I’m considering a Manager, Corp Strategy offer at a luxury EV brand. I have 4 yrs experience in strategy consulting but was recently laid off. Would I still be able to shift to tech strategy (FAANG, etc.) in a year or so, or will I be stuck in the auto industry? I would love to land a gig in tech now but the market is dim. Thoughts appreciated!!
Exit Opportunities @ Corp Strategy EV Brand?
I don't believe in the ‘stuck’ mindset.
You can always pivot. At pretty much any age or level of experience.
What differs is the complexity of the move.
As long as you know what you need to do and how, any move is feasible.
Normally, if you had a job now, I would say to just wait it out until the tech market recovers and there are more offers out there.
But if you have nothing else on the table, just take what you have. Or, if you don't mind shopping around for more offers, and have the financials to sustain you during the period, then apply for the few roles that are available in tech.
One thing I'd recommend - and I'm sure it doesn't come as a surprise - is to network in the process and talk with people from your target firms and in your target industry. You're going to get a much better pulse from them of how things are in evolving in the tech market than from here on the forum.
Best,
Cristian
Hi there,
strategy consulting is an area you can apply to any industry. You have been trained in the methodology so you are very versatile.
It sounds like your role at the EV company would also be in the strategy space. You will not be “stuck” in automotive if you take the role. I'm assuming in your consulting job, you weren't stuck in one specific industry either just because you got staffed on a certain project for a few months this one time.
So I don't see any issues with this job creating any roadblocks for you to transfer to “tech” down the line.
Best of luck
Hi there,
Sorry to hear about the layoff!
However, given your 4 year tenure in strategy consulting I don't see any roadblocks for your ambition to move to FAANG.
Moving to a corporate strategy role for an EV manufacturer would not change this fact but rather support this move and strengthen your profile in my opinion as you will work
- on cutting-edge tech
- in a strategy role anyway
All the best,
Florian
I don't see it as impeditive to moving to another industry later on, particularly as EV space is right now overlapping within the tech realm.
Moreover, not sure what your real options are. The way you put it, it seems to be an option between having no job vs. having that one. You probably applied to your target companies and weren't able to make it, right? So no sense in being unemployed while waiting to reapply.
Short answer: Yes, you can pivot!
Almost always.
Adjust the resume, build up related experiences, network.
Hi there,
Q: Would I still be able to shift to tech strategy (FAANG, etc.) in a year or so, or will I be stuck in the auto industry?
You should be able to get a data-driven answer from LinkedIn as follows:
- Look for alumni of the EV company on LinkedIn
- Check how many moved to your preferred exits in your target region
- Normalize for the size of the company in the region
Good luck!
Francesco