HR/Organizational Consulting to Strategy Consulting?

Hi,

I've seen people do it, but it's not the typical path. That said, I think it's more than doable with your background and the right prep.

What works in your favor: you already have client-facing consulting experience, you can speak to delivery and stakeholder management, and you have a credible story for the switch. Lean on that in the fit.

A few tips on the application process itself:

1. CV: org/HR consulting reads as a different problem space to MBB recruiters, so reframe your experience around quantitative, strategic, business-impact work and play down the pure HR/talent angle.
2. Referral: an MBA or alumni connection can help you get past the CV screen, so use your network. This is fairly important, since the risk with atypical profiles is precisely that they don't pass the screen.
3. Case: the real gate. It's the same bar as for everyone else, so the work here is the same prep any candidate puts in, regardless of background.
4. Generalist vs expert track: targeting the firm's people/org practice lets you use your background as an asset rather than fight it, so think about it when you position yourself.

One more thing on seniority recognition: with 2-3 years you'd come in around senior analyst level and the transition is fairly clean. The more experience you carry, the bigger the haircut, since MBB discounts org/HR consulting against their own strategy track and brings you in below where your years would otherwise place you.

Hope it helps. Feel free to drop me a message if anything is unclear and good luck with the move!

Hi,

Yes, it is possible, and I have seen people make that move, but the difficulty depends a lot on what you are doing within organizational consulting.

If your work involves organization design, operating models, talent strategy, workforce transformation, leadership assessment, change management, or post-merger integration, the transition is much easier because there is a clear overlap with the people and organization topics that strategy firms advise on.

The harder cases are when someone has spent years in highly specialized executive search or assessment work and has limited exposure to broader business problems. In that situation, recruiters may see the profile as too niche.

The good news is that firms like MBB, Big 4 Strategy, and Tier 2 firms increasingly work on transformation programs where strategy, organization, and people topics are closely linked. That creates natural entry points for candidates from firms such as Korn Ferry and Spencer Stuart.

If I were in your position, I would focus less on the title "HR consulting" and more on translating your experience into consulting language:

• What business problem were you solving?
• What was the impact on performance, growth, costs, or productivity?
• How did you influence senior stakeholders?
• How did your recommendations change organizational outcomes?

That positioning often matters more than the employer's brand name.

One final thought: moving after 2–5 years is generally easier than moving after 10+ years. The more senior and specialized you become, the harder it is for firms to view you as a generalist consultant.

So overall, I would say the transition is realistic, particularly if your experience is closer to organization design and transformation than pure executive search. The key challenge is usually not the experience itself, but how you position it on your CV and in interviews.

If you would like a more specific perspective, feel free to send me your CV. I would be happy to take a quick look and share some thoughts on how I would position your experience for strategy consulting applications.

Best,

Soheil