Tech Career Guide
Tech Career Guide
Tech Career Guide
Career Guide
2022–2023
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What do the data say about
tech recruiting?
Percentage of 2021 MBA Graduates Taking Tech Jobs
35%
30%
25%
20%
15%
10%
5%
0%
Haas Kellogg Fuqua Ross Stern Darden Columbia Tuck
*Class of 2020
$250,000
$200,000 ~$177,034
~$170,292
$150,000
$100,000
$50,000
$0
Average Tech Post-MBA Average Post-MBA
Tech is understandably one of the most exciting industries for new MBAs, enabling these professionals to
join companies that are building the future with cutting-edge products and services. Whether you pursue a
lifelong career in tech or pivot to new fields, the exposure to new business models, top global leaders, and in-
novative companies will lay the foundation for an exciting career. Many recruiters feel that if you can make it in
tech—where the pace of innovation is fast and unrelenting—you can make it in any industry.
The most sought-after post-MBA tech positions are those in which MBAs assume product management roles,
working to develop the products and services that tech companies create. Therefore, the tech career path
that begins in product management is the focus of this guide.
President/C-Suite
Total compensation typically ranges from $13M–$20M
Vice President
Total compensation typically ranges from $500K–$1M
Director
Total compensation typically ranges from $200K–$350K
Assistant Director
Total compensation typically totals $150K
Product Manager
Total compensation typically totals $116K
MBAs entering product manager roles often have an educational background in technology (e.g., elec-
trical engineering, computer science) and pre-MBA professional experience with technology firms or
possibly extensive strategy consulting experience in the technology space. These domain experts fit
naturally into junior leadership roles overseeing the development of new technology or the go-to-
market strategy of a cross-functional product team.
A product manager at Apple may lead a team of hardware engineers to design the next-generation
computer chip for a tablet, for example, while a software product manager at Google may lead a team
of software engineers to develop the next killer application for the Google Play store. But product
managers do not work in a vacuum. Whether they are coordinating with overseas manufacturing firms
on design specifications or working with supply chain teams to distribute the product to retail outlets,
product managers are experts at drawing teams together to bring products to life.
Assistant Director
After two to four years, successful product managers are promoted to assistant director (AD), though
titles vary widely from company to company. A step up from the product manager role, assistant
directors are responsible for the operational management of a department, usually handling the
day-to-day administration of key projects, while their directors focus on larger strategic priorities.
Assistant directors are leaders who are increasingly empowered and entrusted with executing the
strategy behind new product rollouts, strategic business initiatives, and business-to-business rela-
tionships. They also oversee the daily operation of a large department, beginning their transforma-
tion from junior to more senior tech leaders. An AD at Salesforce might lead several software teams
on rolling out a new client portal for tracking customer satisfaction ratings, for example, while an AD
at Microsoft might be entrusted with guiding three teams working on aspects of the Microsoft Office
suite in Windows 11.
After amassing six to ten years of tech industry experience, assistant directors become directors who
have risen through the ranks of potential leaders by delivering results as product managers, demon-
strating the right combination of profound technology knowledge and acute business savvy. These
tech leaders are entrusted with managing their department’s budgets (e.g., profit and loss [P&L]), and
they control the hiring and recruitment process. Directors are usually empowered by their compa-
nies to make key business decisions and are accountable for the results. The opportunities—and
the responsibilities—at this level are significant. Directors can and must be deeply engrained in the
operation of their product teams, but at the same time they must focus more on managing their teams
than on overseeing product manager–level details. The number of position levels between post-MBA
product managers and directors varies from company to company, as do the formal job titles.
Becoming a vice president (VP) at a technology company is the pinnacle of a career in tech. After
working for 10 to 15 years at a major firm, VPs have truly arrived in the tech industry as substantive
leaders with deep product expertise, a long track record of results, and credibility from not only own-
ing, but also growing, the P&L for a major department. The role of vice president mainly consists of
driving a team of directors—guiding these senior leaders to ensure their individual departments focus
on the best product opportunities, contain costs, and respond to key competitive threats. VPs deal
with corporate strategy on a higher level than directors do, including driving decisions about corpo-
rate mergers and acquisitions (M&A), managing the firm’s long-term strategy, and framing critical
decisions about the product portfolio for executive leadership.
The competition for a promotion to this level in a corporation is fierce. For every 20 or 30 MBA associ-
ates joining a major technology firm, only a handful will eventually become VPs.
The ultimate dynamos in the tech industry are the executives who lead and shape major hardware,
software, communications, network, and social companies. People naturally imagine such iconic
leaders as Bill Gates, Steve Jobs, Mark Zuckerberg, and Tim Cook when they picture the tech C-suite.
Perhaps more so than in other industries, presidents and C-suite–level leaders in tech often seem to
have played a role in driving the development of their industries over time, either through founding
their companies or earning decades of experience in their industry. These leaders are among the most
highly compensated CEOs in the world, but only a few determined and driven leaders attain this level.
Operations Manager
These manufacturing and supply chain experts oversee the operations required to bring an engineer-
ing team’s design to life. At Apple, for example, they might be on the ground in China one week at
Foxconn rolling out the new iPhone, while the next week they may be back in California ensuring the
efficient distribution of inventory to customers.
Marketing Manager
Marketing managers focus on building the branding, marketing campaign, and channel strategy
behind a new product unveiled by a product development team. Masters of data analysis, marketing
managers pick the optimum channels and choose the right message to convey complex products
to consumers. A marketing manager at Samsung, for example, may work with an outside marketing
agency to craft a new advertising message in response to Apple’s resurgence in the market at Sam-
sung’s expense.
Finance/Accounting Manager
Like every major industry, tech needs leaders to monitor working capital and cash flow and to man-
age project budgets. These financial experts develop the business cases behind new products and
channel strategies, helping leadership decide how to expand or contract the product portfolio. A
finance manager at Amazon, for example, may focus on inventory accounting, shining the spotlight on
the company’s top-performing products to enable Amazon to prioritize winners in its marketing and
operations.
Sales roles may seem to be “entry level,” but MBA development programs in tech firms are increasingly
training top MBA talent in their company’s product portfolio before entrusting them with strategic
accounts to drive deals, diversify the company’s customer base, and land new accounts. A sales
manager at LinkedIn, for example, may cultivate a major enterprise client such as General Motors (GM),
persuading GM to sign up for a premium subscription service to help the company’s human resources
team recruit top talent from other companies.
Although MBAs with a finance, operations, or marketing background may not start out managing new prod-
ucts or services directly, during their initial two to four years with a tech company, they will obtain valuable
exposure to the company’s and the industry’s products. When they reach the assistant director and director
levels, their experience at the firm positions them to begin managing teams charged with developing core
technology. At that point, these MBAs understand the business’s marketing, operations, or financial drivers,
which gives them the vision and experience to help the company compete in the marketplace.
Tech jobs are characterized by the excitement of being an integral part of a large cross-functional team that
is changing the world one product at a time, but also the intense challenge of keeping pace with fiercely com-
petitive and driven peers and rivals.
Tech is highly cross-functional. Although product teams are the catalysts that design and prototype ground-
breaking new technology, world-class manufacturing and supply chain teams are charged with bringing
their products to market around the globe. Finally, marketing and sales departments must differentiate their
company’s products in an ever-shifting competitive landscape.
I really enjoy working across functions, having Working in a tech company provides a unique
autonomy, and doing something I believe opportunity for me to apply a wide range of
makes the world a better place. I do not skills. I get to work on technical tasks with
work late nights more than a couple of times the engineering team, as well as financial
a year, so I guess they are worth it merely modeling, strategy, sales, and marketing.
because there are so few. I have a lot of smart The diversity keeps the job interesting!
coworkers who consistently teach me new The atmosphere in a tech company is also
things, which I find pushes me to a higher faster than the other industries I’ve worked
level of performance. The industry changes in. Because of the ‘winner takes all’ and first
quickly, and what worked a few months ago mover advantage of many tech business
may not work now—pushing anyone who models, there is a great sense of urgency
succeeds one day to check themselves with and a ‘do or die’ mentality. To some, this may
humility the next. I enjoy the challenges of make for a stressful atmosphere, but I enjoy
finding and leveraging internal resources the energy it brings into the workplace. From
to bring amazing things to market for the a broader perspective, I enjoy working in tech
companies I work for. Lastly, I love living in the because it is an industry in which I feel I can
Bay Area—and even though rent is high, it is make large impacts in a short period of time.
one of the most amazing cities in the world to Companies can grow very rapidly, and their
live in right now. products often are innovative enough to have
a real impact on customers’ day-to-day lives.
Enterprise Sales Account Manager at a Social Media
Company New Product Manager at an Internet Company
� World-class locations in technology hubs including San Francisco, New York, Austin, and Boston
� Particularly attractive equity packages
� Exposure to the top engineers, operations experts, and marketing leaders
� The opportunity to work on teams with some of the best and brightest talents in the world
� Opportunities to join high-potential start-up firms
Although the financial incentives are strong for top performers, tech is a demanding field. If you cannot keep
up with your department, you will quickly fall off the promotion fast track. More than other industries, tech
is highly merit driven—leaders must keep up with the changing business landscape and product iterations to
stay relevant.
In tech, you cannot stand still on the professional development front. Unless you constantly master new
products, acquire new skills, and keep up with industry trends, a new crop of talented rising leaders can
quickly supplant you. Perhaps the most challenging aspect of the job is that your performance is linked to
how your product or service performs on the open market. Even the most well-conceived and well-managed
products may ultimately fall short because they compete against better-conceived or better-delivered prod-
ucts from their company’s competitors.
The most challenging problem in tech is staying relevant. Tech leaders may be perfectly aligned with a par-
ticular industry and market at a certain point in time. However, through no fault of their own, the very factors
that drove those leaders to success—product expertise, savvy strategic insight, and keen marketing sense—
may no longer align with the changing tech landscape. Just as tech companies are vulnerable to product
disruption by new entrants to the marketplace, tech leaders can quickly be supplanted by a new cohort of
leaders with experience more aligned with the new marketplace.
Hardware companies specialize in designing, manufacturing, and distributing the products used by
consumers and businesses.
Software companies focus on the applications, operating systems, and IT services that drive the user
experience.
Internet companies embed their applications online, enabling users to access the global Internet
effectively.
Social companies create social networks that enable users to transfer their offline social circles to
the digital world.
Disruptive companies run the gamut from hardware to software companies, but their defining char-
acteristic is disrupting established industries with innovative technology.
E-commerce companies provide online marketplaces for consumers and businesses to interact.
Telecommunication companies create and maintain the network that enables Internet, social, and
e-commerce companies to function.
Hardware
With a market value of roughly $3T—the first company in his- Although IBM has weathered challenges since it was the domi-
tory to achieve the benchmark of a trillion dollars—Apple is syn- nant technology company in the early 1980s, it still is a market
onymous with tech (as was its legendary visionary, Steve Jobs). leader in enterprise software, IT services, and hardware. IBM’s
Its core product line—composed of the MacBook and iMac com- global network in more than 200 countries enables new MBAs
puters, the iPhone, the Apple Watch, the Apple TV, the iPad, to not only develop industry-respected credentials in software
and its iOS applications—has created an unrivaled ecosystem and services, but also gain perspective on the technology in-
of hardware and software. Apple is an innovation machine and dustry outside of North America. The firm is charting a difficult
is rumored to be plotting significant future investments to transition to cloud computing, but analysts are confident that
transform the television, the automobile, and even the home. its extensive customer relationships will enable it to succeed.
Known for its market-transforming product and design, Apple New MBAs will join IBM at a time of transformation, positioning
is an ideal place to launch a global career in technology—at the them to witness the next stage of evolution for this legendary
world’s most valuable brand. tech company.
With the 2021 launch of Windows 11, Microsoft demonstrated The premier Internet company with its world-changing search
its continuing relevance in the industry by making its services engine, Google was reorganized under the Alphabet holding
available across a variety of platforms through new cloud ser- company in 2015. Google continues to focus on its core prod-
vices. The company achieved a $1T market cap in 2019, becom- ucts, including Android, Search, Chrome, YouTube, and Maps.
ing the third company in the world to do so, following Apple and Other corporate initiatives such as Google Fiber, Nest, and R&D
Amazon. Today, the company’s market value is approximately initiatives in robotics and life sciences have taken shape as
$2.2T. Microsoft is extremely competitive in the enterprise new companies in the Alphabet conglomerate. Within the past
world, remaining the industry leader for providing businesses decade, the company has launched such hardware products as
with the key Windows-based applications for enterprise the Google Nest Hub and the Google Pixel smartphone. Google
productivity. The company’s flagship Windows operating remains one of the most valuable technology companies on the
system continues to make Microsoft a perfect training ground planet and provides an excellent development experience for
for new MBAs who are fascinated by the competitive software any MBA interested in software or the Internet. Google’s ecosys-
industry. Moreover, the transformation of the company under tem—ranging from Search to the Android smartphone operating
CEO Satya Nadella positions incoming employees to help usher system—will give new hires a world-class credential on their
in Microsoft’s next era, as Nadella attempts to rejuvenate the resume that is synonymous with best-in-class innovation.
company’s consumer software business after losing ground in
the mobile computing era.
Disruptive
Social
Software
Salesforce
Internet
Yahoo
Social
Twitter
Disruptive
Tesla
Telecommunication
T-Mobile (merged with Sprint in 2020)
Verizon
The most direct path to a tech career is through a technical background in the industry, corporate strategy
experience in a consulting firm, or a functional foundation in operations, marketing, or finance. An MBA
degree is not a requirement for many jobs in tech, because product and software expertise does not require
a general management program for progression. Tech MBAs thus usually acquire a business degree to make
the leap from individual contributor to team leader.
Summer internships give corporate and sales MBAs a key opportunity to demonstrate their strengths. The
process of landing a summer internship in established technology companies through recruiting requires the
same strategy as in other industries. Attending company information sessions on campus is imperative. But
even more important is highlighting—through your cover letter and application—why your resume experienc-
es make you a valuable addition to a tech firm. MBAs from non-technical backgrounds must craft a pitch that
links their previous functional experience to tech and explains why their analytical and strategic skills will
enable them to thrive in a technical environment. During the interview for a summer internship, you should
demonstrate detailed knowledge of the company’s major strategies and products, as well as new corporate
strategies you think could add value to the company.
Most top tech firms recruit on business school campuses. However, given tech’s center of gravity on the West
Coast, MBAs determined to land a career in the industry are advised to participate in school treks to network
with technology companies in Silicon Valley and elsewhere.
Some of the more “disruptive” tech firms (e.g., Tesla, Uber) may not have the same on-campus recruiting
presence as the traditional tech behemoths (e.g., Apple, IBM, Microsoft). Candidates may need to be more
proactive in pitching themselves to human resources managers and directors, and they might need to ar-
range an informational interview and travel to company offices to gain insight on these firms. If your business
school arranges treks to companies in this category, you should seize this networking opportunity.
Job interviews are often significantly different for tech MBAs than for corporate and sales MBAs. Tech MBAs
will need to showcase their accomplishments and why they are ready to lead a development team. Corporate
MBAs should be prepared to answer questions that ascertain their quantitative and analytical skills, because
tech firms want to gauge how quickly these candidates can acquire relevant product expertise once inside
the company. Sales MBAs also must be ready to showcase their quantitative and strategy skills. The process
If tech is your chosen industry for a summer internship or a post-MBA position, get started now building your
network, conducting informational interviews with classmates and friends at target firms, creating a tech-
targeted resume, and preparing for tech case interviews. To learn more about how an MBA Career Coach can
assist you in securing your desired position through elite training, targeted skill development, and expert
guidance as you navigate the recruitment process, schedule a free consultation with us at www.mbamission.
com.