Final interview feedback confused

Question

So I interviewed last Friday for an experienced associate position & HR called me today to say that the partners liked me. However since they do not have a client right now that would need my skillset they are not sure how they should proceed. She mentioned that she'd need to discuss again with a partner to see if they can use me on this project & they can deploy me tomorrow. But if not she can't say if there's a project down the line that might use my skills. They also don't want to bench me until something comes up, I asked for training but they said they don't offer this at the beginning. So I am really confused. Does this mean I am not selected or I'll be selected but not now? Can someone help me here?

Answer 1

Hi Jannine,

what likely happened is that the company was looking to sell some projects and needed resources for that. They did not manage to sell the projects, thus don’t need the resources any more. This is not the most professional/ideal situation, but could happen, in particular with a boutique firm.

Your best option is to say you are open to join them once a project becomes available, and in the meantime continue the recruiting process with other firms.

Best,

Francesco

Answer 2

Hi,

I believe there might be several options:

It's a boutique consulting and they are always interviewing people but there is a low season in projects / particular industries and they really don't want to have people on the bench.
Your expertise appeared to be unique and they don't have the projects requiring that expertize in the pipeline.
They are not 100% sure about hiring you and would hire only if there is an immediate need for people
This was some weird rejection from the HR (though it's unlikely)

Unfortunately, no one here is able to tell you the real root causes. You can just wait.

Also, I would try to get in contact with friends (friends of friends) who work there to check what's going on

Best!

Answer 3

Hey,

Are you being hired for the company or is it only for the project itself (freelancing)? Because my interpretation, without knowing anything else about your story besides what you've described, is that you would be hired only for a very particular type of projects (or even a single one), and the company is trying to understand whether they will have demand for it or not - I guess you will be highly specialized in a single area, no?

That said, never seen anything similar at McKinsey; not sure if you're even referring to a MBB or a generalist consulting firm

Best

Bruno

Answer 4

Hey Jannine,

Following your clarification, that seems to be a really specific role they are looking for - most likely for a particular client/project or type of projects that they don't have too often, so they are trying to make sure that if they hire they will have something for you; e.g., as you're applying to an open role, it might have just happened that they either lost the client or the project (or are unsure whether it will indeed be confirmed).

Your best option is to wait some days to see if you hear back from HR, or otherwise give them a call and try to clarify the situation

Best

Bruno

Answer 5

Why did they invite you for an interview to begin with if there is nothing for you to do?

Answer 6

Anyone of you have experienced a similar situation?