How long does it take for Big 4 Decision after final round?

Question

Hi everyone,

I’m an undergrad who recently interviewed for a big 4 summer internship. I made it to the final partner round.

The interview was 100% behavioural and it felt like it went well and the partner was very friendly the whole time.

It’s been almost 2 weeks since the interview and I was wondering if this means I was likely rejected.

For reference I wasn’t given a time frame but the partner did say to contact her through HR if I want to call with her again to ask questions.

Also the recruiter for the team is currently on vacation so I’m wondering if that might have to do anything with it.

Really nervous so I’d love to know what you all think. Thanks!

Answer 1

Hi there,

before offer decisions are communicated, they have to be aligned between HR and the interviewers in the process. This can sometimes take time (up to several weeks) for various reasons. A few common ones are listed below for a general overview:

internal scheduling conflicts between HR and the interviewers, especially when partners need to be involved
the firm is still conducting more final round interviews with other candidates and they might want to wait for that to play out to look at the full candidate picture before extending final offers
offers have been extended to “first choice” candidates and the firm is trying to keep “backup” candidates on hold until they know who accepted and who declined their first batch of offers
holidays or year-end shutdown delay the decision-making and communication process
there is uncertainty internally around budget and the exact headcount they can actually hire so they are trying to buy time

I know that this is unsettling and every candidate wants to have clarity on the status sooner rather than later. Unfortunately, you'll always have to wait for the official word.

However, it is best to just assume a rejection and continue with the recruiting efforts with other firms until you have a written offer in your hands. That way you at least won't lose time.

Best

Answer 2

Hi there, there have been a lot of reports that processes seem to be running more slowly and people are waiting for a... (read entire answer)

Hi there, there have been a lot of reports that processes seem to be running more slowly and people are waiting for a while to receive feedback. If you have now already waited f... (read entire answer)

Answer 3

Hi there, First of all, congratulations on passing the application process with the firm! I would be happy to share m... (read entire answer)

Hi there, First of all, congratulations on passing the application process with the firm! I would be happy to share my thoughts on your situation: First of all, the waiting peri... (read entire answer)

Answer 4

Hi there, It usually takes 1-2 weeks, depending on how long it takes the recruiter to match all interviewers' agendas... (read entire answer)

Hi there, It usually takes 1-2 weeks, depending on how long it takes the recruiter to match all interviewers' agendas for the final decision call. You can check how the decision... (read entire answer)