From tech to strategy

Hi there,

I would say it is very doable as long as the overall profile fits the consulting profile (target school, relevant work experience, interesting achievements) 

Tech is becoming a core component of "Strategy consulting" - every new corporate strategy has technology either as a key growth pillar or either a as core enabler.

So in that sense, having a background in tech consulting would provide you with insights and capabilities that are very relevant to today's problems that are tackled by strategy consultants. 

So as a next step, you need to start putting together a CV that shows your previous expertise in the angle of "I know tech, and I have used it to solve problems and create impact"

I hope this helps

Khaled

Hi there,

it really depends on your current company and role.

In general, if there is a track record for moving to strategy consulting from your company (you can check it on LinkedIn) you can follow the standard approach listed below, ideally targeting the relevant Technology division if present.

The steps I recommend are the following:

1. Define a calendar for your preparation. Check if there is any deadline for the applications. Then identify how many hours you have before that and allocate a time slot for preparation in your calendar for each day, working on the points below. Many people need 100+ hours to be ready before the interview so you can keep that as a benchmark
2. Read Case In Point or Case Interview Secrets for a general understanding of what a consulting interview is. Don’t focus on the structures proposed in the books though, as they are not good enough nowadays.
3. Start reading good MBA Consulting Handbooks – you can find several for free online (Insead is a good one to start). Read the cases and try to apply your structure to solve them. Whenever you see there is something missing, upgrade your structure with the new insides. Try to read at least a new case per day – in this way you will absorb better the information with constant learning.
4. After the first 5-10 cases in books/handbooks and basic theory, start to practice live. PrepLounge can be helpful to connect with other candidates for that. There is a relevant part of the interview score that is based on your communication, which you cannot practice at all if you read cases only. Keep track of your mistakes and see if you repeat them. If so, try to identify the source of the mistake (feedback of experienced partners would be particularly useful for this). Be sure to focus on both the behavioural part and the case part. The case part should also cover market sizing, mental math and graph analysis.
5. Before your application, be sure to review your CV and Cover, so that they are in the required format for a consulting application
6. At least three weeks before the application deadline, start networking to find referrals for your target companies. You can find some tips on how to do that here: https://www.preplounge.com/en/consulting-forum/hey-everyonehope-all-is-well-3176
7. Once you feel you are not improving anymore, if you have a tight time constraint or if you want a realistic assessment of your level, consider using support from experts to strengthen your performance
8. Before the interviews, be sure to prepare your questions for the interviewer –great way to show you prepared in advance and to connect with the interviewer for a good final impression.

Best,
Francesco

Hi!

I would say you may want to focus on switching to McKinsey or BCG digital divisions. You can add more value there and still be focused on strategic type of work.

Best, Anton

Hi Anonymous,

Without specific information it's impossible to give specific advice...

If it's entry-level - same process as for anyone.

If it's a more experienced role - you first need to move to more strategic role in tech before you are realistically considered for a strategy consulting role.

Hope that helps nevertheless - if so, please be so kind and give it a thumbs-up with the green upvote button below!

Robert

Hi there,

This is exactly the path I took.

1) I did my MBA (without it I did not have enough business/commercial knowledge to do well)

2) I had project, team, and client management experience (all very important and a big boost to my sellability)

3) I also made sure to highlight my extensive exposure to many different industries (for whom I built It systems) and my ability to quickly learn how they operated as a business

4) I told a (true) story of my desire to go from implementation to strategy as I saw how so many important decisions with big implications were made before we even started our work...and I wanted to impact these decisions.

Hello!

Can you please clarify: 

• Company of origin -is not the same saying Google or a little startup
• Role and responsabilities you had before
• Firm and position you are targetting

Without that, the advise is too generic. 

Hope it helps!

Cheers, 

Clara

Dear A,

I would recommend you the following algorithm:

1. Identify the companies interesting for you. Many people are interested mainly in MBB, you can start defining the exact list of companies interesting for you for the internship

2. Check the requirements and application details.

3. Start your preparation with reading Case In Point by Cosentino for a general understanding of what a consulting interview is. 

4. Start learning and practicing the cases. Some you can find in Case Library and practice it with your partner or experience coach. 

5. Purchase and read Viktor Cheng Book (Amazon Kindle store) and listen to LOMS 

Once you feel you are not improving anymore, I would recommend you to take an expert coach for structured feedback and polishing your own performance. 

Hope this helps,

Best,

André