Rejected after a ¿good? PSG/Imbellus

Hi there,

First of all, I am sorry to hear about the end of your interview process with McKinsey!

This is indeed an interesting question which is probably relevant for a lot of users, thus I am happy to provide my perspective on it:

• It's difficult to say exactly what could have gone wrong in your application process without more information. It's possible that your resume and PSG performance were both strong, but there may have been other factors at play that contributed to the decision not to move forward with your candidacy. It's also possible that there were simply more qualified candidates for the Operations Excellence Program.
• It's important to keep in mind that the hiring process can be highly competitive, and sometimes even the most qualified candidates are not selected for a particular role or program. It's also worth noting that the PSG is just one part of the overall evaluation process, and other factors such as your resume, cover letter, and any additional application materials may also be considered.

In case you want a more detailed discussion on what to do in your specific situation, please feel free to contact me directly.

Best,

Hagen

Hello,

Sorry to hear about this situation. Here are my thoughts:

1) Your PSG score does seem good

2) However, McKinsey evaluates a candidate holistically across all areas such as CV, Background, prior Networking, etc so it is hard to pin point on the exact reason for your rejection

3) It could also be that they simply do not have the capacity to hire many people in the office that you applied for for a profile like yours. E.g. Maybe they are looking for more tech people, or ops people, etc.

Hope this helps!

Rushabh

Hi there,

Sorry to hear about the rejection. In terms of your question:

Q: I have just been informed that they cannot proceed with my candidacy, even though they see potential in my application. What can have gone wrong? Is the resume >>> PSG? Could it be that my in-game strategy was not optimal?

Your performance in the game was good, so it seems unlikely that was the reason for the rejection (although they also evaluate how you get to the results and not only the results themselves). Most likely they assessed your application material (CV, Cover, referral) after the game and based the decision on that.

Unfortunately there is not much you can do for this particular application, but you can still define a strategy for the next ones. Possible steps are:

• Check if the CV can be improved
• Network to find a referral for other companies and apply there
• In case McKinsey is your favourite option: apply again there once the ban is over

Good luck!

Francesco

Hi there, 

Sorry to hear the interview didn't work out. 

In short, there can be many explanations. 

The long answer is that the test is judged together with the rest of the application documents - CV, Cover Letter, any references you were provided. If some of these weren't particularly convincing, then they could've decided not to progress your application even if it was strong. 

Aside from this, there's also a possibility that they decided to stop recruiting either for that role or in general (now at the end of the year). Then regardless of your performance or your application documents, they're not interested in taking you through the recruitment process.

Again, sorry to hear. I suggest you apply to other firms at the start of the year. 

Best,

Cristian

Hey there,

First off, that is an excellent score overall. If I were to find two flaws in it, it would be:

1. The time you took for the ecosystem creation. McKinsey recommends candidates finish this in less than 35 minutes and what I have seen with my candidates is that (if you prepare and have a strategy right from the start) you can easily finish this game in less than 25 minutes. That already includes the case that you have to adjust your food chain once and try again. If you are successful with your first build, sub-20-minute times are not uncommon. It could be that they dinged you on the process score here and your strategy to get to the desired outcome might have been quite erratic.
2. Your first round in the plant defense game was just slightly above the bar of 15 turns.

Nonetheless, a sustainable food chain + very strong turns afterward that show clearly how you adjusted and learned throughout the game, I doubt that the reason that you did not move on is your Imbellus score. 

Rather, I believe it might be due to the current hiring slowdown and/or something related to your resume/background.

I would definitely stay close to the firm over the coming year and try applying as soon as the ban lifts (ideally with an updated resume and a referral on your hands).

All the best,

Florian

Hello!

Sorry to hear about this news, sucks :(

It's a holistic application, and none will be able to tell you an accurate % for the CV/applicaiton vs. the test - simply because it doesn't exist!

Bare in mind that also external factors can play a huge role: if there are little spots that year, the bar can be extremly high (it's happening atm in Amazon for example), and good candidates with decent tests can be left out. 

Hope it helps!

Cheers, 

Clara

Hi there,

The test is one of many factors. You also need to remember that even the best candidate doesn't even have 100% odds in an application. This is why you should apply to dozens of firms. It's a numbers game.

Here are all the factors (differencing levels of your ability to influence):

• Overall background (degrees, work, grades, etc.)
• Strength of resume itself
• Strength of cover letter
• Breadth and depth of networking (referrals)
• Demographic/diversity match
• Timing (supply vs. demand…pipeline)
• Profile match (with country/office)
• Chance/luck

Unfortunately, it is hard to get feedback on the application from McKinsey at this stage. Given your scores it is more likely that your CV may not have been good enough to make the cut! 

Don't despair. A friend of mine failed at the PSG stage and got offers from both BCG and Bain! Reach out as I may be better able to assess it once I have seen it.

The most likely explanation is that at the moment they have no open positions or that some other candidates overall are considered better than you.