How I would land a corporate strategy job if starting again in 2025

5 key things to focus on to land a big tech strategy role in 2025

I’ve been in my Strategy & Ops role at Google for ~6 months now, and now seems as good a time as ever to write about how I landed this job, and what I would do differently if I were starting the process over again.

Let’s dive in:

Step 1: Get into management consulting

I can already smell the comments saying “I’ve already failed step 1”, but the truth is, under ideal conditions the most common path into corporate strategy / BizOps roles is from consulting.

It’s not impossible to break in from other roles like finance or “strategy-adjacent” corporate roles, but the title of this article is what I would do if “starting again”, and my experience on the job (being on a team with 90% ex-MBB consultants) solidifies my belief that getting consulting experience is the best thing you can do to position yourself to transition into corporate strategy at a tech company.

The skillset needed to excel (e.g., stakeholder management, data analysis / research, and strategic thinking) are all skills consulting firms force their talent to develop. Not only that, but the hard truth is people like to hire people similar to them - because what better way to vet someone than to know that they also went through the same training gauntlet you did? (Note: whether or not this kind of hiring logic results in positive hiring outcomes is for another article).

So if I were starting over, I would still encourage my younger self to pursue a role at a top consulting firm, because this would not only set me up with the most relevant skillset, but also a network of ex-consultants turned BizOps employees to draw on.

Step 2: Get the right project experience

The next thing I would focus on is getting the right project / work experience.

Anyone who’s starting at a large consulting firm quickly realizes that there’s a vast array of project types available, from 1-week private equity due diligence sprints to 1 year implementation projects.

There are 2 things you should optimize for: (1) industry type, and (2) functional project type. Optimizing for industry ensures you’ve at least done 1 project in the field you want to exit into (e.g., in my case it was Tech, so I made sure to have at least 1 technology project under my belt). Optimizing for functional project type (e.g., due diligence, growth strategy, pricing) is less important IMO, insofar as you can demonstrate you have developed the core consulting toolkit of stakeholder management, data analysis / research, and strategic thinking.

Focusing on the right project types will greatly benefit you down the line, because going into interviews you’ll be equipped with kind of experience that makes it a no-brainer for the hiring manager to see you as someone suited for the role.

Step 3: Focus on inputs, not outcomes, when applying and networking

Step 3 sounds pretty obvious, but you’d be surprised how many people want to wait for the “perfect moment” to apply or to start networking.

The truth is, there is no “perfect moment” - the perfect moment is the moment you decide to apply and shoot your shot. Trying to “time the job market” is as ill-fated as trying to time its financial cousin (hint: the stock market).

Sure, once in a while you might get lucky, but you’re far better off dollar-cost averaging the S&P 500 (i.e., investing the same amount consistently over time) than throwing 10 grand into a single stock your cousin Greg swears will go “to the moon” after reading 1 poorly-written thread on r/WallStreetBets.

You should do the same with your networking efforts - start early, be consistent, and don’t think too much about the result: Focus on inputs, not outcomes.

Step 4: Don’t overthink interviews

Congrats! You’ve applied to a bunch of roles and received a recruiter screen - now what?

Don’t overthink it at this stage.

The interview process will likely consist of a 1st round recruiter screen, some kind of case study (take-home or live), and 2-3 rounds of interviews with members of the hiring team (involving a mix of behavioral questions and consulting style cases). Case studies are typically testing 2 things: (1) your ability to create a framework to structure an ambiguous problem, and (2) your ability to analyze data and synthesize findings. If you can do these 2 things and communicate them well, you will pass the case study.

The key during live interviews is balance: come across as impressive but not arrogant, personable but still professional, and ultimately someone the interviewer would want on their team (check out my video on how to exponentially increase your interview success rate if you haven’t seen it yet).

Step 5: Don’t quit

“You never fail until you stop trying” - Albert Einstein

Next time you browse somebody’s LinkedIn profile and think to yourself “holy sh** this guy has an insane career path, there’s no way I could do that!” let me remind you that social media is a highlight reel. Anyone who has achieved head-turning amounts of success will know that failure is a prerequisite to success. I applied 5 times to Google before landing a single interview, but 99% of people will only see a smooth transition from BCG to Google on my LinkedIn profile.

If you commit to the small actions that move you towards your goals and don’t allow the numerous rejections to make you quit, you will get much further in life than you expect. I’m rooting for you!