Roland Berger - No reply

Question

Hi all,

I applied for a position as a Consultant/Senior Consultant at Roland Berger in Italy about 2 months ago, and they never got in touch with me (except for the automatic email confirming my application). Now, I don't want to brag or anything, but I have all the right credentials for such position:

Technical degree (Mechanical Engineering) from a top European university.
5 years of experience as a researcher in a big international Tech company (mainly on Machine Learning).
International working experience
Italian native speaker, fluent in English and decent level of French (studying for a B2 level)
In the past, I interviewed with BCG and McKinsey with the same resume.

Have you ever waited this long for a reply? Should I just consider myself as rejected? Or maybe does it make sense to reach out to the HR?

Thanks in advance for your help!

Answer 1

Hi there,

Sorry to hear about the wait.

Try not to go into things expecting. No application is perfect and your odds are never 100% (even 50% odds for a given application is great).

Is this a cold application? As in, did you have any referral or contact point? If it's a cold application, it's actually more likely to not be interviewed than be interviewed…even with an amazing resume!

If it has been 2 months it is likely it has been rejected. That said, it doesn't hurt to reach out to HR! Nothing to lose there.

Good luck to you!

Answer 2

Hi there,

1) Have you ever waited this long for a reply? Should I just consider myself as rejected?

There might be several reasons for the delay:

They are not actively recruiting
The application got lost somehow
They have opted to reject you and are waiting to complete the recruiting cycle to communicate

2) Or maybe does it make sense to reach out to HR?

Definitely reach out to HR (if possible I would call), you have nothing to lose by doing so.

Good luck!

Francesco

Answer 3

Hi there,

First of all, I am sorry to hear about your negative experience with Roland Berger!

I think this is an interesting question that may be relevant for many people. I would be happy to share my thoughts on it:

First of all, in general, there is no correlation between the response rate of the recruiting team and the probability for you to move to the next step of the application process.
Moreover, given it has been two months already, I would highly advise you to reach out to the recruiter directly, at best via telephone, and politely inquire about the status of your application.

If you would like a more detailed discussion on how to best prepare for your upcoming interviews, please don't hesitate to contact me directly.

Best,

Hagen

Answer 4

Hi there,

Indeed, this is quite a long timeline. I would suggest you reach out to them and ask for update on your application.

In the meantime, I'd recommend that you keep on applying. Here's a guide that explain how to do this particularly in the current economic climate:

Maximizing your chances of getting a consulting job during an economic downturn https://www.preplounge.com/en/articles/how-to-get-a-job-in-consulting-during-an-economic-downturn

Best,
Cristian

Answer 5

Hello A,

It's possible that the hiring process at Roland Berger is taking longer than expected, especially given the current job market conditions. However, it's also possible that they have already filled the position, they decided to pursue other candidates or your CV didn't make the cut (missing keywords, specific hard skills needed, etc.).

In any case, it wouldn't hurt to follow up with the HR department to check on the status of your application. You can send a polite email inquiring about the status of your application and expressing your continued interest in the position. It's important to remain professional and respectful in your communication, even if you feel frustrated or impatient.

Best of luck!

Answer 6

Hello,

I'm sorry to hear about this, I know the wait is very frustrating. In general, you can assume no reply = rejection. Your credentials are impressive, but unfortunately these things also depend on outside factors like market conditions and fit, and bear in mind also that many companies have implemented a hiring freeze or are hiring more slowly right now. There's no harm in reaching out to HR to confirm the status of your application, however.

Answer 7

Hi there,

it is not standard practice to not communicate a decision with a candidate. There could always be some glitch so following up is definitely warranted. Some general thoughts though:

If you don't hear anything for a long time, it is more likely that you got rejected than offered an interview because in the latter case HR would have likely followed up again in the interim
Waiting for a response for 2 months without following up is too long. If you are serious about finding a job anytime soon, you need to be proactive and take control over your own schedule - waiting 2-3 weeks without taking action is common courtesy. After that, there is nothing wrong with politely inquiring whether your application has been received - that way you at least rule out any technical glitches that might have occurred

Definitely reach out now.

Good luck