Rejected by BCG. When to apply again (and to McKinsey)?

Hi there,

please find my answers below:

• If you plan to be ready for McKinsey in September and your target office is hiring (several are not hiring much at the moment due to the COVID), sure, why not
• For BCG, you may try to find referrals for different offices to circumvent the ban but there are no guarantees it will work. Also, you should always be transparent about your previous rejection. Finally even if you want to try that tactic I would recommend you wait at least 12 months before doing so
• It is unlikely there will be any impact of the withdraw for McKinsey. Still, it is a good idea to apply with a referral next time

Best,

Francesco

Hi There,

Not sure if that's a good tactic, but it's a good thing that you are applying McKinsey through McKinsey website instead of sending your CV to the recruiter directly or being referred.

• For BCG, you have to wait for 2 years. I don't think having referral will deviate from the 2 yrs ban
• For McKinsey, it might not really impact your new application as long as you use different tactics to apply
• Rather than applying online, I would suggest getting a referral and apply through the referral or directly to the recruiter

Hope this helps! PM for more info on McKinsey SEA.

Hi,

You can consider the BCG situation as they are giving you 2 years to prepare and until then your account in the system is marked as waiting period.

You can be referred again to BCG after the 2 years waiting period is over (however the referral will not get a fee as you already applied before) as such you need to really convince him / her that you have potential to pass the process.

As for McKinsey I do not see any reason why you cannot apply in September but I would suggest to be super prepared before you do.

Hi Anonymous,

a) Yes, this makes sense. Depending on how much time you can spend till ~September and how fast you can absorb and implement new knowledge, this is a realistic time-frame in general.

b) No, most likely you cannot circumvent the BCG banning period. Partners can always overall, but based on your previous performance it's unlikely that somebody would take the risk to overrule HR on that (unless you know each other very very well and the partner is really a huge huge fan of you).

c) Withdrawing your application has no impact at all. Instead of appyling generally, networking your way into McKinsey to jump over the CV screening in the first place makes sense, especially in currently turbulent times. For McKinsey specificially, please bear in mind that you also need to prepare the McKinsey PEI in addition, which is a distinct interview format of its own (I wrote an ebook on that single subject, you can find it at https://pei.consulting-case-interviews.com/ in case of interest).

If you need help specifically for your McKinsey application, feel free to message me and we can arrange a session to prepare you for that challenge.

Hope this helps - if so, please be so kind and give it a thumbs-up with the green upvote button!

Robert

Hi, 
there are no problem with withdrawing your application in McK. You will be considered again in September. A referral will help a lot, especially in achieving more quickly the invitation for the 1st round (in this period it helps even more, since the slots available are fewer than usual, while the number of applications are the same)

For a future application in BCG a referral will be important as well 

Best,
Antonello

Hello!

First of all, the ban from BCG should be a bit shorter, arround 18 months tops. 

Furthermore, and given how things are with the COVID situation, and think you did well by waiting until you are all ready for McK. This should not imapct the future application. 

Hope it helps!

Cheers,

Clara

Hi there,

1. If you feel ready, then absolutely it makes sense to apply to Mckinsey!
2. Unfortunately, no, you cannot circumvent the process
3. Your withdrawal would not have had a notceable impact :)

Hi, 

The 2 years ban is more a legend that a real proceed thing !

I know people who failed and re-applied after 18 months and got hired :) Keep going !

Best 

Dear A,

It was a wise step for you to withdraw the application from McKinsey. 

Yes. You can reapply in September at McKinsey, ideally witha help of referral. If you need any help to get one, feel free to reach out. 

Regarding your BCG online application, I wouldn't say that you were baned for 2 years, but most probably your account is frozen for 12-18 months. Afterwards you may reapply. Also in that case I would strongly recommend to use someone's referral to get your profile on the top of the pile and increase your chances for being invited again. 

Hope it helps,

Wish you best of luck,

Andrè

Hey, I don't know if you're still around but I would love to chat with you about your experience. Please send me a message!

Hello,

For McKinsey side: it's not a problem at all that you withdrew your application. Re-apply and start preparing for your interviews and Imbellus. I have a guide on the last one, write me if you want more information.

Regarding BCG, the ban can not be reduced using referrals (unless you don't know an influent partner :) ).

Best,
Luca

Hi there,

You definitely can have a referral. 

Your previous application won't impact your new one. 

All the best,

GB