Joining the corporate world can be an exciting yet daunting experience for fresh graduates and young professionals. With countless options and career paths to consider, narrowing down your choices to find the best fit can be challenging. If you’re interested in strategy and management consulting, the field of jobs in corporate strategy offers some of the most coveted and promising roles for ambitious beginners.
In this article, we’ll explore some of the best entry-level jobs in corporate strategy perfect for freshers looking to get a foot in the door and launch their careers. Whether you’re an MBA graduate or have limited work experience, these positions provide tremendous opportunities to learn on the job, develop critical skills, and work on impactful projects. Read on to discover the top roles to target and land when you’re just starting out in corporate strategy.
What is Jobs in Corporate Strategy?
Before diving into specific jobs, let’s quickly overview what corporate strategy entails. Corporate strategy refers to the overall direction and goals of an organization, guiding high-level decision-making to drive business growth and success. Unlike functional strategies focused on specific departments like marketing or HR, corporate strategy takes a broad, bird’s-eye view of the entire company.
Professionals in this space help identify opportunities and threats, analyze industry trends, evaluate competitive dynamics, and chart strategic plans to help their firm compete and thrive. This involves assessing the current state of the business, forecasting future challenges and prospects, and recommending moves to strengthen the organization’s market position over time. Some common jobs in corporate strategy responsibilities include:
- Conducting market research and analysis
- Developing long-term vision and planning
- Driving mergers, acquisitions, and partnerships
- Evaluating expansion opportunities
- Optimizing business unit coordination
- Allocating resources and investments
- Implementing strategic initiatives and priorities
Given this high-level purview and influence, corporate strategy is a career path with immense potential for growth, learning, and leadership. The variety of skills built makes it an excellent springboard for progressing to executive roles down the line. Now let’s look at some ideal ways fresh graduates can get their foot in the door.
1. Business/Strategy Analyst
One of the most popular corporate strategy roles for new graduates is business or strategy analyst. Nearly every major firm hires analysts to conduct research, analyze data, and support higher-level strategic planning and decision-making. You’ll likely start as a junior analyst before being promoted to positions like senior analyst, supervisor, manager, or associate as you gain experience.
As an analyst, you’ll need to be comfortable with tasks like:
- Researching market conditions, industry trends, and competitive forces
- Developing presentations and reports to synthesize analysis
- Creating financial models and forecasts to evaluate strategy options
- Performing benchmarking studies and SWOT analyses
- Monitoring internal data and business metrics (KPIs)
- Interviewing and surveying stakeholders within the company
- Preparing memos, briefs, and proposals on strategy issues
The role requires strategic thinking, problem-solving, quantitative skills, communication abilities, and intellectual curiosity. While the day-to-day work can be repetitive, you’ll get exposure to core strategic planning activities and methodologies. Analyst programs are the typical entry ports for top consultancies like McKinsey, Bain, BCG, Deloitte, and Accenture too.
2. Associate Consultant
Consulting is another career path to target if you’re interested in strategy. Firms like McKinsey, Bain, BCG, Deloitte, PwC, EY, and Accenture hire graduates into associate consultant roles to work on client engagements. The work will be fast-paced and challenging, giving you hands-on strategy experience across diverse industries and companies.
As an associate, you’ll collaborate on activities like:
- Identifying client business issues and objectives
- Leading data collection processes and interviews
- Conducting analysis to diagnose problems and find solutions
- Creating presentation decks outlining strategic recommendations
- Directly interacting with clients to convey insights
- Project managing engagements and coordinating team members
- Developing new business proposals and pitches
The role will build your strategic thinking, analytical, problem-solving, communication, and client relationship skills. You’ll also develop commercial awareness and consulting capabilities that can springboard you into future leadership roles.
3. Rotational Program Participant
Many large corporations offer competitive graduate rotational programs that provide management training across different business units and functions. These 2-3 year programs recruit top talent and give you broad exposure to identify areas you’re passionate about.
As a rotational program participant, you may complete 3-4 rotations of 6-12 months each in various departments like:
- Strategy and business development
- Marketing and sales
- Operations and logistics
- Finance and accounting
- Technology and digital
- HR and change management
You’ll gain hands-on experience in these domains while building a company-wide network and knowledge base. Leadership mentoring and training are often provided to accelerate your development. At the end, you’ll be better equipped to choose a long-term role aligned with your interests and talents.
4. Project Coordinator
Project coordinator roles are available at both consulting firms and within corporate strategy groups. Here you’ll provide key support on client engagements or internal initiatives to help projects run smoothly from start to finish.
Typical project coordinator responsibilities include:
- Managing schedules, budgets, and resources
- Coordinating team members and stakeholders
- Planning meetings and events
- Documenting discussions and tracking project status
- Developing presentation materials
- Managing logistics for client deliverables
- Ensuring quality control and timelines are met
It’s a great way to learn about the full project lifecycle, build stakeholder management abilities, and develop leadership foundations for bigger positions down the line. Having PM experience on your resume can open doors to more senior coordinator, manager, or consultant roles too.
5. Investment Banking Analyst
While demanding and intense, investment banking can be a rewarding first job if you have an interest in finance and corporate strategy. As an investment banking analyst, you’ll work on activities like:
- Developing financial models to assess strategy options
- Preparing pitch decks and materials for potential deals
- Conducting due diligence on mergers, acquisitions, and transactions
- Researching companies, markets, and trends
- Drafting investment memorandums
- Supporting clients through deals, IPOs, restructuring, etc.
You’ll gain exposure to corporate finance issues, M&A, valuations, capital markets, and more. The hours are long, but you’ll develop top-notch modeling skills and financial acumen. After 2-3 years as an analyst you can progress to an associate role with greater responsibility and pay.
Skills Needed
While specific requirements vary by company and role, here are some key skills and traits that will help you succeed in an entry-level job in corporate strategy position:
Hard Skills
- Quantitative skills – Using data to drive informed decisions is crucial. Comfort with numbers, statistics, modeling, etc. is vital.
- Research abilities – Know how to gather and make sense of data from various sources. Learn fast and synthesize insights.
- Technical skills – Excel modeling in particular is a must-have. PowerPoint, data analysis, and BI tools are also useful.
- Writing skills – You’ll need to produce memos, presentations, reports, and proposals clearly conveying recommendations.
Soft Skills
- Strategic thinking – See the big picture and make connections others may miss. Think critically and analytically about complex business issues.
- Proactive learning – Continuously try to expand your business knowledge. Absorb information quickly and connect dots.
- Intellectual curiosity – Develop an interest in diverse industries and functions. Explore issues from multiple lenses.
- Interpersonal skills – Build stakeholder relationships and influence others. Listen well and communicate complex ideas simply.
- Business acumen – Understand how corporations operate and make money. Learn the fundamentals across functions.
- Teamwork – Collaborate effectively through strong teaming abilities. Check your ego at the door.
- Work ethic – Be willing to work hard. Manage your time well and deliver high-quality work consistently.
How to Get Your Foot in the Door
If you’re inspired to launch your career in corporate strategy, here are some tips for landing your first role:
- Target management consulting or Fortune 500 graduate schemes – Apply for competitive analyst and associate programs designed to develop future talent.
- Network extensively – Reach out to alumni at target firms for informational interviews. Attend conferences and company events to connect in-person.
- Secure relevant internships – Build your resume with strategy-focused summer internships that provide experience.
- Develop technical skills – Take courses, online tutorials, or boot camps to build modeling, analysis, and BI capabilities.
- Practice case interviews – Prepare to tackle business case/problem-solving questions using online resources.
- Craft a focused resume – Emphasize coursework, activities, skills, and experiences relevant to strategy roles.
- Perform well academically – Strong grades, especially in quantitative subjects, make you stand out.
- Get involved on campus – Take on leadership roles in consulting clubs, business competitions, or other related extracurriculars.
With the right preparation and persistence, you can absolutely land a top corporate strategy role at a leading firm. The experience will prove invaluable in developing the knowledge, skills, and network to accelerate your career in management consulting or strategic leadership.
Conclusion
Pursuing a job in corporate strategy career straight out of college can establish the foundation for tremendous growth and success in business. With so many options spanning consulting firms and corporate roles, identify openings that best fit your interests and talents.
Gaining hands-on experience through entry-level positions like analyst, associate, coordinator, and rotational programs offers invaluable learning opportunities. Approach your first job with intellectual curiosity, proactive learning, strategic thinking, and solid work ethic. The skills and knowledge you build in these formative roles can springboard you into leadership positions down the road.
Stay focused on delivering high-quality work, absorbing insights, strengthening collaboration abilities, and understanding your company’s strategy. With the right motivation and attitude, the sky’s the limit on how far you can take your nascent career in corporate strategy.
FAQs
What is the career progression in corporate strategy?
Typical career progressions include:
- Analyst -> Senior Analyst -> Manager -> Senior Manager -> Associate
- Associate -> Engagement Manager -> Principal/Partner
- Rotational Program -> Senior Associate -> Manager -> Senior Manager -> Director
What skills are most important for corporate strategy?
Critical skills include strategic thinking, strong analytical abilities, intellectual curiosity, problem-solving, financial modeling, data analysis, writing, presentation, interpersonal, and leadership skills.
Do you need an MBA for corporate strategy?
While not required, an MBA gives an advantage for entering corporate strategy. Top MBA recruiters include consultancies like McKinsey, Bain, BCG, and large corporate rotational programs.
What undergraduate major is best for corporate strategy?
Common relevant majors include Business, Finance, Economics, International Relations, Organizational Leadership, Supply Chain Management, and Analytics.
Is corporate strategy a good career?
Yes, corporate strategy offers high earning potential, career advancement, continuous learning, and the opportunity to drive impact. The varied, high-level purview builds broadly transferable skills over time.
