Shifting to management consulting

Hi Mohamed,

I would be happy to share my thoughts on your question:

• First of all, it's absolutely possible to move from industry into consulting, even with a purely technical background. However, it depends very much on your specific background and experience.
• Moreover, I would strongly advise you to create a strong, customized resume and cover letter when applying. As one of the most experienced coaches, I would be happy to help you with your entire application process.

If you would like a more detailed discussion on your specific situation, please don't hesitate to contact me directly.

Best,

Hagen

Absolutely—you do have a chance. Many consultants come from technical backgrounds, especially in industries like oil and gas. Your 12 years of experience give you deep domain knowledge and likely strong problem-solving, project management, and stakeholder skills—all highly valued in consulting. You can explore both the generalist and expert tracks. 

To stand out, focus on framing your experience in terms of business impact, not just technical execution. Start preparing for case interviews early, and consider taking short business or strategy courses to build your toolkit.

An MBA can also be a strong pathway—especially if you’re targeting top firms or want to broaden your exposure. It gives you access to consulting recruiters and helps you build the business acumen that complements your technical experience.

hi there, 

Yes you can potentially pivot into consulting. Given you have 12 years O&G industry experience and mostly in tech, the more feasible path for you, though, might not be the general strategy consulting roles. It would be more feasible / practical for you to pursue roles within the O&G practice in the consulting firms, and maybe consider an expert role. 

Also, your chance would be better if you can get connected / referred to some of the senior leaders with those O&G practice teams, instead of going through the general application pool. 

Good luck!

Emily

Given your background, the MBA path is probably the easiest to reposition your career.

However, before you consider any MBA; you should first optimize your CV to reflect business type of work and apply to a broad set of firms in consulting.

Hi Mohamed,

Q: I didn't expose to a management consulting experience before. I need to shift my career. I'm really interested in consulting career. Do I have the chance for this?

This is not necessarily easy but it is possible. I helped candidates before with a similar background to get offers.

The main options I would recommend are:

1. Applying for an expert role in O&G/energy, or
2. Doing an MBA and applying after it

You might try #1 first, and opt for #2 if it doesn't work out.

You could also apply for a generalist role without an MBA, but I believe your chances will be lower in that case.

Good luck!

Francesco

Hi!

I looked at your comment questions and here are some answers:

Here are some consulting firms that work in Oil and Gas and other heavy industries:

• MBB – All should have a broad global presence in energy and heavy industry sectors - it will just depend on the regional office.
• Kearney – Strong in operations, supply chain, and strategy for oil & gas and industrial clients.
• Partners in Performance (PIP) – Known for hands-on operational consulting in mining, oil & gas, and heavy industries.
• Wood Mackenzie – Specialist in oil & gas market intelligence and consulting.
• Rystad Energy – Deep research-driven oil & gas consulting expertise.

Here's a list of some countries known for significant Oil & Gas consulting work, along with some major cities in each where this work is concentrated:

• United States: Houston (global O&G hub), Dallas, Denver, New Orleans, Midland
• Canada: Calgary (main center for oil sands and energy),  Vancouver, Toronto, St. John’s , Toronto
• United Arab Emirates: Abu Dhabi, Dubai,  but as far as I am aware, most O&G consulting happens in Abu Dhabi  
• South Africa: Johannesburg 

To improve your chances of entering consulting I would do the following:

1. Tailor your CV to highlight:
   • Your analytical skills
   • Any leadership roles
   • What you’ve accomplished (include numbers or metrics where possible)
2. Network!
   • Cold-message people on LinkedIn
   • Use your MBA alumni network, have any peers gone into MBB? Grab a coffee and ask them how they did it.
   • Use your MBA career team - they should help.
   • Use your MBA's consulting club - get involved, do they have free resources, go find out (this was my route into an MBB).
3. Start preparing:
   • When practicing cases, do them with people who know how to give good feedback, quality over quantity.
   • Once you’ve learned some frameworks, watch a real case to get a feel for the process. Here’s a great example (imagine this happening online):
     👉 YouTube – Real Case Interview
   • Use the free resources on PrepLounge:
     • Case Interview Basics
     • Mental Math Practice

Good luck and happy to chat!

Hi there,

Generally yes - but you would need to share a bit more info about your background (geography, education, exact positions and career development) to make a more definitive statement and also provide more tailored guidance.

Cheers,

Florian

Hey Mohamed,

Yes, you absolutely have a chance! Your 12 years of technical experience in oil & gas are a big asset — consulting firms (especially those with energy or operations practices) often look for experts with real-world industry knowledge.

To stand out, focus on:

• Transferable skills like problem-solving, leadership, communication, and project delivery.
• Framing your experience in terms of impact and outcomes, not just technical tasks.
• Highlighting any client-facing, cross-functional, or strategic work you've done.

Consider also applying for experienced hire or expert track roles rather than generalist entry-level positions.

If you'd like help crafting your story or prepping for interviews, feel free to reach out!

Best regards,
Alessa

Hi there, I led recruitment for Deloitte strategy and digital transformation consulting here in Australia. And your experience in oil and gas is high in demand here as the big giants like BHP, Rio etc are based in Australia. 

A deep oil and gas industry knowledge will make you stand out as many consultants we hired are more generalist and the oil and gas clients want to speak with someone who understand the technical element.

However if there are any project based problem solving or designing, building digital systems experience you could demonstrate then that would put your application in a stronger position. 

Happy to chat more about it!