The most common mistakes companies make when hiring strategists

It’s a hot market for corporate strategists, especially those with a management consulting background. That means there’s no room for mistakes if your company is truly in need of a strategic executive to join its ranks.

We’ve placed nearly 2,000 such leaders since opening the Charles Aris Strategy Practice in 2003, so we know what it takes to land the most coveted strategists in a hot market.

Fortunately, most of our advice centers on tweaking your interview process and understanding what motivates candidates. But there are also nuances regarding today’s strategy landscape that will give you a competitive edge.

Here’s what you need to know when hiring a corporate strategist in 2026:

Consulting firms are understaffed despite recent layoffs

It may seem counterintuitive, but many consulting firms are understaffed right now.

Layoffs across the industry made headlines last year, but consulting firms tend to react quickly to changes in demand. When workloads pick back up, teams can suddenly find themselves stretched thin.

As a result, it’s now harder and more expensive to pull top performers out of consulting. Candidates know their value, and many firms are willing to increase compensation or provide other incentives to keep them.

Plus, the ones who are planning to leave are rarely considering just one opportunity. Most are speaking with multiple companies at once and may have several offers by the time they reach the end of your interview process.

Lateral moves are possible with the right incentive

Not every strategy hire needs to come with a major jump in title. We continue to see candidates make lateral moves when the opportunity gives them something they cannot get in their current role.

That could mean budget ownership, exposure to new work streams or having greater access to senior leadership. It could also mean moving closer to implementation and seeing the results of the strategies they help create. This is especially important when recruiting management consultants.

Many have already spent years advising companies on major decisions. The opportunity to make those decisions and see the outcome themselves can be far more compelling than another title change. The more ownership your role provides, the easier it becomes to differentiate the opportunity.

Some profiles are too new to create large talent pools

Companies also need to be realistic about how mature their desired candidate profile is. Some strategy capabilities are still relatively new, which means there simply aren’t as many people who’ve done exactly what you’re hiring them to do.

A good example is in private equity-backed financial services. Firms may want a former consultant who brings both deep financial services experience and significant private equity exposure in areas such as tax, audit or other specialized functions. Those combinations exist, but the talent pool can be small.

Artificial intelligence is another clear example. Businesses increasingly want strategists with deep experience developing and implementing AI strategies, but the market has not had enough time to produce a large population of executives with long track records doing that work.

When hiring for emerging capabilities, focus on the skills and experiences that are truly necessary. Requiring candidates to check every possible box can leave you searching for a profile that’s too narrow.

Interview flexibility still wins candidates

Even strong companies can lose a great candidate because of the interview process.

Private equity firms generally understand this well. They tend to move quickly, adjust schedules and make senior leaders available when a strong candidate enters the process. Large corporations can struggle to provide the same level of flexibility.

Whenever possible, give them options. Offer a mix of virtual and in-person interviews. Be willing to work around their schedules. You can even give candidates some input into who they meet, particularly if there are executives or future partners they want to learn more from.

Most importantly, continue selling the opportunity throughout the interview process. Companies sometimes shift into evaluation mode once interviews begin and assume the candidate is already committed to the opportunity. In this market, that is rarely the case.

Top strategists are evaluating you at the same time you’re evaluating them. Every conversation should give them another reason to believe your opportunity is the right next step.

The companies that adjust will have the advantage

Hiring strategists in 2026 requires an understanding of where the talent market is tight, what candidates actually value and where flexibility can make your opportunity stand out. That may mean widening an overly narrow profile, giving a lateral candidate more ownership or simply moving faster through the interview process.

Small adjustments can make a meaningful difference when the people you want to hire have several options, and the companies that recognize those realities early will put themselves in a much stronger position to land the strategy talent they need.