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Referrals

Hello everyone

1) Is there a quota for referrals? 

2) Does a referral 100% guarantee an interview? Note: My referral is from a junor whos been in the company for 3 years.

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Top answer
on Nov 14, 2020
#1 Coach for Sessions (4.500+) | 1.500+ 5-Star Reviews | Proven Success: ➡ interviewoffers.com | Ex BCG | 10Y+ Coaching

Hi there,

  1. There is no quota for referrals. However not all the periods are good to apply, either with or without referrals. Right now in some countries in Europe for example BCG and Bain are not hiring much. When that's the case, the person referring you will usually suggest to wait.
  2. A referral doesn’t guarantee an interview 100% of the time. I know people referred by partners who did not get interviews. However, a referral from a senior in the company increases your chances considerably.

You can find more on referrals at the link below:

https://www.preplounge.com/en/consulting-forum/hey-everyonehope-all-is-well-3176

Best,

Francesco

Gaurav
Coach
on Nov 14, 2020
#1 MBB Coach(Placed 750+ in MBBs & 1250+ in Tier2)| The Only 360° coach(Ex-McKinsey+Certified Coach+Active recruiter)

Hi there!

1)  No, there is no quota for referrals.

2) A referral can be a great instrument that helps you secure an interview invite.

However, it is not a 100% guarantee that you eventually get an offer,

But the question is: How much do you want to get the job? Without any doubt, it is better to provide yourself with a referral for the targeted firm. Otherwise, you can not even get invited.

Was it helpful?

GB

Ian
Coach
on Nov 15, 2020
Top US BCG / MBB Coach - 5,000 sessions |Tech, Platinion, Big 4 | 9/9 personal interviews passed | 95% candidate success

Hi there,

1) Not at all

2) Not at all. Referrals improve your odds, but do not at all gaurantee an interview. Other factors that affect your odds incl level of referer, strength of your application (resume, cover letter, etc.), office needs

Clara
Coach
on Nov 15, 2020
McKinsey | Awarded professor at Master in Management @ IE | MBA at MIT |+180 students coached | Integrated FIT Guide aut

Hello!

My thoughts: 

  1. Not at all!
  2. Not at all, again! it only guarantees that HR will indeed have a look at your CV, instead of it being lost in the "CV black hole". After that, you are just another candidate. 

Best,

Clara

Dennis
Coach
on Apr 05, 2024
Roland Berger|Project Manager and Recruiter|7+ years of consulting experience in USA and Europe

Hi there,

there is no quota.

A referral is just a door opener such that the recruiting team will look through your application more thoroughly. Depending on the seniority, tenure and advocacy of the person referring you, you have a better chance of getting a first round interview. The more senior the person referring you is, the better. The longer the tenure of that person with the firm is, the better. 

The reason is that such voices carry more weight than referrals coming from super junior or brand new people. They typically know the HR folks better and have been involved in recruiting activities for a while so it is usually assumed that they have a good grasp of what types of candidates with which sets of qualifications the firm needs. But any referral is better than no referral.

Ideally, you get a referral from someone from the same office (or same country) you are applying to. But again, a referral from someone within the same firm but different country organization is still better than no referral.

A direct rejection after the CV screening stage can still happen - even with a referral. In that case the HR team usually provides some feedback to the person having given the referral. So you should follow up with them to better understand the rationale in case that happens. On the flipside, you can still get an interview invite when you just apply online without a referral - the probability is just lower on average.

And as always, factors such as economic conditions and headcount/budget planning of the individual firm also matter significantly in these decisions - but they are not within your control.

Best

Pankaj
Coach
on Nov 14, 2020
Bain Manager and Ex- Accenture | >5 years of coaching experience | Experienced Interviewer | Personalised coaching

There is no quota for referrals. Although a referral does not guarantee an interview, senior referrals (e.g from principals or esp. partners) do carry some weight in getting you that first interview. After that, it is completely dependent on your performance.

Ken
Coach
on Nov 14, 2020
Ex-McKinsey final round interviewer | Executive Coach

It may depend on the firm but at mckisney it's both a no. Frankly, who the referral has very little to do with whether one gets invited for an interview or not. MBBs are far more meritocratic than public belief.

on Oct 31, 2023
#1 Rated McKinsey Coach | Top MBB Coach | Verifiable success rates

No, there is no quota for referrals. 

Though some offices are getting a bit stricter about the criteria for giving a referral. That's mostly because consultants have a strong incentive to give a referral (they get a bonus if you actually get hired), but too many referrals destroy the whole purpose of using it as a signalling mechanism. 

One referral is enough. It's a question of either having one or not having any. More don't help. 

Sharing two articles on how to get referrals. Hope you'll find them helpful:


Best,
Cristian

Deleted user
on Jan 31, 2021

No and No. There is no quota, companies are always looking for great people. And a referral does not guarantee an interview. If your profile just doesn't match, even a referral won't help.

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