Technology | Strategy & Operations
Yuji Li, MFin ’11, is a Sloan Industry Advisor and Executive Coach.
As the spring semester kicks off, below are insights I’m seeing in Technology and Strategy & Operations hiring this spring.
What’s Standing Out this Season:
- Big tech continues to have more openings for both individual contributor (IC) and leadership roles, but there is a stronger preference for “plug-and-play” candidates—people who have already solved the specific types of problems the team is currently facing.
- Smaller firms seem much more open to “transferable” talent. If a candidate has the right skill set, they’re less worried about exact industry knowledge, making this a great area for pivots.
- Strategy & Ops remains very flexible. Moving between sectors (like Ads to SaaS) is still common and well-received.
- Role pivots, for example: from S&O to Product Manager, is also possible although less straightforward.
Learn More:
I’m hosting an upcoming session titled “Strategy & Ops Decoded: Big Companies, Small Teams, and Career Leaps” on Friday, February 27 at 1:00pm ET focused on:
- How Strategy & Operations differs at big firms vs. startups
- Navigating career leaps from consulting and Chief of Staff roles
I also recently led a session demystifying Strategy & Operations career paths. Curated highlights from that session are available here for students exploring the function.
MIT Sloan students and alumni: Book a 1:1 appointment with me here!
