Hi there,

I can imagine that this is a pretty stressful situation to be in. 

It sounds like right now, you have no confirmed offer from either company yet. So in the worst case scenario, both opportunities might fall through. I would therefore not get too distracted about “Step 3” if you have not yet completed “Step 1” (metaphorically speaking). 

• Stay focused on the upcoming PE interview and do everything you can to make sure you get that offer
• When you do, there are a few interactions that will naturally buy you some time:
  • Waiting for the verbal offer after the interview
  • Receiving the written offer in the mail
  • Reading the offer and clarifying open questions with HR (potentially amending the contract somewhat)
  • Signing the offer (if you so choose)
• In the meantime, McK should give you some feedback so you have better clarity 
• In case you don't have an offer from McK before your other offer is in jeopardy of expiry, I would personally not take the gamble of potentially ending up empty-handed

Ultimately it depends on what your key priorities are. If consulting really was the pathway you wanted to pursue, I'd assume you would have applied to all of MBB and potentially also tier 2 consulting firms by now so that you wouldn't solely hinge on McK. But if a McK rejection were to put you back to square one, I'd say going with the PE option is a no-brainer.

I hope this was helpful 

Hi there, 

My recommendation would be to reach out to McKinsey and present to them the conflicting timelines. They will most likely rush the process to accommodate you. 

Best,

Cristian

Hi there,

1 bird in the hand is better than 2 in the bush…

Why give up a final round with a firm when you don't even have an offer from the other?

It's a really clear decision here! Process with those interviews.

The worst case scenario is that you have an offer from them and decide to reject it…2 weeks from now.

But, you should absolutely proceed with the interview and see where it goes. You can always:

1) Ask them for more time in deciding and

2) Ask McKinsey to accelerate the process

What you're doing is the definition of counting your chickens before they hatch!

Hi there,

Q: Should I give up a promising lead to wait for the Mckinsey interview outcome?

It seems you have no offers right now. Definitely don’t reject any interview or offer while waiting for a possible next step from McKinsey – there is no reason to do so.

In your current situation, you could:

• Ask the PE to postpone the interview, or
• Act once you get the PE offer, if needed

If you get the PE offer, you have 2 options:

• Ask for more time to think and reach out to McKinsey then. At that stage, you will have leverage to accelerate things as you got another offer
• Sign with the PE  firm and withdraw if you get the McKinsey offer. Not ideal, but could be the only alternative if you don’t manage to postpone the deadline

Good luck!

Francesco

If you get the job, it's great. You don't have to decide until you have the results of all recruiting processes. So just ask Mckinsey to speed up the process to make sure the timelines are as much aligned as possible.