Make the leap from management consulting to tech in 4 easy steps
Transition from a career in management consulting to tech in 4 steps. How to do it and where to start
Management consulting (MC) can be one of the most enriching career experiences. Working at a top-tier consulting firm indicates that you’ve collaborated with leading executives on some of the most challenging business problems. If you’re considering making a move from consulting to work in industry, your potential opportunities can also be exceptional.
I made the leap from consulting to the tech industry several years ago. Since then, I’ve been asked numerous times about my career transition from consulting to tech. My experience took time, was reflective, and included lots of coffee chats with others who generously shared their wisdom. To pay this forward, I’m sharing the steps below so that you can get started on your journey.
Whether you’re contemplating a move from consulting to tech, or midway into your search, these four steps will get you closer to an exciting tech career!
Do your due diligence
Get up to speed with the products, solution space, technology trends, and specific companies you’re targeting.
Unlike consulting where a generalist path is common, you’ll likely join a specific group in tech companies. This means that you should be familiar with the types of roles, teams, and scopes of work. While you may “wear different hats” in your role - particularly if you join earlier stage companies - you’ll be on a team tasked with the delivery of specific objectives.
Key questions to structure your due diligence process:
What stage tech company do you want to work for - early stage, growth stage, established? There are factors to consider such as role scope, compensation, brand exposure, access to mentorship, and training that are distinct across company types.
Learn more about the stages of company growth here and the distinction between start-up and established companies in this article to help find the best company fit for you.
What products and services interest you?
“The only way to do great work is to love what you do.” - Steve Jobs
The things I loved about consulting such as the breadth of experiences and exposure to different types of companies, leaders, and business problems made selecting one company seem more challenging.
Best advice: keep it simple. What companies have you worked with that most interested you? What are the products or services that you use regularly? Which company missions align with your vision of the world?
You can build a solid list of initial tech company targets then narrow it down as you learn more from researching question 1. Bonus: your answer to the why this role, why our company interview question might just be even more compelling!
Note on the industry: I often get asked if selecting an industry is important.
What’s most important is the perspective you bring. This may come from exposure to an industry where you had various client engagements and from functional expertise.
Bottom line: target opportunities where you have distinctive expertise that enable you to contribute from day one.
Know your transferable skills
Fact: You don’t need to know how to code or have a computer science degree to work in a tech firm! You do need to know the types of non-technical roles that exist and position your experiences to reflect how you’d deliver value in these roles.
I’ve noted examples (non-exhaustive!) of functional MC experience and potential groups in tech firms where your skills might be transferable. Also keep in mind valuable skills such as public speaking, presenting to executives, structuring complex business problems into executable tactics, going from zero to influencing strategy.
The best way to learn about potential roles and where your skills are valued is to reach out to people who do the job you’re interested in today - see section 4 “Network to Get Ahead”.
Example
Check out these seven kinds of startup jobs that don’t require coding skills.
Learn the language
Like consulting, tech has its own jargon. Get familiar with terms like OKRs, UI/UX, dogfooding (I’m not making this up). This flowchart is money for unpacking common tech terms.
There’s a wealth of news sources to stay informed and enhance your tech knowledge. Beyond my personal go-to’s for business news e.g., Wall Street Journal, FT, Economist, I focused on the list below during my search:
SEC filings for public companies: Start with 10Ks for insight on the industry, revenue generators, leadership, business outlook, competitors
The Information: must-read (paid subscription) for tech space insights
Tech innovation sources: Fast Company, Wired, Crunchbase, Deloitte’s list of 500 fastest growing companies, LinkedIn Top startups, CB Insights, Tracxn
Network to get ahead
Chances are your firm has alumni in companies you’re interested in. Work with your alumni team and leverage other sources (e.g., LinkedIn) to build your contact list. Schedule informational interviews to help you discover what types of companies and roles might be a good fit for you.
It’s never too early to get started on networking. Leverage these discussions to narrow down the questions in the due diligence phase.
Pro tip: Ask each person to refer you to one other person. This technique expands your networking list and builds your database of knowledge.
Making the leap from consulting to tech is an important career transition. With thoughtful planning and execution taking the steps above, landing your dream tech job is not only attainable but also can lead to exciting experiences.
As an added benefit, I hope that this journey helps you learn more deeply and find new ways to grow in your next role.
Schedule time with me here if you’d value a focused conversation.
WELCOME! This is the inaugural edition of On Point. I'm glad you're here. On Point shares musings on management, leadership, and strategy to help you stay On Point in today's fast paced, tech-forward, global business world.
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Joselle
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Joselle, thanks and congratulations! Coming from MC myself, this is helpful not only for making the transition to tech companies; your advice is "on point" for doing the research on the companies and cultures to find the best fit. I found the "startup or established company" link helpful for my own self-analysis to confirm my expectations from my future employer.