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My old consulting firm has an alumni jobs board matching ex-consultants to corporate roles. I still get the digest emails daily.

Even though I’m not looking for a corporate role anymore, I open it every once in a while just to see who’s hiring.

And every time I do, I find myself falling into the same pattern.

I scan the JDs for vague titles like “corporate strategy” or “strategic projects”, i.e. roles general enough that I wouldn’t be dinged for not having experience in their specific industry.

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This is “old behavior” learned when I did, in fact, have very little industry experience, and being a generalist strategic thinker was my strongest marketable asset.

I got two jobs early on this way, and it worked for both parties:

I had a malleable, industry-agnostic skill-set and was looking for job security.

They wanted an all-purpose ‘brain on a body’ that could help drive a variety of strategic initiatives forward full-time for presumably 2-3 years, maybe longer. (See the above JD from today’s digest, company name redacted.)

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But that’s the opposite of how a company evaluates bringing you in as a consultant.

Yes, they still want someone sharp in both cases, but they’re not looking for someone who they can trust to adapt to some vague, evolving priorities over time.

Instead, they’re looking for someone who’s been around this exact block many times over and can help relieve their pain now.

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So, while in a job search, you might delight a hiring manger by saying things like “yup, I can help with strategy, org design, and I have a bit of product background too”

As a consultant, leading with a broad base of skills can cast doubt on your ability to come in with the precision and focus required to resolve their urgent problem.

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The JDs of an FTE and a consultant are very different.

So your articulation of your expertise has to be different too.

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💡

-Wes

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