'Stay in contact' instead of feedback

Question

Hi All,

I just had a 1st round interview with one of the MBB-s. I was applying as a professional with the technology backround (Digital Transformations, etc).

I got the response per email that they decided not to continue with 2nd round, but they would like to stay in contact with me.

What does 'stay in contact' mean, when they will go for a beer they will call me or what the hell 'stay in contact' mean'? :))

I would really prefer to get some feedback about my performance. I think I did pretty good but I can understand that I need to improve something

Is it ok to explicitely ask for the feadback?

Thanks.

Answer 1

Hey there,

I am not 100% sure, but I imagine the stay in contact is just a way to try stay "in the good books" of candidates that have been rejected. Based on my knowledge, you may be referring to the "McKinsey keep in touch program". MBB recognise that some of the candidates which they reject may become clients in the future, or may reapply in a later year after more prep and turn out to be an excellent consultant.

As for asking for feedback - this is definitely fine and you should contact HR for this. It is important to get feedback to learn how to improve! Feedback will either be given by HR based on the notes your interviewer provided, or in some cases directly from one of your interviews.

Hope this helps!

Alessandro

Answer 2

Hi A,

That's actually a good sign. Well, definitely a better one than if they'd rejected you without even mentioning they'd liked to stay in contact with you. In fact, it means that you are a good candidate though lack some key characteristics or, more likely, just need to upgrade those.

You absolutely have to ask for feedback, it is always good to know what you have to work on and also shows your engagement and interest in improvement. Contact HR to clear that and also to know the timeline you can reapply.

Best, André