Transitioning from consulting to corporate strategy - Seeking advice

Hi there,

The problem isn't being a generalist. The problem is "strong problem solver" — that's what every consultant says. It tells them nothing about you specifically.

You need to find your pattern. Two years at MBB — what actually excited you? What would you love to keep doing? Even a generalist has themes. Figure those out and lead with them.

Practically:

1) Switch LinkedIn to open to work. Your MBB brand will generate inbound on its own.

2) Network with people already in corporate strategy roles. Ask them directly what they look for. Worth more than anything you'll read online.

3) Target companies where consulting IS the differentiator — tech, PE backed, high growth.

For the interviews: the sector knowledge bar is much lower than you think once you're actually in the room. What they're testing is whether you've done your homework on THAT specific company.

Read the annual report, latest earnings, recent strategic moves. Build 2-3 clear views on their challenges before you walk in. You don't need to know the industry cold — you need to know their business.

Your structured thinking is your edge. Use it.

Feel free to reach out — I work with a lot of consultants making this exact transition.

"Strong problem solver" is what every MBB consultant says. It means nothing to a hiring manager. You need to pick a lane. Go back through your projects and look for any kind of theme. Even one or two projects in the same sector is enough to build your story around.

If there really is no pattern, go after industries where good thinking matters more than deep sector knowledge. Tech, PE-backed companies, and fast-growing consumer businesses are much more open to generalists. Goldman or a top-tier tech firm can afford to wait for someone with both consulting and in-industry experience. Many others cannot.

Your instinct on niche sectors is right. A mid-size industrial or healthcare services company will not have a long list of candidates with your background. You will stand out there in a way you simply won't at a more prestigious target.

For interviews, the shift is real. Corporate strategy is less about structure and more about having an actual view on the business. The way to get there is targeted research. Pick 10 companies you want to work for and learn each one properly. How they make money, who they compete with, what their latest earnings said, and what their big strategic bets are right now.

You don't need to know the whole industry. You just need to know that one company well enough to have an opinion.

Hi there,

This is a very normal challenge. What’s happening is less about your experience, and more about how it’s being read on the other side. It’s a slightly different game — not harder, just different expectations.

On your first point, the “generalist problem”:
you’re right — saying “I’m a strong problem solver” doesn’t really resonate outside consulting. It’s true, but it’s too generic. Hiring managers are trying to answer a simpler question: why you, for this business?

You don’t need deep sector expertise, but you do need a clear angle.

The easiest way to get there is to pick 1–2 threads from your experience and lean into them. That could be:

• an industry you’ve touched a few times
• or even a topic (growth, pricing, transformation, etc.)

Then build a story that sounds intentional. Something like:
“I’ve mainly worked on growth and commercial topics, including a couple of projects in [industry], and I’m now looking to go deeper on that from the inside.”

It doesn’t have to be perfect. It just needs to feel focused enough that someone can place you.

Also, your observation about certain sectors being more open is spot on. In practice, industries like industrials, energy, logistics, etc., are often more flexible because the talent pool is smaller. That’s usually a better entry point than highly competitive sectors where they can afford to be picky.

One more thing that makes a difference: how you describe your projects.
In consulting, we tend to emphasize the analysis. In corporate roles, they care more about:
what decision was made, and what changed because of your work.

Small shift, big impact.

On interviews, what you’re feeling is very real. These interviews are less “let’s solve this together” and more “do you already think like one of us?”

That’s why generic structures don’t land as well.

What helps is changing the way you prepare:

Instead of trying to cover a whole industry, pick a few target companies and spend a bit more time on each:
how they make money, where they’re growing, what’s not working, what competitors are doing.

You don’t need to be an expert — but you should be able to say something that feels specific to them.

And during the interview, even if you use a simple structure, add a layer of concreteness.
For example, don’t stop at:
“I’d look at market, competitors, internal capabilities…”

Add one sentence that shows you’ve thought about their context:
“…for example, given your expansion into X, I’d want to understand…”

That alone already puts you ahead of most candidates.

If I had to summarize what usually works:

• don’t try to be a “generalist” — pick an angle and own it
• translate your experience into decisions and impact, not just analysis
• go deeper on a few companies rather than shallow on many
• always bring a point of view, even if it’s not perfect

You don’t need to reinvent your profile — just make it easier for them to see the fit.

Good luck!

Best,

Soheil

hey there :)

this is a very common transition from McKinsey & Company / MBB into corporate strategy, and the key shift is exactly what you noticed, from “problem solver” to “context + insight driven operator”

for positioning, don’t try to stay fully generalist, instead pick 1 or 2 “spikes” based on where you already have credibility, even light exposure counts, for example industry themes like consumer, tech, or industrials, and then rewrite your story as “I solve problems best when I understand how this industry actually makes money and grows”, corporate strategy teams care much more about perceived fit than breadth

for interviews, the expectation is indeed different, you are no longer being tested only on structure, but on whether you can think like someone inside the company, so the fastest way to close that gap is to build a small “knowledge base” per target company, like revenue drivers, key competitors, recent moves, and one or two hypotheses on where value can be created, you don’t need perfect knowledge, just informed opinions

a simple way to perform well is to combine a clear consulting structure with 2 to 3 sharp business insights you prepare in advance, that mix is usually what separates strong candidates from average ones

if you want, happy to help you build a quick prep framework for a specific company or industry so it feels much more concrete

best,
Alessa :)

Typically, corporate employers look for a particular set of skills and knowledge for the area in which you're hiring. 

The skills you very likely already have since they're part of the consulting toolkit. 

The knowledge might be the problem. 

Try to reflect on the 2-3 topics your value proposition/experience in consulting revolves around. Those are the topics where it will be the easiest to find roles because you'll very clearly have something useful to bring to the employer. 

About a third of my candidates are existing consultants transitioning between firms, so if you need help, reach out. 

Best,
Cristian