I have recently contacted a recruiter in McKinsey's middle east office and I want to know what to expect

Question

I have recently been in contacted with a recruiter in McKinsey's Middle East office and I was told that they are interested in my profile. The person was very friendly and was able to answer all of my questions and clarify several things about the application process. I was also told to apply through the web portal, and to notify the recruiter I have been in touch with once I have submitted my application. I was wondering if this is considered a referral? Has anyone else been through a similar process? and did you eventually get an offer?

Thank you.

Answer 1

Hi there,

just for clarification, when you say "recruiter" do you mean an HR person or a consultant?

If he/she is from the HR dept, I don't think it will help much (to be completely transparent with you), if he/she's from the consulting body instead it will definitely help (the more senior your sponsor is the better it is of course).

Usually, the internal referral process works a bit differently though. I referred several people during my time at BCG and I was simply forwarding the resume and cover letter of the candidate to the HR department (skipping completely the online portal).

So your case seems a bit off compared to the normal referral process, but it should help anyway.

Hope it helps and good luck with your application!

Franco

Answer 2

Hello!

Congrats!

I would not call it "tecnically" a referral, but the effect htat is going to have is the same :)

You are now going to start with the process. Do you have specific doubts about it?

Hope it helps!

Cheers,

Clara

Answer 3

Hey there,

It is not a referral but the effect is the same or even stronger. You can expect to be invited to the PSG and then start the interviewing rounds afterward.

I have written a very detailed article on the McKinsey application process with its different steps and components here: https://strategycase.com/the-mckinsey-interview-process-the-only-post-you-need-to-read

Please reach out if you have any specific McKinsey questions along the way! :-)

Cheers,

Florian

Answer 4

Hi there,

If you talked with HR, technically it is not a referral. However, if they are the ones who contacted you there are good chances they will call you. It still depends on your application material though (eg CV).

Answering your question on how to prepare on the Imbellus: if you want to get a complete overview of the Imbellus with a written guide, you can find it here:

https://www.preplounge.com/en/shop/tests-2/mckinsey-imbellus-game-secrets-48

If you want to get the guide AND watch 8 videos on how to crack the ecosystem management in less than 25 minutes (70% of the recommended time) you can find it here:

https://www.preplounge.com/en/shop/tests-2/imbellus-combo-guide-videos-68

Please feel free to message me if you have any questions, I will reply within 12 hours.

Hope this helps,

Francesco

Answer 5

Hi,

Exactly the same thing happened to me a few weeks ago. The McKinsey person was from Asia Operations Recruiting. I’m currently in the recruitment process. How did it work out for you? Did you find out what in your profile interested them? I would love to know what triggered their interest in mine. And I don’t know if it’s an advantage in terms of chance to be recruited to have been contacted I tend to believe so.

Cheers,

Answer 6

From my experience, it would be best if you can apply early if you can already do your case prep. If you start now yo... (read entire answer)

From my experience, it would be best if you can apply early if you can already do your case prep. If you start now you could be ready by the time they invite you to interviews.B... (read entire answer)