Hi,
I have been invited to interview with Mckinsey again, after 4 years since my first round of interviews straight out of university. At the time I was rejected only after reaching final stages of interviews with a senior partner.
I will now be interviewing for an Associate position.
Do you think I have the same chances as any other person interviewing for the first time? Or why do they want to interview me again?
Hi Marco,
Funny how life works right!
I was rejected by BCG out of university as well - 6 years later I was working there!
Yes, you TECHNICALLY have the same chances. There is NO bais between now and then. They will look at you as a candidate today.
So, it's all up to you! Look at what “went wrong” before and make sure to address the weaknesses.
Now, the bad news is that your absolute/scientific chances are less than before. Why? Because this market is harder than 4 years ago. You cannot just be good - you have to be exceptional.
So, make sure to put that extra mile of work in and invest in whatever is needed to be top-tier.
The following may help you do so:
Successful Interview Prep (preplounge.com)
End-to-end case interview training – from beginner to advanced (preplounge.com)
Hi Marco!
It depends on the story that you tell yourself.
Yes, you have the same chances as anybody else. In the sense that from their perspective, you having interviewed 4 years ago is neither an advantage nor a disadvantage. They will assess you just like they do with all the others.
At the same time, I believe it's a huge advantage for you. You already know how the interview is going to go and what it feels like. You know that you have a good base because you got to the final round before, which should be a major confidence boost.
The core thing I would work on is to ensure that you improve on the feedback you received from your failure the last time AND ensure that your skills now match the more senior role you will be interviewing for.
Do reach out if you have any questions I could help with.
Sharing with you a couple of articles that might prove useful for the upcoming interview:
Keeping my fingers crossed for you!
Cristian
It was 4 years ago. It doesn't matter anymore. And if it did… you reached final round, meaning that you actually passed multiple interviews.
They probably liked you profile and how you progressed, most likely weighted in as well that you did well on interviews before.
What you thought was a negative… is actually a positive. But… it doesn't matter anymore. Now it's all about your current interviews, not the old ones!
Hi there,
If you have received a new invite, you will start the interviews with a blank slate and have exactly the same chances as anyone going in for their first time. You must have demonstrated significant improvements on your resume that warranted the invite.
Make sure to prepare well as the offer rates in the current job market are slightly lower than before.
I have written these two articles that should help you get going with your prep:
Please reach out if you need more tailored advice!
All the best,
Florian
Hi Marco,
Q: Do you think I have the same chances as any other person interviewing for the first time? Or why do they want to interview me again?
Yes, you will have the same chances, given you are after the ban period. The ban in consulting firms is usually 12-18 months, after that you can apply again with a new application, hence why you can have an interview again.
Good luck!
Francesco
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