Interview scheduling

Question

Hey,

so I recently sent out my consulting applications for entry position: MBB and several tier 2 and I am being invited to almost all of them. But some are suggesting specific interview dates (very soon within the next 3 weeks), some seem quite open in terms of timing of the interviews.

Is it normal or would it be okay to schedule my interviews in 3-4 months time from now ? Or would they drop their invite if my application is so far in advance to a preferred interview date?

Reason is I would like to prepare well for the interviews, and right now I am working a lot, so I don't think I'll be sufficiently prepared in the next weeks/months.

Thanks a lot!

Answer 1

Hi,

It depends on the role and company you are applying for:

In case of a post-grad generalist in MBB the entry step is the test and you have some time to write it (up to 1 month at McKinsey, but you can extend). After the test, you can postpone the interviews as well. Just say openly that you need time to prepare.
If you are an experienced hire with some unique expertise - MBBs probably want it as soon as possible.
If it is MBB / Tier 2 University recruiting (i.e. grad students hiring window) - you don't have that much time and the company expects you to finish the process within 1-2 months
In Tier 2 experienced hire recruiting, the companies usually have immediate hiring needs and I would rather have interviews soon

Best