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McKinsey Recruiter

Hello experts, 

I hope everyone is doing well. 

I have been referred by 4 people. One partner, two EMs, and one Associate. 

I did not intend to take 4 referrals but after having a conversation with each of them, they referred me. Partner and EMs directly forwarded my CV to the recruiter with the note and the Associate referred me to the portal. 

I had a chat with the Recruiter to make sure they have got the referrals and she confirmed that they have received the referrals and asked me to apply online and then the team will review the CV. 

However, in the past, I have been referred by an Associate and still got rejected so I want to make sure I have the perfect resume this time. Obviously, it's better than last time but still want to make sure this time it's perfect. 

I have approached some of the coaches and they told me it's good but I do not belong to the target school so it might affect my chances. I have 2.5 experience in a boutique consulting firm. 

So I am planning to get a review from the recruiter indirectly. Should I do that? Can I ask the recruiter to review my CV indirectly? If yes, can anyone suggest to me how to do that?

Obviously, I do not want anyone to write a whole email here but if anyone can give me some pointers then that would be a huge help to me. 

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Top answer
on Oct 27, 2021
#1 Coach for Sessions (4.500+) | 1.500+ 5-Star Reviews | Proven Success: ➑ interviewoffers.com | Ex BCG | 10Y+ Coaching

Hi there,

So I am planning to get a review from the recruiter indirectly. Should I do that? Can I ask the recruiter to review my CV indirectly? If yes, can anyone suggest to me how to do that?

No, as the recruiter has a conflict of interest. Agree with Pedro this would not look good.

To improve your CV you can either:

  • Post a sanitized CV here in the Q&A or
  • Talk with a coach and ask his/her opinion

You probably know this already as you work in consulting, but typical red flags include:

  • Low GPA
  • Lack of work experience
  • Bad formatting / typos
  • 3-4 pages length
  • Lack of clear action --> results structure for the bullets of the experiences
  • Long paragraphs (3-4 lines) for the bullets of the experiences with irrelevant details
  • Long time gaps without any explanation

Best,

Francesco

Moritz
Coach
edited on Oct 26, 2021
ex-McKinsey EM & Interviewer | 7/8 offer rate for 4+ sessions | High impact sessions + FREE materials & exercises

First of all wow, that’s a lot of referrals! Well done!

Having a partner put in a good word for you should be sufficient since they ultimately run the show and recruiters act on their behalf.

Moreover, the recruiter should not be engaging in this kind of discussion with you since there’s a clear conflict of interest and they have no good reason to opening themselves up to any risk.

Seeing that you really want the job, I can offer you to screen your CV for free and provide feedback, if needed (used to screen CVs and interview candidates for McKinsey).

Florian
Coach
on Oct 26, 2021
1400 5-star reviews across platforms | 600+ offers | Highest-rated case book on Amazon | Uni lecturer in US, Asia, EU

Hey there,

Happy to have a quick look and give you targeted feedback. Just send it through!

Cheers,

Florian

Pedro
Coach
on Oct 26, 2021
Bain | EY-Parthenon | Former Principal | 1.5h session | 30% discount 1st session

The recruiter has conflict of interest. Not only they won't do it, they will also question your judgement.

If you think this is critical to get the interview, get a professional review by a coach that has experience (as a recruiter) in selecting CVs for the interview. On the other hand, if other coaches already reviewed your CV and the only issue they see is on your target school, it doesn't seem like there's a lot of room for improvement.

Udayan
Coach
on Oct 26, 2021
Top rated Case & PEI coach/Multiple real offers/McKinsey EM in New York /12 years recruiting experience

Feel free to send it to me to have a quick look

Clara
Coach
on Oct 27, 2021
McKinsey | Awarded professor at Master in Management @ IE | MBA at MIT |+180 students coached | Integrated FIT Guide aut

Hello!

Well done, that is a very fruitful networking!

Given that you have already verified with HR that the referrals are in place, i wouldnΒ΄t do anything else than what they told you to. If then you donΒ΄t hear from them in some weeks, follow up with that same HR person. 

Hope it helps!

Cheers, 

Clara

Agrim
Coach
on Oct 26, 2021
#1 Awarded Coach | BCG Dubai Project Leader | Master Casing in only 3 Hours | 10y in Consulting | Free Intro Call

Congratulations on the referrals en masse!

  • Should I do that? No you shouldn't. The recruiter does not have any incentive in your success. Further, the recruiter will have a conflict of interest if they help you in improving your CV because later on they will have to judge the CV to screen it.
  • Can I ask the recruiter to review my CV indirectly? Not recommended. You don't want to give the impression that you are not confident of your CV. Plus why would you want to do that if you have been referred by 4 people?

You might to share it with me over message/DM - I can have a quick look and give some preliminary feedback.

on Oct 27, 2021
McKinsey | NASA | top 10 FT MBA professor for consulting interviews | 6+ years of coaching

Hi!

I don't recommend you to do this as HR cannot help you with this type of request.

Happy to have a look at your CV if needed.

Best,

Anto

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