Get Active in Our Amazing Community of Over 448,000 Peers!

Schedule mock interviews on the Meeting Board, join the latest community discussions in our Consulting Q&A and find like-minded Case Partners to connect and practice with!

McKinsey phone interview

McKinsey Phone interview
Recent activity on Jul 13, 2018
4 Answers
6.3 k Views
Anonymous A asked on Jul 12, 2018

Does anybody know about the process following McKinsey phone interviews? If I am told I will receive a feedback call in two days, does this mean I was not successful?

Overview of answers

Upvotes
  • Upvotes
  • Date ascending
  • Date descending
Best answer
Anonymous replied on Jul 12, 2018

Dear Anonymous A,

No, it does not necessarily mean you were not successful.

I'll break this down into three scenarios:

+ Was this an informal/informational interview:

Since McKinsey rarely does telephone interviews for recruiting purposes (video conference is the default when in-person sessions are not possible), I expect this could likely have been just an informal chat, or pre-interview assessment. In that case, there is no standard time to hearing back. However, I would expect in such a case to hear back sooner rather than later. If two days have lapsed, it does not augur well, I'm afraid.

Caveat: If this session took place on a Thursday or a Friday (i.e., heading into the weekend), or before a major holiday, then the two-day delay might be as a consequence of decision personnel being unavailable outside business hours.

+ Was this a First Round interview:

McKinsey's delivery and feedback time-frames for formal First Round interviews are fairly standardised worldwide. Everyone (and I know quite a few) I've ever known to interview with McKinsey received feedback (irrespective of being successful or not) within 24 hours. Most do so within three hours of the interview's conclusion.

Caveat: If this session took place late on the last working day of the week, then the two-day delay might be as a consequence of decision personnel being unavailable outside business hours. But this would be rare.

Since the overwhelming majority of decisions are communicated within this ~24-hour time-frame, I really cannot think why there has been a delay in your case given, of course, that this was a formal First Round interview.

+ Was this a Second/Final/Decision Round interview:

For final interviews, standards tend to be less uniform across the board. Partners who conduct these interviews have far more pressing scheduling, locational, and client priorities to strictly abide to quick turnarounds.

I've known people to receive their feedback within an hour, some within two days, and some within just under a week. I've never heard of cases going beyond 5-6 days. Therefore, if this was a Decision Round interview, I would say the two-day delay is an indication of nothing.

I realise I've been able to assuage the anxiety you must naturally be feeling, but I hope that in providing this information, you can at least make more informed assumptions.

Was this answer helpful?
5
Anonymous on Jul 13, 2018

Thanks for sharing your thoughts on this!

Hendrik replied on Jul 12, 2018
Preparing for MBB

Hi Anonymous,

I can't answer your question unfortunately, but would you share some insights on how the interview went? I have one upcoming soon.

Thank you!

Was this answer helpful?
1
Anonymous on Jul 13, 2018

@Hendrik - It was a case interview following pretty much the structure of the McKinsey prep cases you can find on Preplounge. Good luck for your interview!

Hendrik on Jul 13, 2018

Hi Bettina thanks for the reply. I’m asking since I got told be the recruiter that’s it’s only going to be the case, no fit or anything else. Still, it is scheduled for a full Hour. Did you need that time? Thanks a lot!

Anonymous on Jul 14, 2018

The basic interview structure was introduction, explanation about the process of the case study, case itself, questions you might have.

Anonymous B replied on Jul 13, 2018

I really dislike that behaviour. Asking for a question, which people take the time to answer, but not taking 2 minutes to help out others by sharing some insights.

Was this answer helpful?
0
Anonymous on Jul 13, 2018

Hey Anonym B, don't you think this is an over-hasty judgement just because a forum question isn't answered within less than 24h?

(edited)

Vlad
Expert
replied on Jul 12, 2018
McKinsey / Accenture Alum / Got all BIG3 offers / Harvard Business School

Hi,

I recommend e-mailing or calling the recruiter to check what's going on. Recruiters are in general friendly and ready to help.

Best

Was this answer helpful?
How likely are you to recommend us to a friend or fellow student?
0
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
10
0 = Not likely
10 = Very likely