Reasons for rejection at MBB screening + should I email partner for feedback?

Hey guys,

I'm currently doing my MBA at an MBB target school in Europe, and was hoping to come back to Canada with one of the MBBs. I spoke to a partner before applying, and he was all over me applying to the office and he even had me send him my application docs. 4 weeks later, I got a rejection letter. It's worthwhile to note that I received my rejection 2 weeks later than basically all of my classmates who applied to that MBB firm (not the same office ofcourse; some got accepted and some rejected), which was very odd. We have a recruiting process on campus, so basically we all applied at the same time and the vast majority got their interview invites/rejections on the same day (2 weeks after applying). I got my rejection 2 weeks after that.

My two questions are:

1) From your experience, any hypotheses on what could be the reason they dwelled on my docs for an additional 2 weeks and then sent me a rejection? What could have set them off?

2) Should I email the AP and ask for feedback? I would word it as asking for guidance on improvement opportunities I can try to work on to be in a better position if I apply 2 years down the line. Do you think this will set him off?

From a profile perspective, I think I am inline with other applicants. Engineering background from Canada with a 3.95/4 GPA at a top school, target MBB school in Europe, two major brand name companies (#1 and #3 in their industry) on my resume. GMAT is OK at 690 and well balanced; only reason I don't have a higher number is I didn't bother retaking since I was inline with my school's GMAT average.

Any insights much appreciated!!

 
Most Helpful

I can think of two things:

1) Did they realize you had work authorization to work in the country you were applying for and would not require sponsorship?

2) Was the partner local to you or at your target office? If the former, he may not be aware of their needs, if you missed a recruiting window, etc.

I'm typically inclined to think that they hold onto everything while you're in limbo. It sounds to me like you were a "maybe" in case someone did not accept the offer. Don't reach out for feedback and make it weird, just keep applying elsewhere.

 

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