Should I give up hope or is McKinsey going through global restructuring?

Question

Hi,
So I received an email to apply for Product Owner Position in McKinsey digital. The entire process till the final round took 9 months since the interview was often rescheduled.
my final interview took place in May and on Jun 6th, the recruiter asked me for my pay slip and any additional benefits along with the equity that I am receiving in my current organisation.
Since then, I didn’t hear back from them. I checked in with the recruiter twice. The first time he said it is going to take some time. I followed up and he said we’re still working on it and that he’ll keep me posted. I then asked him if he could tell me where do I stand in the process and he said he’ll lmk when he has clarity.

I called him and asked if he can explain to me what he means by clarity. Is it related to a hiring freeze or the offer?
He replied: it is bit of both. The company is going through certain circumstances and global restructuring so it is taking some time. But the team and partners involved in my role’s decision is working on it on a priority basis. He said that they’ll be wrapping it up by the end of this quarter or next.
I then asked him if he could share a timeline regarding when the offer will be made to which he said this is a tricky question and the team is working on it but it is a big team and it is difficult to get everyone onboard or together.
In the end I don’t remember what I asked but he replied to it with that we are here to entertain you and assist you otherwise I wouldn’t have even responded.
At this point I am confused.
This is a huge role for me in Pakistan but I don’t know what is going on and the recruiter is quite ambiguous.
What do you think is really happening?

Answer 1

It sounds like you've been through a lengthy and somewhat ambiguous process with McKinsey for the Product Owner position. The recruiter's responses indicate that there may be some internal challenges and restructuring happening within the company, which could be causing delays in finalizing the hiring decision.

Based on the information provided, here are a few possible scenarios of what might be happening:

1. Global Restructuring: As the recruiter mentioned, McKinsey could be going through a period of global restructuring, which can impact hiring timelines and decision-making. Large-scale organizational changes may require additional approvals or adjustments to hiring plans.

2. Hiring Freeze: The mention of a hiring freeze suggests that McKinsey might have temporarily paused new hiring initiatives due to the current circumstances. This is not uncommon during times of uncertainty or significant internal changes.

3. Decision-Making Process: The recruiter's statement about difficulty in getting the entire team onboard or together might indicate that the hiring decision involves multiple stakeholders or decision-makers. Coordinating everyone's schedules and aligning on a candidate might be taking longer than expected.

4. Uncertainty: The recruiter's ambiguous responses might also reflect a certain level of uncertainty within the organization. They might be genuinely uncertain about the exact timeline or details of the offer due to the ongoing changes and complexities.

Given the current situation, it's understandable that you feel confused and anxious about the status of your application. My advice would be to stay patient and maintain open communication with the recruiter. While it might be challenging to get concrete answers, expressing your continued interest and understanding the situation could help keep you on their radar.

Keep in mind that organizational changes can take time to settle, and this may affect the overall hiring process. In the meantime, you might consider exploring other opportunities while waiting for updates from McKinsey. Remember that the job market can be dynamic, and you don't want to miss out on other potential roles while waiting for one opportunity.

If you have any specific questions or concerns, you can always reach out to the recruiter and politely inquire about the status of your application or any additional updates. They may not have all the answers, but showing your enthusiasm and interest in the role can leave a positive impression.

Ultimately, stay patient, stay proactive, and continue exploring other possibilities while waiting for McKinsey's decision. I wish you the best of luck in your job search and hope that everything works out positively for you.

Answer 2

Hi Aleeya,

Q: What do you think is really happening?

A possible answer is that (i) you passed the interview but (ii) they are not sure whether to keep the position open / which starting date to have for it due to uncertainty with their pipeline.

Unfortunately you don’t have much leverage to accelerate the final decision at this stage. If you have a competing offer, you could let them know about it, possibly this could help to speed up the process.

Good luck!

Francesco

Answer 3

Hello,

If I'm not mistaken, I believe we have talked already about your situation. In my opinion, there's no incentive for the recruiter to lie to you, so if they're telling you they haven't made up their minds yet and aren't fully clear on timeline, that's probably exactly what's going on. It's a slow time for hiring, so they may be figuring out how many new hires they bring on, restructuring, etc.

On your end, I would recommend not reaching out again (at least for a while) since you've already had a bit of back and forth with the recruiter. Keep your hopes up, but in the meantime it might also be worth looking into other roles - if the McK offer does eventually come in, you can always pause recruiting or use any new offers as leverage.

Answer 4

Hi Aleeya,

First of all, so sorry to hear. This isn't easy.

Now, you shouldn't give up, but you should also adjust a few things:

I would not message again for a while…you want to be careful not to burn the bridge by pushing too hard
Network with and apply to other firms
Worst case: You get an offer elsewhere. Best case: You get an offer elsewhere and leverage it to get McKinsey moving

Good luck to you!

Answer 5

Oh, I'm really sorry to hear this.

I've had two candidates recently who also were told the firms went on a hiring freeze as they were mid-way through the recruitment process (one actually for a Product Owner role in London).

It's an unfortunate period.

There's not much that you can do about changing it.

The only thing you can focus on is your own actions - like below:

Out of those 5, I'd focus especially on points 1-3:

1. Have a great application strategy. Here's how to build it: Free Guide: Build A Winning Application Strategy

2. Write a distinctive CV and CL as you continue applying to other firms. This makes the biggest difference in getting you past screening.

3. Start doing more networking calls with consultants to get an up to date status on the hiring situation. This will also allow you to be more targeted with your applications, plus it can earn you a referral in the process. Here's how to do it: Free Guide: How To Handle Networking Calls and Get Referrals

Keeping my fingers crossed for you. And sorry to hear about the situation once again.

Best,
Cristian