-in with a soft reminder and even ask if there is someone in HR you can directly follow up with.

Answer 6

Hi there,

First of all, well done on the networking!

Second, sorry this has happened - it's immensly frustrating.

Third, get used to it! These people are super busy and have many other priorities. It's the unfortunate nature of it.

Finally, I would wait another 2 more weeks before reaching out. She sent it to HR so the ball is really in their court - you don't want to bother her too much and these things can take time.

Answer 7

Hi there,

Give it some time - sounds like she fed your CV into the pipeline and HR time might take a bit longer than usual to screen and process it.

If no response in 1-2 weeks, you can try to follow up with the HR team. If still no luck, just go ahead with another referral.

Cheers, Andi