What does the recruitment process look like for Corporate Strategy roles?

Hi,

Sharing some perspectives based on helping my coachees navigate them as well as my own experience sitting for a few of them 

1) Is my background a good fit for corporate strategy?

• Yes, deals focus is not a problem. I was in BCG's PIPE practice and did not face any hurdles applying for most corporate strategy roles

• Most of the time, corp strat roles are hiring for your toolkit, rather than really deep industry knowledge. This is why you will notice that on many JDs they will say "Experience in [industry] preferred" rather than a "must"

2) Are candidates for CS roles typically filled through headhunters (similar to PE), or through applications to job postings?

• It is a mixture of both and depends on the how the firms choose to conduct their hiring and the context - i.e. if something is more urgent to fill they may use HHs

• If i were you, i'd go through both channels AND also leverage your firm network

3) What might the interview process look like, and what's the best way to prepare? 

• Because they are hiring you for your consulting toolkit, you can expect to be tested on those skills

• There will be a behavioural portion - this is pretty standard

• More often than not there will be a problem solving / case portion to test the consulting toolkit. But in my experience, the case interview in corp strat is often not as structured as it is in the MBB interviews

• The best way to prepare is to brush up on your casing skills... if you are ready for the MBB style interview, you will be ready for the corp strat interview

• Also I would suggest just doing some research about the company you are applying to and not go in there blindly :)

To help your case prep, here are some tips about using AI to help you (Using AI for Case Preparation)

All the best!

all depends on your current profile, and the targeted role, rank, region and you've shared none of such yet. 

I'm sure others' points are generally valid, but to customize for you, you gotta share more..

Hi there,

A consulting background is generally a strong fit for corporate strategy roles, even if your experience has been more deals focused. Hiring managers tend to value structured thinking, stakeholder management, and problem solving, and industry depth can often be built on the job. Framing your experience around decision support, commercial judgment, and impact will matter more than the exact type of consulting.

Recruiting into corporate strategy happens through a mix of headhunters and direct applications. More senior or selective roles often come through recruiters, while many mid level roles are filled via postings and referrals. Networking is usually very helpful in both cases.

Interview processes are less standardized than consulting, but most do include some form of consulting style case or business problem, often grounded in the company’s context. Preparation should focus on articulating your story, understanding the company’s strategy, and practicing structured case thinking applied to real internal decisions rather than generic frameworks.

Happy to help you on your journey to secure a role if useful.

Best,
Evelina

hey there :)

Your consulting background is a very good fit for corporate strategy even with a deals focus, hiring managers mainly care about structured problem solving, stakeholder exposure and driving decisions rather than a narrow industry track. Roles are filled through a mix of headhunters and direct applications, with headhunters becoming more relevant at senior associate and manager level, so doing both works best. Interviews usually include fit, deep dives into your projects, strategy cases tailored to the company and sometimes a short deck or CEO style discussion, so preparing crisp impact stories and refreshing basic strategy frameworks is key. I have also interviewed for multiple corporate strategy roles myself and the transition is very doable with the right positioning. Happy to help more if you want.

best,
Alessa :)

Moving from external advisor to internal partner is a fantastic pivot, and your background is absolutely solid for Corporate Strategy. Don't worry about the deals focus—it’s actually a huge advantage. High-level CS groups often function as internal M&A, integration, and high-growth opportunity shops. Your ability to quickly structure an ambiguous problem and drive execution on a short timeline (which deals requires) is exactly what hiring managers in that space look for.

Regarding sourcing, CS recruiting is less structured than consulting and highly relationship-driven. The best roles are often filled internally or via referrals before they ever hit the public job boards. Headhunters are frequently used, but usually for Senior Manager or Director levels. If you rely solely on applying to postings, you are competing against the masses. Your priority should be activating your network (former colleagues, alumni, and especially former clients) to get recommendations and soft introductions.

The interview process shifts dramatically from the pure logic-driven consulting case to an applied case coupled with heavy behavioral screening. They are still testing problem-solving, but the focus moves from structure to influence. Expect questions like, "How would you influence the Head of Sales to adopt this strategy, knowing they are risk-averse?" Prep needs to focus less on standard frameworks and more on demonstrating stakeholder management, political navigation, and a deep, genuine understanding of the target company's P&L and competitive landscape.

All the best with the transition.

The interview process differs from firm to firm. Some will have two rounds, very structured, others will have eight rounds, each of them with a different structure and a different stakeholder in the company. So basically, just ask the recruiter when you get there. 

RE whether they are filled through the headhunters or not - here too, some are, some not. Some companies advertise directly for their openings, others will use a headhunter. Get in touch with some headhunters and present your profile. And in parallel run a search on your own. 

Think about the process as a 6-9 month thing rather than a quick exit. At least this way you make sure that you're going out for the right opportunity. 

Best,
Cristian

Hi, 

1) Working in consulting for 3 years is good enough for corporate strategy. It is okay that you focused more on deals. As long as you know the fundamentals of how to work on a consulting project, you are qualified. It is not that complicated in corporate setting. 

2) It is better to go through Headhunters or referrals if you can, because sometimes the postings are not "real" in the sense that they might already have someone in mind but just have to post for other reasons. 

3) Similar to consulting, the interviews typically would have case and also fit / behavior questions. The difference is that the case could be less rigor and you can expect more time allocated to fit vs. consulting interview. 

Best,

Emily