Hi there,

Q: Is the amount of time spent waiting for a decision after round 2 correlated with getting rejected? The longer you have to wait, the more likely you're going to get rejected?

Not necessarily. There could be multiple reasons why the interviewers have not decided yet, unrelated to your performance. I helped a few candidates who got an offer after one week.

The time to hear back also depends on the region and company. In the Middle East, for example, some companies tend to be quite slow to communicate results also in case of a positive outcome.

Having said that, if you don’t hear back after one week, usually it’s not a great sign.

Good luck!

Francesco

No. While we tend to have that “feeling” that longer means rejection, because that's usually how personal relationships work, in this case is different.

You see, if they think the answer is “no”, they will not spend an extra week thinking about it. They know it's “no” and they will communicate as soon as possible.

It takes the same time to get the interviewers together to make a decision + time to communicate it regardless of being yes or no.

Now this is the official answer. This is the “process” answer. A difference is not expected. But in reality? 

Well, one could argue that if an interviewer is very excited about a candidate it will make an extra effort to have a decision immediately; Well, but is this frequent? No, it is not, doesn't even apply to all exceptional candidatea. 

And if you have to communicate 1 offer and 1 rejection… you probably start with the offer, because you want to maximize your chances of hiring that candidate. Well, but is there a meaningful time difference? No, you either get the rejection the same day, or the next day…

Hi there,

Directionally speaking, the answer to your question is yes. However, there's no absolute measure for what is short/long.

Also, there's loads of exceptions e.g. people getting rejected 1 hr after the interview vs. getting offers 3 months after.

BOTTOM LINE: Keep your head up. It's not over until it's over!

Best of luck!
Moritz
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Usually yes, but not always.

The decision timeline depends on how quickly the interviewers can meet do discuss your interview results, their staffing needs and your actual interview performance. For example, if you performed really well, your profile is relevant and you have another offer on hand, they'll try to be as quick as possible to reach out to you with an offer. 

On the other hand, if your performance wasn't stellar, your profile is not a perfect match for their practice and their current staffing needs are low, they'll probably delay getting back to you or can even shelve the decision until a later date in the future.

Regards,
Nick
 

I think the problem here is you've asked a data analysis/math question to people who are not paying attention to the definition of correlation.

YES - time spent waiting is positively correlated to rejection.

It does not mean you are rejected if you have waited 2-3 weeks.

But does the curve slope upwards? (meaning correlation)

 Absolutely.

The amount of time spent waiting for a decision after round 2 is not necessarily correlated with getting rejected. The delay in receiving a decision is often due to the need for interviewers to coordinate and debrief with each other. It's important to remember that the decision-making process involves multiple factors, including the relative performance of other candidates and the availability of slots. So, don't lose hope! The final decision is only communicated to you once it's finalized. If you're curious about the timeline, it's absolutely okay to reach out to HR for an estimated timeline. Best of luck!

No not at all! Depends on how quickly the interviewers can get together. Sometimes hectic client meetings or logistics get in the way, so has nothing to mean. Stay put and be happy you're done with interviews ;-) Fingers crossed for you, Freddy 

Hi!

Absolutely not. 

Sometimes it's also just difficult to get all the people on the call to agree on whether to give you the offer or not. 

Realistically speaking, most senior consultants have more pressing things happening on a daily basis than giving feedback on a hiring call. Especially when they are at Partner level. So often it gets deprioritised. That doesn't reflect on the quality of the candidate.

Good luck!
Cristian

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Hi there,

No. 

You can check how the recruiting process works from an internal MBB perspective here:

• https://www.preplounge.com/en/articles/mbb-hiring-hacks-behind-the-curtain-secrets

Best,

Alberto

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