After 2 years at a T2 I was put on the PIP and unfortunately didn’t pass it and will need to leave in ~1 month. I’ve been applying to jobs for 3 months but all I have now is an offer from a boutique consulting firm that a recruiter headhunted me for.
My long-term goal is to get into tech (and product management at some point) and I’ve been applying for Strategy&Ops roles but only got 3 interviews in 3 months and no success (rejected at different stages). There’s a part of me that thinks that I’m not able to get through these interviews for the same reasons that I failed consulting: I’m not that good with consulting-like case studies and I have rather low quant skills for someone with my tenure. I also require visa sponsorship in the UK which not all companies provide so the amount of interviews I’m getting can partially be attributed to that.
Apart from this dismissal crushing my ego and my idea of who I am, I’m extremely scared that after I have “going from a T2 to a boutique” on my CV all decent exit opportunities that T2 got me will be closed.
I also can’t financially afford to not have a job rn.
Would appreciate if anyone has any tips, interview tips for tech or how to handle this situation better.
I got fired from a T2 and struggling to find a job
Hi,
I’m really sorry you’re going through this, it’s completely normal that it’s hitting both your confidence and your clarity.
That said,I’d try to separate emotions from decisions as much as possible right now.
First point: don’t jump to harsh conclusions about yourself.
You got into a T2 firm, which means you passed multiple interview rounds and were selected among many candidates. That alone proves you’re not “not good enough.” Something didn’t work in that specific environment or context; that’s very different from your overall potential
Short term: prioritize stability (financial + visa).
Given your situation,securing a job now is the priority, not optimizing the perfect move. If nothing stronger comes through, I would take the boutique offer.
Moving from T2 to boutique will not “kill” your career. You can absolutely shape the story later; many people make non-linear moves early on
Mid-term: reset and target what you actually want
You mentioned tech / strategy & ops; if that’s your real goal, then in a way, this could even be a forced but useful pivot point.
What I would do:
- be more structured in your applications (not just sending CVs)
- build internal contacts through networking
- apply broadly (10+ companies), even if not all are perfect fits
Right now the goal is to get closer to the role you want, not to land it immediately.
On interviews:
If you feel cases/quant are a weakness, that’s something you can fix.Don’t treat it as a permanent limitation; treat it as a skill gap you can work on. Coaches here on Preplounge can help a lot with this! I am happy to support you if you want.
Big picture:
This feels like a major setback now, but it’s very often just a short detour, not a closed road. The key is to stay pragmatic in the short term and intentional in the next step.
Hope this helps;happy to chat more if useful.
Franco
It might be more appropriate for you to reach out to a career counselor or recruiter in this situation.
Sorry about your situation.
