Do I have a good chance at McKinsey if I got an Associate Partner referral, even if I went to a non-target school?

Question

I went to a non-target and worked 1 year at Goldman Sachs as a controller analyst. I'm applying for a Consulting Business Analyst role and have a referral from an AP at McKinsey.

Not sure if my college will have a major impact and prevent me from an interview.

Answer 1

Hi there,

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. However, any referral is ultimately better than no referral. Also for candidates who come from target schools.

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 office or 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 recruiting 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 - particularly when your CV is not “stellar” on a standalone basis.

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

Answer 2

Hi there,

I would be happy to share my thoughts on your question:

You will definitely need to compensate for the non-target university, which might or might not be enough through that referral from someone senior. Ultimately, however, you won't know until you apply.

You can find more on this topic here: How to deal with a rejection from a consulting company.

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

Best,

Hagen

Answer 3

Hi there,

Depends on the country and other factors as well. If you are in the US, the target school concept is still very important and adhered to.

You could see if someone else from your school is working at McKinsey to gauge your chances and network with the person to learn from their experience.

An AP referral is not a guarantee to pass the screening but rather gives you a fair chance and a little push.

Fingers crossed!

Florian

Answer 4

You have pretty decent chances. You have 1 year experience in a great brand name company and a referral.

An interview is never guaranteed, but chances should be good.

Answer 5

Hallo, in Deutschland wurde er laut HR in den meisten Büros abgeschafft und wenn, dann wird ein Test nur für bestim... (read entire answer)

Hallo, in Deutschland wurde er laut HR in den meisten Büros abgeschafft und wenn, dann wird ein Test nur für bestimmte Practices verwendet. Die Aussage war von September '15.

Answer 6

Neil, I was an experienced hire as well, so can definitely relate. The hardest part for your will likely be to get... (read entire answer)

Neil, I was an experienced hire as well, so can definitely relate. The hardest part for your will likely be to get an interview. McK is probably most open, assuming you have a... (read entire answer)

Answer 7

Let me take a crack at this (in English) since no-one has addressed this. Top consultancies typically want the best... (read entire answer)

Let me take a crack at this (in English) since no-one has addressed this. Top consultancies typically want the best people regardless of their background. Yes, some roles are... (read entire answer)