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I got a referral for a Mck role cross-region. It takes forever to get a notice. Why? And usually how long does it take?

McKinsey
New answer on Oct 15, 2021
7 Answers
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Anonymous A asked on Oct 13, 2021

I got a referral for a Mck role cross-region. It takes forever to get a notice. Why? And usually how long does it take?

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Cristian
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Content Creator
replied on Oct 13, 2021
#1 rated MBB & McKinsey Coach

Hi there, 

Do I understand correctly that you applied with the referral and haven't yet heard back? If yes, and it's already been a couple of weeks, feel free to reach out to the recruiter. They are there to help you and don't mind if people are checking in to figure out the current stage of their application. 

Good luck!

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Ian
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replied on Oct 13, 2021
#1 BCG coach | MBB | Tier 2 | Digital, Tech, Platinion | 100% personal success rate (8/8) | 95% candidate success rate

Hi there,

Can you clarify how long “forever” is?

While it can take as quickly as 1 week, several weeks and even a month or two is not uncommon at all.

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Francesco
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replied on Oct 14, 2021
#1 Coach for Sessions (4.500+) | 1.500+ 5-Star Reviews | Proven Success (➡ interviewoffers.com) | Ex BCG | 10Y+ Coaching

Hi there,

It really depends on the office. If you don’t hear back from HR after 1 month, you can followup with them with the excuse that “you want to check if they received the application properly”.

Hope this helps,

Francesco

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Ken
Expert
replied on Oct 14, 2021
Ex-McKinsey final round interviewer | Executive Coach

It really depends on the type of referral. Many referrals still require you to actually apply like everyone else and the recruiter will just follow up with you.

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Antonello
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replied on Oct 14, 2021
McKinsey | NASA | top 10 FT MBA professor for consulting interviews | 6+ years of coaching

Hi!

There might be a lot of different reasons for this. How long have you waited until now?

Best,

Anto

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Moritz
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replied on Oct 15, 2021
ex-McKinsey EM & Interviewer | 7/8 offer rate for 4+ sessions | 90min sessions with FREE exercises & videos

Waiting times vary greatly for many reasons and shouldn´t necessarily be a concern!

One possible reason is that your CV is being passed around the different locations you selected for your application (typically 3) to see if there´s a good fit. This is particularly true for more specialized/experienced hire roles. I saw this before with people I referred in McKinsey and it typically takes a while.

In any case, you should feel free to get in touch with both your contact and/or recruiter, if known. People at McKinsey generally welcome friendly follow-up messages that show your commitment to the application process (within reasonable timeframes, of course).

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Agrim
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replied on Oct 15, 2021
BCG Dubai Project Leader | Learn to think like a Consultant | Free personalised prep plan | 6+ years in Consulting

Expect up to 4 weeks for first email.

Consulting HR/recruiters deal with many applications and hence lead times are generally long - typically for actively recruiting offices such as Middle-East.

If you are feeling too itchy - try to contact your referee and/or the HR or recruiter for an update. Don't feel shy in doing so.

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Cristian gave the best answer

Cristian

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